My Go To Asanas series: Tension in upper body

This is the inaugural post of my "Go To Asanas" series. Our attention today is directed towards the frequently encountered tension in the upper body. Our lifestyle is one of the things to blame. An average human being spends a way too much time in sitting down and it is not natural for our bodies to be as sedentary as our current lifestyle demands. Many of us feel constant, if not chronic pain in our necks, shoulders and back.

While many of us are unable to change the modern way of living, we can heal and even prevent the pain through the practice of yoga. I've heard from some of my students that without yoga, they do not feel like their bodies are aligned. I very much agree - I haven't found anything better to keep my body alignment in check on a daily basis. Yoga offers a variety of asanas for different needs in our bodies and the following examples are just some you can try for your upper body.

Within this series, you will discover a compact selection of yoga poses centered around each specific theme, suitable for practicing anytime and anywhere.

Bhujangasana - Cobra Pose

A very well known cobra pose is a beneficial pose for your whole spine. It is often featuring in sunshine salutations like in one of my recent YouTube videos. While it is a common pose, there are still many things to remember. Just like in a downward facing dog as the people in my classes are tired of hearing at this point. ;-)

Checking your alignment:

1. The first thing to do is to find grounding. Make sure that your hips and pelvis are evenly on ground. Feet are also pressing on ground. Knee caps can stay on ground or be lifted. The more alignment you find in the pose they normally start lifting quite naturally.

2. Your hands are shoulder width apart and they're just a few inches away from your hips. Fingers are spread and you should feel that you're almost grabbing the ground for support before lifting up.

3. In the pose your shoulders are pressing down. You can imagine a heavy weight that is pushing your shoulders toward ground. Your chest is expanding forward. You can look either straight in front of you or up, but make sure that your shoulders don't lift up. You can feel a slight discomfort in your lower back first but the more you do this pose, the more your back muscles are strengthening and you're not leaning so much with your spine but rather the muscles around it. Please ensure that your breath can always flow with ease. With backbends, even the less intense ones, it is essential to do a counter stretch by rounding your back. A good counter pose for cobra is a child's pose, balasana.

Modification:

It is easy to modify full cobra by doing the so-called baby cobra. Simply just keep your elbows bent instead straightening them. This engages the muscles in your back perhaps even more and this pose may not feel as intense back bend for your lower back.

Uttana Shishosana - Extended Puppy Pose

Known as one of the most effective methods to open your chest area is an extended puppy pose. Even though the pose looks somewhat challenging, it really isn't! I'm trying to incorporate this pose into my yoga classes where we're connecting with our heart chakras or in some of the upper body focused classes.

Checking your alignment:

1. The first thing before descending forward is to check that our knees are right below our hips. Ideally you would have a direct line from your hips all the way to the ground. Check also that your tops of feet are on the ground as this will give you more support and that your feet are aligned with your knees.

2. No matter what we do, we tend to lift our shoulders to our ears, even in yoga. This pose is again a great example to be mindful about our shoulders. You can try and push your armpits toward ground. Your arms and especially triceps are therefore engaged while your palms and fingers are spread and rest firmly down.

3. Forehead can rest on the ground. Alternatively, you can keep your chin on the ground which will bring your heart space closer to the ground and feel more intense. See which variation works for you and make sure your breath can always flow with ease.

Modification:

If for some reason staying on your knees is not an option you can do the pose standing. This way you are simply folding forward by placing your hands on a counter top or a table (or any stable support) in front of you while keeping a slight bend in your knees. Your body then looks like a 90 degrees angle.

Parsva Tadasana - Standing Side Bend Pose

There are many ways to do standing or seated side bends. While you may not think that oblique muscles can be the cause of your upper body tension, their role for the alignment of torso are undeniable. I include side stretches of different kinds into nearly all of my yoga routines. In the picture you see a standing pose with your foot placed behind in a diagonal line.

Checking your alignment:

1. Start by standing in a mountain pose in front of your mat. Make sure your feet are firmly on the ground, your back is straight and tailbone is pointing down. You can do this by engaging your glutes. Your abdomen are by no means loose because you're pulling your navel toward your spine. Step your right foot behind diagonally while stretching your right arm toward your left.

2. Once you're in the pose, make sure your torso is facing forward and it's not twisting anywhere. The movement is happening through your waist, not the spine. The right arm is actively reaching while the left arm is resting on our upper thigh.

3. You can look straight or up toward the right arm but make sure your neck is relaxed. Keep your shoulders away from your ears and broaden your chest. Ensure that your breath can always flow with ease. Repeat on the other side.

Modification:

A simple modification for this pose is to sit in an easy seat (sukhasana). Make sure you sit bones are firmly on the ground and your spine is straight. Reach one of your arms toward opposite side. The same issues with alignment apply: navel pulling toward the spine, torso facing forward, neck relaxed and shoulders away from ears. The reaching arm is active while the other arm rests on the ground. If you have the flexibility, you can even rest your elbow on the ground as in the picture but it should not come at the cost of loosing the control in your torso. Again, see what suits your needs the best way.

Parsva Balasana - Thread the Needle Pose

Our final pose today is Thread the Needle. It looks more complex than it actually is. I don't have the best picture to illustrate the simple version of this pose but a quick google search will reveal you all the variations of this pose. This picture is taken from 'grounding yoga class' YouTube video which also focused on deep hip openers.

Checking your alignment:

1. You can begin this pose from a table top position. Checking your alignment first; spine straight and knees aligned with each other. Start by threading your right arm underneath your left armpit.

2. Your resting arm will naturally bend when threading your arm (in this picture my elbow is already in a 90 degrees angle). Once you're in the pose, ensure that your knees are right below our hips. Ideally you would have direct line from your hips all the way to the ground. Weight is on your right ear and right shoulder (again, in this picture my shoulder is not yet touching the ground). Toes can be tucked or untucked. If you wish to multitask and try a hip opener at the same time, you can place your right foot off the mat as in the picture.

3. The arm that is not threading can reach toward the front of the mat, rest on ground or reach toward your lower back or even your opposite inner thigh (in this case, I could reach my left hand toward my right inner thigh). Remember that your breath can always flow with ease. Repeat on the other side. After such a deep twist, I recommend some side stretches such as the previously explained pose.

Modification:

You can modify this pose in a seated position such as sukhasana by grabbing your right tricep with your left hand and pulling your right arms toward you. You should feel this in your shoulder in the same way as the thread the needle pose. Remember to keep your spine straight and always focus on your breathing.

I hope these poses will help you to release some tension in your upper body. Please share with me your thoughts. I look forward to seeing you on the mat.

I wish light in you day,

x Sara