I am a swimmer and this has left my upper back/shoulders very knotted. I also lift weights and this has left me somewhat large with muscle, not alot for a normal person but for a swimmer. Sometimes my back feels as if my shoulder blades are in a cage and can hardly move. Whenever I get a massage I feel so loose that I have huge time drops that anyone could consider miraculous. After doing yoga I have the same feeling. I have done about a dozen yoga sessions and read a book on it so I have a basic begginer knowledge and was wondering what poses would help my upper back best?
Dear BGL,
I am a Structural Yoga instructor and massage therapist, I would recommend that you practice Rolling Bridge as a self care for the back, and Bridge Pose to open the chest. Swimmers use the muscles of the front of the chest considerable more that the muscles of the back, which can lead to an imbalance. Pain may be felt in the back of the body, which is actually stretched to it’s limit as it tries to counter the tightness of the anterior chest wall. Cobra or Camel, too, will help to open the front of the body. I recommend these practices as outlined in Mukunda’s book Structural Yoga Therapy , not as often seen in photos on magazine covers where the lower back is compromised by being in hyperextension. The focal action would be to reverse the curvature of the upper back, thus opening the chest wall. Hope this is helpful to you.
Namaste,
Chandra
Thank you for the reply, I have already been doing camel and bridge pose and after each session I always feel so much better. I will give these new poses a try.
Wrapping the arms in Garudasana wil help you release the rhomboids. You can also do Gomuhkasana (arms) If you’re as bound upstairs as you say you may need a strap for the latter pose.
Try these arm positions from Virasana, sitting on some height if your hips are not open enough for you to drop into the pose such the the iner upper knee “bumps” are equidistant from the floor. Externally rotate your femurs in the pose in order to lift (height is perfectly okay and can be a block or perhaps a couple of foamy things runing paralell to the inner ankles.
Adho Mukha Savanasana wil also be good for you. IN all these poses breathe deeply between the shouldre BLADES and on exhalation spread the shoulder blades away from the spine. If more supple then wrap them around the ribs and move them toward the front body. Careful not to colapse in the chest.
The upper back should be very wide with the seratus engaging so rhomboid release is possible. Would not hurt you to work a languid neck in uttanasana.
Props and wall rope system would make some of the therapeutic work a bit easier.
hope this helps.