For the month of October, Diana Ross of Breast Cancer Yoga has shared the following healing yoga pose for anyone to try out – especially recommended for breast cancer patients and survivors.
A really great way to relieve your shoulder tension and increase Range Of Motion for shoulder joints (frozen shoulder) associated with breast cancer recovery is with a chest extension inflection or better known in the yoga world as a heart opening flowing restorative yoga pose. With this wonderful yoga pose you will open up the heart, fill the lungs from the bottom up, and relieve shoulder tension. – Diana Ross
Benefits:
- Promote lymph circulation around axilla nodes
- Helps heal scarring muscles and lessens tightness
- Increases internal rotation and shoulder mobility
- Strengthens scapula stabilizing muscle
- Opens and lift chest
- Increases ROM of shoulder joints – frozen shoulder
- Increases internal rotation and shoulder mobility.
- Releases shoulder tension that rounds your shoulders and binds your upper arm
Instructions:
- Begin on your back with knees bent in PARTIAL RECLINE. A neck roll or pillow can be used for added comfort.
- Lift hips up, slide right arm, palm down underneath lower back so you can see finger tips on left side. STOP IF YOU FEEL PAIN. Lower hips down and extend legs.
- Relax – breathe into the right side of upper chest until you feel a release in shoulder muscles. Once the shoulder relaxes experiment sliding hand up your back towards shoulder blades.
- INHALE, left arm up and overhead for bigger additional stretch to breast region.
- Flow arm back up and down. When ready hold pose for 3/5 breaths.
- EXHALE lower arm back down, lift hips up and release arm from underneath.
- Repeat on other arm.
Liked this pose? Be sure to also try out last month’s “A Happy Yoga Pose” too!
The yoga poses and images shared in this feature are copyright of Diana Ross and Breast Cancer Yoga. For more information, visit the Breast Cancer Yoga website.
2 thoughts on “Pose-of-the-Month: Arm Under Chest”