Ways to open up back / shoulders

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Alrighty!
Well, if you have read my intro post you will know that I haven’t ever really gotten into yoga, but I have always wanted to… I just haven’t had the patience for it. (as weird as that seems… heh.)

But lately I started to notice that my shoulders were slouching forwards quite a bit. This is causing me to get a little bit of a hunch back, and my neck leaning forwards a little bit…
I had asked on yahoo answers what I can do about it, and someone said to do the cobra.
So I tried doing it, but all I really feel is a stretch in my lower stomach, and not my shoulders, or back?

So I guess what my question is, is what can I do to reverse this process and fix my posture, and am I doing the cobra wrong?

Thanks a lot!

#2

How can we answer your question from the waters of Yoga when you have not even put your toe into the surf?

The answer to your question about your shoulders, spine, and neck would be very involved when given from those waters mentioned above. Anatomically some might simply say the muscles in your upper chest are too tight and provide a "prescription to release those. And that might be somewhat effective.

Postures are built over time and thus so too are they remedied over time. Such a course would require patience, effort, and discipline. There are also answers which go beyond the physical form, beyond mere anatomy and bio-mechanics. But such a response, while accurate, would likely make no sense whatsoever to a non-practitioner.

As it relates to Bhujangasana (Cobra), a pose or posture devoid of actions is completely useless (yogically). One can not “do” Cobra for anything at all if it is not built to move the proper things and stabilize the proper things. That takes time (more dang patience) and a teacher.

It is not a matter of doing the pose “right” or “wrong” it is simply a matter of doing the pose safely while also achieving a high degree of efficacy. Again, takes time and a teacher.

Consider going to a class where the teacher is highly trained, continues that training, AND has some therapeutic training as part of their over training. Many teachers can tell you what to do next (with your limbs) but only a few both look and see.

#3

Ellie:

Try Simple legs-up-the-Wall poses. I’m fortunate enough to be able to do this routine right from my bed.

To get into position you sit with your right side to the wall and support yourself with your left hand as you swing your legs up the wall and recline on your back. Push yourself toward the wall so that your hips are as close to it as is comfortably possible.

Let your arms go over head or to your sides, whatever is comfortable while your back forms on the mattress or mat. Then hold for several seconds/minutes. change postures by spreading out your legs, go down to goddess pose with the bottom of your feet together, making your legs look like butterfly wings. My favorite is twisting both of my legs to one side, and turning my upper body in the opposite direction. Holding for several seconds/minutes.

This is a nice way to warm up or recover before/after cobra, sphinx and locust poses.

You can also climb up the wall, in a climbing locust before you start your cobra. Lie face down with your head 1 to 2 feet from the wall.

Begin walking your hands up the wall, bringing your upper back into an arch. Walk your hands up the wall until your arms are straight and you feel yourself hanging from it. Can be held for several seconds/minutes to ease tension in shoulders and upper back.