Shoulders and Necks - Rotator Cuff Stuff and Computer Neck

Find two bed pillows and have them at your side.

1. Begin lying on your back with a thin folded bed pillow under your upper back. The bottom edge of the pillow should be at the bottom of your shoulder blades.
Rest here for 5 minutes, with your attention in the center of your chest. Breath all the way in allowing the chest to rise fully, and then intentionally lifting it forward and up a little more at the end of the inhale. Exhaling, allow the chest to drop down and back all the way, still keeping your fully attention in the chest.
You can imagine the lungs expanding to take up every inch of the chest cavity. See if you can expand into your side and back body as well as into the front of the chest and rib cage.
Hold that pose for a full 5 minutes, then push the pillow aside but keep it within reach.

2. Extend your right arm up over head (along the floor) but concentrate on keeping the head of the arm bone in the shoulder socket.  Keep the engagement in the shoulder and roll to your right side, bend the arm at the elbow and place your hand on the side of your head. Your full weight should now be on the side body below the bottom tip of the right shoulder blade. Breathing into your right side, slightly roll slowly back and forth over the tender area on your side body. There may be a lot of sensation localized here.. That's ok, but if you feel strong sensation in the front of the shoulder then come out of the pose and move on to pose #3.

Rolling back onto your back, repeat on the other side.

3. Roll to your belly and extend your arms out to either side of you, as if you were pretending to airplane. Now lifting your chest, head and arms as much as you can, hold this pose for four breaths. Release everything back to the ground. Repeat two more times.

4. Repeat #3 above but lift the legs also. Repeat two times.

5. Coming to all fours (hands and knees), draw the head of the arm bones into the shoulder sockets on both sides. Keep that and then drop the belly forward and lift your tail, internally rotating the tops of your thighs. Then keep that internal rotation, keep the buttocks lifting and carefully draw the belly in towards the spine, without reversing the curve in the lower back. Keep that and then extend your left leg out behind you, extend through the inside edge of the heal, straighten the leg as much as possible, engage the leg muscles and lift the back of the whole leg upwards.

Release and then repeat on the other side.

6. Coming up to a kneeling position, (the torso is now vertical).
Tip the torso forward slightly, placing your palms on the tops of your thighs, internally rotate the tops of the thighs, widening the sits bones (buttocks). Now keep that internal rotation, keep the sits bones wide, draw the bottom of the belly in, engaging the belly muscles here, and slowing, being careful not to loose that internal rotation of the thighs, release the hands and bring the torso up to vertical.  Place the palms of your hands on your lower back, heels of the hands either side of the sacrum, fingers pointing downwards. Remember that internal rotation, and the engagement of the belly as you breathe in and begin to lift your chest towards the sky. Look up to the ceiling and take a little back bend. Stay here for two or three breaths. and then slowly sit down with your but on your heals. (this pose can make you a little dizzy so take it slowly).

Repeat a total of 3 times.

7. At the  end of pose #6 you are still kneeling. Find the pillow again, and roll or fold it to make a 12pt bolster. Now widen your heals and place that bolster between your heals, then sit down on it. You will already begin to feel a stretch, perhaps in your ankles and feel, knees or the fronts of your thighs. If necessary (if this sensation is painful) then you will need to take the second pillow and fold it also and put that on top of the first and then take your seat on them again.

This may be a sufficient stretch for you, if so just stay here for a minute or so, breathing fully and evenly.
If you would like to go deeper into this stretch, then draw the belling in towards the spine, take your hands to the ground either side of your knees, pause and breath, and possibly drop down to your fore arms if this feels appropriate, being careful to keep length in your lower back.

Come back up slowly, using your belly muscles.

8. Take both pillows and go to a wall. Place the pillows on top of one another, long edge on the floor about a foot from the wall.
The following pose may take some adjustment and iterative wiggling to get into, but its worth it.
On bended knee as if you were proposing to someone, you will be standing  on one knee (knee on the pillow foot at the wall) and the other foot on the ground ahead of you.
Now lift the back foot and slide yourself towards the wall, the back foot lifting up the wall to create a thigh stretch.

Ideally if you can reach place your hands on the wall behind you and lift your chest, otherwise place your hands on your foward thigh keeping your torso lifted and your belly in.

Make sure that th foot on the wall is straight.. the tops of the toes should be on the wall, your heal facing your back. Draw the belly in and up to deepen the stretch.

Hold as long as is comfortable and then repeat on the other side.


For Computer Neck continue as follows (rotator cuff people.. the following may not be for you, but you can try them very carefully to see for yourself).

9. Moving the pillows aside once again, return to all fours. Step or slide your knees back about 6 - 12 inches.
Place your hands shoulder width apart, fingers pointing forward, drawing the head of the armbones into the shoulder sockets, .
Draw your elbows into your sides and drop your belly forward, lenghthening the front of your torso, lifting your chest forward and internally rotating the tops of your thighs.
Widen your sits bones (buttocks) and then keep that internal rotation, keep that curve in your back as you draw you belly muscles intowards your spine.

Now keep all those rotations and engagements as you bend your elbows (keeping them at your sides), look forward as the chest drops towards the ground.
Adjust your knees further back if necessary.
Repeat 3  - 5 times.

10. Return to all fours, keeping all of those rotations and engagements, drawing the head of the armbones into the shoulder sockets, and come down to your for arms. Palms flat on the ground, fingers pointing forward, forarms parrallel.
Tuck your toes under and lift your knees off the ground slowly straightening your legs. This is hard work but it will creat a deep and powerful stretch in your shoulders. Take it slow. Feel free to come back down to kneeling to rest. Try this 3 or 4 times. Remember to breath deeply and evenly.

11. Widening your knees, bring your big toes together, and extend your torso and arms forward on the ground (this is called 'childs pose') Rest here for a few breaths.
Then bring your palms together and bend your elbows. This will create a different stretch in the shoulders. Extend the arms again and rest for a few breaths.

12. Lie down on your back, arms and legs extended and intentionally relax for at least 2 or 3 minutes.