Stop what you’re doing for a moment and check-in to see how you’re feeling. Turn your head from side to side, perform a few shoulder rolls, and reach your arms overhead. Are you carrying tension in your neck or are your shoulders rounded forward? Mental and emotional stress often manifests as poor posture which impacts not just your muscles, tendons, and bones but also your subtle body. Read on to discover how yoga for your upper body can help.
This week, join us and dedicate some time to developing and maintaining a healthy spine with classes designed specifically to prevent and alleviate back pain. Yoga’s three-pronged approach will help you discover whether the tightness and discomfort are coming primarily from your spinal disc issues, strained muscles or connective tissue, or your texting or driving habits. The great news is that regardless of the cause, yoga can soothe what ails you.
This week’s classes offer relief if you’re currently suffering neck and back pain while strengthening and stretching the muscles supporting your spine to prevent future issues. You’ll learn techniques to maintain a stable yet mobile spine and release patterns that could be causing injury. From gentle backbends to core strengthening moves and focused shoulder-opening postures, these targeted practices provide powerful benefits. When you open your shoulders and chest, you’re creating more space for your heart to stay emotionally balanced.
By softening the areas where you carry tension, you relax the muscles, which creates a corresponding emotional release. The upper body houses the higher chakras, from the crown of the head, Sahasrara Chakra, down the spine to the third-eye or Ajna Chakra, the throat chakra or Visshuda, and the Anahata or heart Chakra. These energy centers represent our connection to the Divine, our intuition, our center for authentic communication, to our seat of love and compassion, respectively. A yoga practice emphasizing creating freedom in your neck, shoulders, and back will positively impact your subtle body and mental health.
Check out this week’s varied classes and improve your posture, open your heart, and clear your mind. Reverse the damage from hunching over your computer, sitting too long, and holding anxiety in your neck, shoulders, and back. Here’s to feeling light and balanced!
Claire Petretti Marti - Yoga for Healthy Backs: Spinal Tune-Up
Shoulder Mobility with Kylie Larson
Desiree Rumbaugh - Strengthen, Protect, & Heal the Upper Body
Patrick Montgomery - Neck Nirvana