After a long day of sitting at your desk, you are probably painfully aware of the way your shoulders can move upward. And if you look at yourself in a mirror you’ll see how they can also roll forward. But your shoulders can also slide laterally, typically in toward your body under stress.
Try this exercise (you can do it right now at your desk, either standing or sitting) to let your shoulders relax and move away from the centerline of your body:
- To warm up and get a feel for how your shoulders move, roll them backwards and forwards a few times, then lift them up and drop them down a few times.
- Now play with the subtle side-to-side movement of your shoulders, picturing your shoulders moving first in toward your body and then away from it. If you have trouble feeling the “away from your body” part of this, imagine that there are strings attached to outside top of each shoulder pulling them outward, away from your centerline.
- Now take a big, deep breath and as you exhale picture your shoulders sliding out away from your centerline and slightly back and down. If you’re using those imaginary strings, picture two people kneeling on each side of you and slightly behind you, gently tugging on the string to pull your shoulders out, down, and back.
- As you inhale, you’ll feel your shoulders slide back toward your centerline. Don’t fight that sensation, but at the same time realize that you don’t have to let them rebound entirely.
- Repeat 3-5 times.
Try to keep this sensation in your body throughout your work day and occasionally let your shoulders just naturally slide out to the side.
About Today’s Tipster
Seattle massage therapist and dedicated shoulder roller Larry Swanson.