The shoulders can be a great source of strength or discomfort. We use them to schlep groceries, sling laptops and carry our upper body all day. So it makes sense that they can grow quite tight and sore, even if you’re doing your best not to slouch all day if you sit at work.
Try this 10-minute series of shoulder-opening yoga poses above in the morning. As Health editor Kristin McGee shows, the moves are slow and steady, so you don’t have to worry about moving at a quick pace if yoga is new to you. The series begins with a sun salutation and then moves into strength poses.
It is so easy to wake up and let the day run away from you, but the benefits of taking a moment in the morning stretch out and breathe ― maybe even set an intention for the day ahead ― are myriad. And the evidence keeps mounting that yoga can improve cardiovascular health, sharpen the brain, decrease depression, reduce stress and anxiety, promote a healthy self-image and lower cancer risk. Need we say more?
Check out the video above.