After a few long days at my desk, my shoulders, chest, and neck were crying out for attention.
I headed to YouTube in search of a fix and came across a video titled Yoga for Better Posture from Adriene Mishler, who’s better known as Yoga With Adriene.
Mishler promised this flow would relieve the muscles that suffer from sitting at a desk. So I rolled out my yoga mat and hit play.
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Yoga with Adriene’s routine for posture
Yoga for Better Posture | Chest, Shoulders & Upper Back – YouTube
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My verdict
Mishler begins the practice by asking participants to bring awareness to the shoulders and upper back, tuning into the tension there.
This intense focus felt uncomfortable at first and I had the urge to get up and move around. I managed to resist, though, and felt more at ease as the focus shifted to the breath.
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From there, the practice moved through a series of low-impact and gentle stretches, such as puppy pose, cobra, lunges and glute bridges.
Throughout the practice, Mishler encourages you to “move at the speed of sensation,” which means moving at your own pace and leaning into what feels good for you (one of her famous taglines).
I appreciated this direction, and felt compelled to hold certain poses for longer to really lean into the stretch.
As we drew toward the end of the flow, I realized the sessions hadn’t just provided physical relief to my shoulders, neck and chest.
My mind also felt quieter and I was no longer running through my to-do list.
This is definitely a routine I’ll be returning to again when my body and mind are feeling tense.