Exercises that help you stretch your muscles

Yoga works on the principle that a person’s body should be stretched in directions which is not normally done in day to day life. As the body has hundreds of muscles, each muscle needs to be stretched and stimulated in order for the whole body to be healthy. The following postures will work on your shoulders to bring back an upright posture and basic flexibility.

Exercise 1

EXERCISE 1

* Sit with your legs stretched out
* Place your palms behind you, as shown, with your fingers pointing away from your body
* Pushing down on the palms, slowly push the chest forward, arch the back and drop the head back, as shown
* Hold the position, breathing normally
* Slowly return to the start position.

Exercise 2

EXERCISE 2

* Kneel down, with your palms directly under your shoulder, your fingers facing forward, your knees in line with your hips and your soles facing upwards
* Curve the back, as shown
* Looking straight ahead, inhale and raise one arm, as shown. Raise your shoulder up to the level of your ear
* Hold the position for 30-60 seconds
* Repeat with the other arm.

Exercise 3

EXERCISE 3

* Repeat the first two steps of Exercise 1, keeping your hands on your hips
* Raise one arm over your head, with the palm facing up, and bend backwards as far as you can. Look up
* Hold the position for 10-30 seconds
* Repeat with the other side.