In our modern society, we spend long periods with our arms stretched out in front of us due to repetitive activities like typing on keyboards and driving. This can cause the alignment of our head, shoulders, and torso to shift forward, leading to the typical hunched-forward head posture often found in office workers. To realign your spine and shoulders into a good posture, it is important to address any tightness in the muscles and connective tissue that may result from these repetitive work tasks. The floor angel is a great exercise to release tension in these structures and allow the neck and shoulders to fall back into a better posture.
Description:
- Lie on your back with a bolster or a rolled up sleeping bag between your shoulder blades. Open your arms to the sides with your palms facing up, creating a T-shape with your body.
- Relax into this position over a few breaths, focusing on the lower back, pelvis, and shoulders lowering towards the floor. This position will stretch your thoracic spine and chest, undoing some of the forward hunching that we tend to do throughout the day.
- With the back of your wrists on the floor, see how far you can slide your arms up towards your head without lifting the wrists off the floor, as if you were making a ‘snow angel.’ You can even try to go all the way above your head, even if your arms may have to come off the floor for the last bit.
Dosage:
Work your way up to 60 seconds and repeat 3 times per day for the best results.