Chest and Shoulder Stretches that will Free your Breathing
Think about how you sit. If you are a typical human, you probably slouch at least some of the time, especially if you sit at a computer for long periods. Gravity naturally pulls our upper body forward and downward. This compresses the chest, lessening space for the lungs, and strains the muscles of the neck and upper back.
“Tech neck” is the term for this upper back and neck rounding that is common when we stare at our phones or computers. The neck and upper back feel tight, but these muscles are actually over stretched. The chest and anterior shoulder muscles are what is actually tight. I wrote in detail about this concept in detail in this post:
3 Reasons Body Awareness Matters As You Age
Breath is life
I don’t think anyone will argue that breath is the source of life. No breath, no life. When you sit or stand with a compressed chest for hours at a time, you may notice yourself taking shallow breaths. While you don’t need to take deep breaths all day long, having a more open space for your lungs calms the nervous system. When you are not fighting for air and it flows freely, your body and mind feel calm.
Ideally when you type or use your devices you want them at eye level. This prevents you from rounding your upper back. Keeping your chest muscles soft and stretched can also help, more on that in a bit. A tight chest will cause the upper back to round and make it harder to sit up straight.
Tight chest muscles can cause conditions such as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which leads to numbness and tingling down the arms, as well as pain in the neck and shoulders. It can also lead to Costochondritis, which is inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum (breast bone). Both are painful and when you employ proper posture, shouldn’t be a problem.
Conditions such as anxiety and asthma can also cause tightness in the chest. While the stretches below won’t cure your asthma, they can open the chest to make breathing a bit easier. Anxiety lessens when you can control your breath more easily as well.
Neck and shoulder stretches
There are many wonderful yoga stretches to improve your range of motion and how your body feels. These stretches can be done at your desk or anytime you feel tightness in your chest muscles.
Neck Flossing
Yoga Mudra
You can do this sitting or standing (or numerous other positions). Bring your arms behind your back and interlace your fingers. If your hands can’t connect, hold a strap, towel, or belt between them and walk your hands toward each other. If your hands do connect, interlace your fingers, pressing your palms and wrists together. Try to create one fist with your two hands combined, don’t let your wrists pop open. Squeeze your shoulder blades together (retraction) and lengthen your knuckles toward the floor.
Hold 5 breaths then repeat by interlacing the fingers with the other fingers on top (all fingers move over by one)
You can also add a shrug to this pose to relieve straining neck muscles. Holding Yoga Mudra, shrug your shoulders up by your ears and drop your head backward toward your shoulders. This undoes “Tech Neck” by contracting and shortening the strained, over lengthened muscles. Hold 5 breaths then repeat with the other fingers on top.
Door Stretch/Back of Chair Stretch
Sit sideways in a chair with the back of the chair to your right. Place your right forearm on the side of the backrest, a little behind you. Press your right shoulder blade downward as you turn your chest the left. Hold for 5 breaths, then repeat on the other side.
If you have a doorway, stand in the doorway with your palms on the frame down near your hips. Step forward through the doorway to feel the stretch. You can also do this with your forearms on the frame slightly lower than shoulder height. Each variation will give you a slightly different stretch. Stay 5 breaths. You can do 5 breaths in each variation.
Join me online on the mat!
Summer Yoga Kickoff starts in June and runs for the month! For $30 you get thirteen 15-minute yoga classes to stretch, strengthen, work on balance, and meditate, all online! If you can’t make the classes live, they will be available on demand whenever you like! At the end of the Kickoff, all classes will live in Purple Room Yoga’s Video Library for PRY subscribers to revisit as often as they like. The $30 will go toward your first month as a PRY subscriber should you choose to continue. Click the button for more information or to sign up!
I teach ongoing online classes for active adults over 50 who want to stay active with yoga! 30- and 60-minute Vinyasa classes, Stretch and Mindful Core classes, Beginner classes, and Movement and Meditation classes are new every week. All classes can be taken live over Zoom, where we can chat before and after class. I always take requests! All live classes go into the Video Library where you can revisit the classes whenever you like, whether you take them live or not. Click the button below to see the full schedule of classes!
