Hunched Over

Artist:  Nina Katz

Winter has been brutal this year, cold, snowy, and icy. As a reaction many of us are experiencing a hunched over lifestyle. Hunched over looking down cautiously when we walk through the icy streets or climbing over snow mounds, hunched over to stay warm, drive our cars, use the computer, or shovel the copious amounts of snow that have accumulated. Many of us are spending an endless and detrimental amount of time with our shoulders rotated inward in a protective response against the elements. The result of this much internal rotation in the upper extremity are tight shoulders, sunken chest, stiff neck and a rounded upper back. This is bound to set up for an injury somewhere down the road. I highly recommend incorporating the following into your yoga practice as a counter response.

First I would like to share a lovely restorative sequence for opening up the shoulder area I found in spa magazine when looking for a sample picture for shoulder stretch. Do check it out, it's really quite good. (Who knew!)

I would like to recommend incorporating the following into your winter schedule:

Yoga

Shoulder stretch on the wall

• Stand next to a flat wall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Place the left hand on the wall, fingers pointing up. elbow bent.
• Face the right side of the room.
• Gently extend the arm behind you.
• Hold this position, breathing naturally, for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Turn to the wall slide the hand back to the midline of the body. repeat with the right hand.

childs pose ( balasana)

• Kneel on the floor
• Separate knees hips distance apart
• Exhale and place your forehead on the floor arms extended in front of you
• Breath
• Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to few minutes

props: If your knees give you discomfort place blanket or towel under your knees. Sometimes woman feel a little suffocated in this position. If this happens place a block or pillow under your forehead.

Shoulder and neck stretch against the wall

Kneel down in front of a wall. If this bothers your knees, kneel on a folded blanket or towel. Spread your knees wider than hips-distance apart.

Extend your arms overhead and place your forearms on the wall.

Allow gravity to pull your torso toward the floor. It's OK if your head rests on the wall as well. If you're not feeling this in your shoulders and neck, inch your knees further away from the wall.

Breathe deeply for 30 seconds and then release.

Ayurvedic Remedies

I would like to introduce Roger Hutchinson from Peoria, Illinois. He runs an organic grocery market and has a great blog; both called Naturally Yours. The following are taken from Roger's recommendations for frozen shoulder.

• In Chinese herbal medicine, range of motion falls under the cold category. You might consider using a liver and kidney tonic that removes cold and dampness.
• For pain relief, white willow bark, scullcap, hops, and valerian are recommended. You can take them in teas.
• There are herbal pain ointments that may be useful in relieving the grinding aches and lightning stabs of pain associated with frozen shoulder. Deep slow contemplative breathing exercises can stabilize the energy flow and bring peacefulness to the shoulder.
• Silica helps tissues retain moisture. Herbs with high silica content can be beneficial for restoring elasticity to connective tissue. Horsetail tea and angelica (but not for diabetics, as it raises blood sugar levels) have provided help for sufferers.
• Foods high in silica are alfalfa sprouts, beets, brown rice, bell peppers, soybeans, leafy green vegetables, root vegetables, cooked dried beans and peas, and whole grain breads and cereals.
• To reduce inflammation, you can try turmeric (a major component of curry and yellow mustard), ginger, and bromelain (pineapple enzyme).
  

Emotional relief

I know I'm fast reaching the end of my limit and I'm not alone. It's winter, it's not the time to pick up an energetic activity that you may think will lift your spirits. Right now it wont, but it may cause an injury or insult to the psyche. Hold off a little bit on rediscovering extreme down hill skiing and winter treks up mountains in the snow. Here's some ideas that will pick you up and keep you injury free.

• Get a massage
• Get a couple of acupuncture treatments to increase the chi in your system
• Go to the library, get a book, take in a lecture
• Visit a museum
• Take a cooking class.
• Find out what constellations are in the sky in your area and do a little star gazing
• Plan your garden
• Check in on the elderly in your neighborhood. It's a long, cold icy winter. You really could be a sight for sore eyes.

Namaste everyone.