4 ways to ease shoulder tension

The shoulders are our bodies most mobile joint, yet in our modern and often desk-bound lives, they are under used, meaning our nervous system responds by closing off our ability to move them through their many ranges of motion.

That said, there’s an antidote available to all of us - movement. Here are some useful, easily accessible yoga positions that can recreate a sense of spaciousness and freedom both in the shoulders and upper back. This 5 minute mini-sequence takes the shoulders through both active and passive ranges, offering diversity and complementary actions, keeping our shoulders happy and healthy.

Shoulder “flossing”

Opening shoulders with a yoga strap

Just like flossing your teeth removes all the excess “ick” from the day, the same goes for shoulder flossing. Shoulder flossing clears any tension in your back, neck and shoulders that has accumulated from the day.

Having a yoga belt (or similar) at hand, grab towards either end with your arms overhead, hands well apart from your shoulders. Inhale as you are, exhale bring the strap and arms behind you slowly, inhale back to centre, exhale bring the strap down in front of you. Repeat slowly for 4-5 rounds.

Cow Face arms (active + passive)

Strengthening shoulders in a yoga pose

A position that features often in my classes for good reason, both of these variations offer a balanced approach of shoulder flexion and internal rotation.

Opening shoulders with a yoga strap

Start with your arms overhead. For the active version, create fists with both hands. Bend your right elbow and place the fist behind your neck or upper back. Bend your left elbow and internally rotate, sliding it towards the lower-mid part of your back. Especially if you’re quite flexible already, it’s tempting to let the fists touch, but if you can, resist. Once there, create the intention of the fists drawing together and the elbow tips moving away from each other. Hold for 4-5 breaths before repeating on the other side.

For the passive version, start exactly the same way, but instead of creating fists, try to catch your fingers so you’ve something to leverage from. If you can’t quite reach, fear not. Either grab a strap or hold onto your shirt. Enjoy this much more satisfying version (in my body at least), as a complement to the previous. Hold for 4-5 breaths on each side.

Eagle arms (active + passive)

Eagle pose to open the shoulders

A firm favourite in many modern yoga classes and a position I can stay in for a good few minutes.

Let’s start with the passive version. With the arms extended out in front of you, cross the right arm over the left arm, either taking opposite shoulders or a wrap and bind. Gently squeeze the forearms together and broaden the shoulders wide on the upper back. If you’re able to bind, and for some extra neck release, tilt just the forearms to the right and drop the left ear towards the left shoulder. Hold for 4-5 breaths. Repeat on the other side, crossing the left arm over the right.

Alternative to eagle pose to open shoulders

To complement this with the active version, with a 90 degree bend, bring the forearms out in front of you with palms facing your face. Ensure the elbow tips are roughly in the same line as your sternum, keeping them at that height if you can. Now, draw the hands and wrists away from each other, but do so keeping the elbows touching. Some bodies find this accessible, others don’t (I’m in this camp), but it creates more active range for the external rotators.

Arms in extension

Interlace arms behind body yoga pose


Either sitting or standing, draw the arms directly behind you. Before interlacing your fingers, draw the shoulder blades towards each other. Keep the intent of that action (scapula retraction) as you interlace the fingers. You can experiment with arching the back, drawing the arms more behind you or even down to the floor - whatever feels good at the time. Keep a slow and supportive breath as you do this.

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3 alternatives to Crow pose