The holidays are here, which means there’s quite a load on your shoulders. Whether you’ve upped your fitness routine so you can indulge in the holiday treats guilt-free or you’re hunched over your laptop composing your annual holiday letter, we know the season’s physical, mental and emotional stress can take a toll on your body.
Jill Miller, creator of The Roll Model® Method, shares a bonus move from her acclaimed self-care practice to relieve the burden on your shoulders and reset the tissues that will carry you through a busy season.
To get started, you’ll need two Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls.
Put Your Shoulder Back on Your Shoulder
When you’re looking at your phone or laptop screen, chances are that all of your tissues from your spine to the edge of your humerus (the long bone in your upper arm) are overstretched. Here’s how to restore your postural integrity.
- Lie back on the floor with your Therapy Balls and place them under the side of your arm or just over the side of your arm. Turn onto your hip to place pressure on the balls.
- Roll the balls over your scapula (shoulder blade) directly toward your spine. Reset and do it again. This is a plow technique—the balls catch the side of your body and scrape everything back toward your spine.
- After you’ve done that several times, use just one ball and trace the triangular shape of your scapula. Lie back on the ball, placing it under your scapula and move over the ball. This will help to fine-tune all of the muscles that border the scapula: the serratus, the rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, upper trapezius and rotator cuff.
- Modify the pressure by leaning against a wall rather than the floor.
Photo credit: Todd Cribari, inspirostudio.com
Video credit: Courtesy of The Roll Model® Method
