This variation of cobra pose (Bhujangasana) focuses on stretching the chest, arms and shoulders. It has the added benefit of taking pressure off your wrists and creating a much smaller backbend which can be gentler on the spine.
Variations with Warrior I / Virabhadrasana I pose
These variations for the position of your arms in Warrior I pose can challenge your balance to help improve body awareness in your legs, and give you added stretches in your chest, shoulders and back.
Gentle options for restorative yoga backbend [video]
Learn three different options for gentle restorative yoga backbends especially for people who experience muscle pain and tightness in the lower and mid back.
What is fascia and why does it matter?
Fascia is the biological fabric that holds our body together. Yoga can help change the shape of fascia to relieve tension.
Restorative yoga backbend to stretch shoulders, chest and neck [video]
I recently featured a deep active stretch for the shoulders that also stretches the muscles of the chest and sides of the body. However, my favourite way to stretch these muscles is through a restorative yoga backbend. Restorative yoga is
Deep shoulder stretch [video]
The muscles around the shoulders can feel chronically sore and tight – particularly across the upper back and along the neck. This can result from posture that’s slumped forward (often from sitting too long), as well as overuse of the
Yoga@work mini videos
At the start of my weekly classes I always ask for requests. Lately, the shoulders, neck and wrists are a re-occurring theme. We can have tension in these areas for many reasons, but it is often made worse by sitting
Simple stretch for shoulders and chest (and wrists too)
There are endless simple stretches for the shoulder. As I’ve written the last couple weeks, the stretch is all about the right position of your shoulder joint and adding muscle action in the related muscle groups. If you have tight
Recovery after climbing (or too much time hunched over your desk)
I’ve just finished the final edits for the booklet we’ll use in my upcoming workshop on learning how to do restorative yoga at home. I’ve also just come back from a weekend of climbing. The combo together means my shoulders,
How to do cobra pose and keep your back safe
Cobra pose shows up in just about every yoga class as an essential part of sun salutations. It’s easy to be lazy and just lift your chest off the floor not getting any benefit from the pose. But if you