Melt Winter Tension: Sensual Spring Shoulder Moves

The winter chill kept your shoulders up by your ears, with Spring officially arriving on March 20th, it's time to melt the unconscious Winter tension
that has built up in the shoulders, neck and back. Feel better with these sensual spring moves. Spring it On!




The following is the text breakdown of what you can do. Also be sure to view the Yoga Flava Video Snack at the bottom of this blog and join me in this healing practice.

Standing Forward Bend

Uttanasana (Sanskrit - ancient east indian name of Yoga Pose)
(OOT-tan-AHS-ahna)
ut = intense
tan = to stretch or extend

Step by Step

Stand in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), hands on hips. Exhale and bend forward from the hip joints, not from the waist. As you descend draw the front torso out of the groins and open the space between the pubis and top sternum. As in all the forward bends, the emphasis is on lengthening the front torso as you move more fully into the position.

If possible, with your knees straight, bring your palms or finger tips to the floor slightly in front of or beside your feet, or bring your palms to the backs of your ankles. If this isn't possible, cross your forearms and hold your elbows. Press the heels firmly into the floor and lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling. Turn the top thighs slightly inward.

With each inhalation in the pose, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates almost imperceptibly with the breath. Let your head hang from the root of the neck, which is deep in the upper back, between the shoulder blades.

Forward Fold (Uttanasana) can be used as a resting position between the standing poses. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It can also be practiced as a pose in itself.

Don't roll the spine to come up. Instead bring your hands back onto your hips and reaffirm the length of the front torso. Then press your tailbone down and into the pelvis and come up on an inhalation with a long front torso.

Shoulder Rolls
Roll the shoulders down and back, starting with small circles and working up to larger circles. Do 10 circles backwards and then repeat forward circles.

To see how it's done have a taste of this Yoga Flava Video Snack; Forward Fold and Shoulder Rolls:



For more information: www.yogaflava.com