Chair Yoga for Shoulders, Arms, and Wrists: Help for Overworked Muscles
If you sit at a keyboard and type a lot, you’ll appreciate this: Chair yoga for shoulders, arms, and wrists can help keep you pain free. There are twenty-nine bones and thirty-four muscles in the hand and forearm. It’s important to keep those bones and muscles strong and flexible. The beauty of yoga practice is that it truly leaves nothing out. We work our entire body from head to pinkie finger!
Chair yoga for shoulders, arms, and wrists includes some of my favorite moves to practice regularly. Our arms are an extension of our heart, and the more freedom we can find in our upper body, the easier it is for us to express love to ourselves and to others. I like to think about our arms also as windows. We need to keep them well-oiled and be able to open them easily to let in fresh air. When we get all bound up in our upper body, it’s so easy to feel stale, frustrated, stressed, and closed off.
Take the time to open the windows, let in a fresh breeze, take deeper and fuller breaths, and let your heart be available in an authentic way. You can do all of this with chair yoga for the shoulders, arms, and wrists.
Everyone has a different range of motion, but over time you will be able to make strides. The more you practice chair yoga for shoulders, arms, and wrists, the more open you’ll become.
Why Chair Yoga for the Shoulders, Arms, and Wrists is Important
Ever since the invention of computers, portable devices, and smartphones, more people are complaining of pain and discomfort in their hands, fingers, and wrists. When we overstrain our hands, it also affects our arms. This sets us up for a whole host of other problems.
It’s incredible to discover all the ways you can open your shoulders, arms, and wrists without getting out of your seat. These stretches will become staples for you when you start to see their benefits.
Stretching is like flossing your teeth. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more comfortable it feels. Make it a goal to incorporate some chair yoga for the shoulders, arms, and wrists into your daily routine. Your heart will feel happier, your body will feel more alive and aligned, and your shoulders will be more relaxed. Further, your hands and wrists will be more agile and capable of doing all that needs to be done.
Yoga You Can Do Anywhere
You can do chair yoga for the shoulders, arms, and wrists anywhere. You can do it at the doctor’s office, at your desk, or in the passenger seat of a car. You’ll want to do these movements without tensing muscles too tightly. Notice when you are hunching your shoulders and keep relaxing them down away from the ears. Do this while you stretch and strengthen the arms, wrists, and shoulders.
You can learn this and other chair yoga moves for shoulders, arms, and wrists in chapter 5 of my book, Chair Yoga: Sit, Stretch, and Strengthen Your Way to a Happier, Healthier You.
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!