Our sweet & sour shoulders
Shoulders are a complex region of our body, consisting of 4 joints plus muscles, tendons, and ligaments – and so often this is where we experience discomfort and pain in our body. As we move through our day, the muscles, joints and bones of the shoulder come under strain when our arms are repetitively extended in front of us; like when we are on the computer/phone, doing those basic day to day tasks like washing dishes and even crafting (as I found out when I recently got into macramé). We know this and feel this - when they are open, they feel so sweet and when they are tight, then how sour they can feel.
There are certain areas of the body that typically hold onto stresses – like the jaw, neck, face, shoulders, stomach and hips. The stress can then manifest itself as blockages, pain, and tension in the body. For the shoulders, it really does feel sometimes like that old adage “having the weight of the world on your shoulders.” Our physical response to the emotional stress could be to round our shoulders or the shoulders to move towards the ears – we are protecting our heart and other vital organs by closing off our body and not letting it be exposed.
Through repetitive unchecked strain, we can then experience that all too familiar hot burning sensation of pain in our upper back & along the neck. Sometimes it feels like it just appears overnight but if we dive in and explore what our body has to tell us then maybe we can see what is really going on for us.
I am all too familiar with shoulder pain and tight shoulders. It has always been manageable until a couple of years ago (2018) when the pain started to affect how I slept, my emotional resistance and I physically couldn’t lift up my left arm without experiencing sharp burning stabbing pains. This was the point for me when I started to explore what else I could do for my body besides yoga shoulder openers and sought professional therapeutic help. I learnt so much more about my shoulders and that for me it was the tightness in my upper chest muscles that were pulling my shoulders forward and causing the pain. By releasing the tension in my chest, every single day, for weeks and weeks, the pain abated.
Like any human, there are some asanas in the yoga practice that I love to do and some that I don’t. For me, backbends were something that I tried to avoid but I knew I had to do - they just required so much more effort than anything else. It felt like it was impossible to extend my arms in Urdhva Dhanurasana. After releasing my shoulders, I can now move through backbends with more ease and most importantly the pressure I was experiencing in my lower back stopped. Backbends can be done completely without pain and any sort of pain in them is a sign of further inquiry needed. Not only this but I also became aware of the strength that I needed to build in the muscles in the shoulders to support the joint. These learnings have changed the way that I practice as well as the way I teach yoga - it’s all part of the journey of yoga.
This whole experience highlighted to me that regular shoulder maintenance is much needed. I love this excerpt from Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Albert Liebermann and Hector Garcia in the chapter about gentle movements for a longer life, “one of the most iconic radio taiso exercises consists of simply raising your arms above your head and then bringing them down in a circular motion… It might seem basic, but in our modern lives, we can spend days without raising our arms above our ears… One of the few times we raise our hands over our heads is when reaching for something in a cupboard or closet, while our ancestors were raising their hands over their heads all the time when gathering things from trees.”
By having awareness and connection of what’s going on in our body and mind, moving our body regularly and seeking help when needed - we can counter the physical and emotional demands that our shoulders take on in daily life. To help, here is a sweet and simple shoulder release I recorded for you. Enjoy!
And always please consult your health care professional if you have extensive pain in your shoulders.
