Yoga for Shoulders | Build Upper Body Strength, Stretch & Improve Flexibility & Mobility

Hi my name is Amanda and today we're going to be doing a 20-minute yoga session that targets the shoulders. We won't be needing any blocks today so let's get started. If you're not in a place that you can do this with me right now please save this video to your watch later playlist so you can join me whenever you can. So let's start with some shoulder shrugs. Inhale to reach the shoulders forward and up to the ears and then squeeze them behind you and lower them down. Inhale them forward and up and then back and down. Big circles here. You might hear some little cracks, some little noises and that's a good thing. And now reverse the direction so bring them back in tight and then up and forward. Big shoulder circles here. Remember to keep that spine straight and that core tight. Next we're going to extend the arms out long, palms high. Beginning with the left hand and using the pointer finger as a guide, rotate your arm in and around and then back out. Right arm, using the pointer finger as the guide, rotate it in and back out. Keep moving at your own pace. Left arm, right arm. Big circles, feeling that whole joint moving. Getting in deep into those muscles. Breathing with the movement, keeping the arms strong and tight as we release the shoulders. Bring the arms back to this neutral position. Feel the shoulder blades squeezing towards each other. Breathe deep, feel strong and remember to keep that core tight. Come down all the way down to your belly, flat on the ground. Extend the left arm out to the side and use your right hand to gently press onto that left side, maybe bringing that right knee high behind the left leg. Stay here keeping that left arm extended or if you'd like you can reach your right arm up and around the back. Energetically press that right knee away from the front body. Lower the head and breathe deep. Make sure that extended left leg is straight down below, not going in any other direction but straight down the body. Send your breaths into that shoulder joint. One more deep breath in and out through the nose and then reach that right arm back into place, lower back onto the stomach. Extend the right arm out and use that left hand to gently press yourself onto the right side, maybe bringing that left knee behind your right leg. You can keep your left arm pressing or you can lift it and reach it behind the back, lowering the head, extending that right leg long, breathing deep. Feel free to lower the eyelids, just feeling the sensations in the body, sending the breath to that shoulder. One more deep breath in and out through the nose and then extend that left arm lower back through center and take a little baby cobra, pressing the forearms down into the mat, pressing the pelvis and the tops of the feet down into the mat, breathing deep. Really press those forearms down, keeping the shoulders low, pressing away from the ears. Press your hands into the mat and lift to tabletop position. Move through a couple cat cows just to neutralize, inhaling to lift and open the heart, exhaling to curl the tailbone down, squeezing the stomach in towards the spine. Move through a couple more on your own, at your own pace, letting it feel sweet. Come back to neutral. Inhale, the right arm lifts up to the sky. Take a couple of swirls with the wrists here. Let it feel really sweet and activating and then gently thread the needle through, coming down onto that right shoulder, lowering the head down. You can stay here, keeping your left arm in front of you or you can wrap it around the back. Make sure your knees are in line, your hips are in line, they're not swishing over to the left. Keep them pressing back behind you. If you're comfortable here, you can extend that left leg and reach for the foot with your hand for a nice quad stretch. Kick into that hand to fully open the side body. One more deep breath in and out. If you have that leg bind, release it, lower the left hand down, lift the right arm back up and set it back down in neutral. Switching sides, inhale, the left arm lifts. Take a couple swirls of the wrist here. Let it feel beautiful and sweet and then thread the needle through, lowering down onto that left shoulder. Inhale, the right arm high and around the back or leaving it in front of you on the mat, whichever way you're comfortable. As long as you're keeping the hips squared forward, not falling to either side. Again, if you're comfortable in this position and feel free to stay right here, you can extend the right leg long and lift it, grabbing for it with that right hand, kicking into that hand for stability and a beautiful calf stretch. One more deep breath in and out through the nose. Release that leg if you've got the bind and then slowly unwind. Replace the left hand down, neutral tabletop. You can take a couple of swishes of the hips. Take some big circles with the head and neck and the hips in both directions and then come back to neutral table. Bring your handprints one print forward. Lower the chest down and bring the hands out wide beside you, gripping the ground with your fingertips. Lift the heart in a wide-armed cobra. Lower it down slowly, slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae and then lift it back up on the inhale, curling and uncurling. Taking a few more of these at your own breath's pace, letting it feel sweet. The next time you're lifted, dip the right shoulder in, gazing to the left. Inhale it back through center and then exhale the left shoulder down, back up through center, right shoulder down, back up through center, left shoulder down, back up through center. Lift it up as high as you can comfortably and lower it down. Bring the hands next to the chest and press yourself all the way up to downward facing dog. Take a couple deep breaths here, maybe shaking the head yes and no, maybe pedaling the feet out in this beautiful inversion, but always pressing the shoulders, lifting the hips, gazing toward the navel. Inhale, the right leg lifts and just swing it over to the front of the mat. Turn to the side of the mat, release it down. Inhale to lift your heart halfway, really extend the spine and then fold back in. Inhale, lift the head, reach the right hand to the left ankle and lift the left arm. Simple twist. One more deep breath here and walk it over to the right. Lift the right arm, beautiful twist here. Sink in, reach up, breathe deep, lower that right arm, release the hands, curl and round all the way up to standing. Star pose. Turn the heels in, bend the knees, hands to the knees and take a nice shoulder dip, reaching that right shoulder forward, pressing it forward. You might feel a nice little crack in the spine, nice little side stretch here. Inhale back through center, take it over to the left, pressing that left shoulder forward. Inhale back through center, reach the arms out to cactus and then straighten up, fold in. Inhale, lift your heart and come all the way down to your back. Knees bent, feet planted, we're moving towards bridge. Set up your spine, start to squeeze those shoulder blades together. Inhale, lift the glutes, lift your bottom and see if you can inch those fingers together under the back, clasping and reaching them, opening those shoulders, pressing the hips high, breathing deep, squeezing the muscles as though there was a block between them. We're energetically squeezing the knees towards one another, not letting them fall out to the sides. Lift and breathe. Take one more deep inhale and exhale through the nose and lower it down. Take the knees side to side in a windshield wiper motion to release that spine. We're going for another back bend. You can feel free to take bridge or if you have wheel in your practice, feel free to bring your hands down around your ears and lift up, squeezing those knees together, reaching the hips high, feeling this in the back body and the shoulders. Squeeze and breathe. Take one more deep inhale and exhale through the nose and then lower it down, all the way down. Windshield wiper those knees. Little counteraction. We're moving towards plow and shoulder stand. Squeeze the knees into the chest and then using your forearms to press into the mat. Lift the hips, send the feet behind your head. I like to press the toes into the mat for a nice extra little stretch. Bring your hands to the low back and lift the legs for shoulder stand. Squeeze the thighs, squeeze the glutes, flex or point the toes. Let it feel sweet and strong. Look at you go, holding this hard pose and breathing through it. Take one more deep inhale, deep exhale through the nose and then lower the knees, bringing the feet back to plow and then gently lowering the hips down. Lower the legs. We're taking another counter pose. Bring the forearms down, squeeze those forearms into the mat, lift the heart, lower the head behind you. King fish pose. Lower the top of the crown onto the mat and breathe. One more deep inhale and exhale through the nose and release it down onto the mat. Squeeze your knees into your chest. Nice tight squeeze and release the arms, release the legs. You've done all the work yogis. Now it's time for rest. You can stay in shavasana for as long as you'd like. Namaste. Thanks so much for practicing with me today. If you like the outfit I'm wearing in the video, go down to the shelf below so you can purchase one for yourself and please don't forget to check out the next video in my series. Bye. 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