Funny enough, the moment I landed in Sofia from NY, I felt my shoulders naturally relax. My breath slowed down, my thoughts weren’t racing as fast, and I didn’t feel the urge to head anywhere. For a split second, while waiting at Baggage claim I felt serene and tension free – my gait relaxed, my shoulders at ease. The shoulders are our identity markers. In non-verbal communication shrugging the shoulders means: “I don’t know, I am not sure…” Insecurity brings fear, suspicion and casts a shadow on trust. Any fluctuation in our self-esteems registers in the shoulders, resulting in tightness, tension, instability to accept ourselves for who we really are and live up to our full potential. The culprit of anxiety, a derivative of existential blues is the most modern of afflictions in Yoga.
Anxiety is often ingrained in the cells and we fail to notice its repercussions. Millions of people all over the world complain of tight shoulders, constant suspicion and an inability to trust the divine interplay of events. The product of anxiety is constant worry rooted in fear, fear to meet the high demands of the external environment. Worry in turn attacks the natural defense mechanism of the body and stifles the mind to seek creative solutions. It holds true for all types of activity, whether you’re about to take an exam, force yourself into a pose, plan an important event in your life. Anxiety sparks fear and can often make you physically constricted, limiting your notion of selfhood.
Fear in turn instills misunderstanding about our identity about being disconnected and uprooted from the Universe Anxiety can often be a powerful tool for change, as it reveals where we harbor stress or hold unresolved emotions. It reminds us that there is something that we need to take care of. Most of all anxiety signals the need for growth and denotes some inner shift. We judge our actions craving some things and pushing away others. The source of anxiety is either in the past or in the future, it is either terminal or anticipatory. We are victimized by our wiring to a point when we end up nurturing our anxiety.
The first step to loosen anxiety’s grip is to become aware of it. Do you hunch your shoulders before a performance or an interview? The key is to stop consciously judging one’s self for possible failures and worrying about the outcome of a situation or an event. Instead of thinking of anxiety like a habit to uproot you can think of it as transformational energy to ride on. It can signal the necessary tension, the inner need for change that accompanies growth. As you stop resisting anxiety and invite it as a healing agent you will be surprised of how your self-confidence will naturally build. Your self-trust will be enhanced and your faith in the divine orchestration of life will land you in a place of self-appreciation and inner purpose. Stop shrugging your shoulders, relax them naturally with this shoulder opening Yogea sequence, shot by a lotus pond in the beautiful park of Sofia, Bulgaria and proudly feel the magnitude of your presence in the world!
Morning Shoulder Opening Yogea Routine – Confidence Boost
This Yogea sequence is peppered with self-boosting postures that eliminate stress and anxiety build up in the joints and promote a strong core and stability. Unconventional modes of opening the shoulder girdle are introduced in increasing complexity as the entire musculature simultaneously relaxes and tones, rounds and flexes. Spinal elongation is obtained through subtle twists and a wide array of shoulder binds that open the blades and stretch the deltoids are offered to maintain the rotator cuff stable and the ball and socket joint lubricated and flexible. A well-balanced warm-up stretches the lower body (hamstrings, Achilles and IT band) while opening the nerve channels to reap the pacifying effects of meridian crossings combined with neutrally and externally rotated standing poses. As the body moves from one posture to the next the weight shifts gracefully, and different muscle groups and endocrine glands are stimulated. Due to the close proximity of the shoulders to the cervical and thoracic spine all of the shoulder binds engage the intercostals muscles, the rhomboids and trapezius to give the upper back and the mid back an inner massage and an outward expansion. Special emphasis is placed on the ventilation and purifying breathing exercises preceding the postures that open the energetic channels for the outflow of tension and the inflow of life force. The creative blend of sitting, standing, reclining and kneeling shoulder and hip openers and invigorating backbends make this routine an ideal morning practice. A short creative visualization at the end allows the body to ground while floating, and the mind to sink inwards while expanding outwards.
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