It’s perfect if you need to slow down, stretch, and work out a few kinks - all under 30 minutes. Stand facing a wall (one outstretched arm’s distance away)- Put your hands on the wall, as high up as possible keeping the arms parallel.- Lean into the wall and slide the palms down, arching your back.- Work on bringing the chin and chest as close to the wall as possible. Walk back until your body becomes parallel to the floor.- Tuck your chin into your chest- Open your chest towards the floor and arch your back.- You can try this same stretch by holding a book or Yoga block between your palms which will rotate the scapula outside creating more space in the upper back region. Both of these modifications will elevate your wrists higher than your fingers, allowing you to distribute the weight throughout the hand, so that there is less pressure on the wrist joint. Press the whole palm and all of the finger pads flat on the floor and lift the forearms up away from the wrist; it should feel like the skin on the palm of the hand is lengthening away from your wrist toward your fingertips.

If you find that your wrists feel strong here, you can deepen your work with shoulder rotation and wrist mobility by trying the pose with your hands turned out, fingers pointing away from each other. To further stretch the inner arms and increase flexibility in the wrists, repeat the pose with your hands turned all the way out, so that your fingers point toward your knees. Lie face down with your arms stretched out, in line with shoulders like a 'T,'" she says. "Float your arms up about two inches as you reach your head, neck, and shoulders forward and up into a very small arch. 5. Once in a forward fold, continue to lift your upper outer arms and shoulder blades away from the floor and release your sternum toward the floor. Lay on the floor in a prone position and place the ball between your pec and armpit while slowly moving your arm around, releasing the tightness," she says. "You can also use the same ball to lay on your back in supine position and play the ball on the upper trapezius and rhomboids and move your arm around like you did above." A foam roller can help, too: "Use a foam roller to release your lats," says Swan. "Place it under your arm while lying on your side, and roll back and forth from your shoulder to your hip.

It also helps make your joints more flexible and improves range of motion after being in a fixed position for a long period of time during the day. For some time is the limiting factor - you simply don’t have enough time in your busy schedule to fit in a daily yoga session. If your hands don’t come all the way together, you can always just touch your knuckles together or use a yoga strap, resistance band, or towel to bind them, says McKenna. It is important to practice weight-bearing asanas on a firm surface (soft surfaces can cause the wrists to overextend) and to distribute the weight throughout the hand, so that you don’t collapse onto the wrists. This video focuses specifically on your spine by combining stretches with deep breathing, or a Pranayama breath practice. Doing it on a regular basis could also provide preventative care, making it the perfect lower back practice to add to your routine.

9. Lower your knees back down after a few breaths and press back into Balasana (Child’s Pose). Drop the left hip down so that the pelvis is level. Sit on two folded blankets and bring both feet to the outside of your left hip. This last set of stretches opens up the hip joints, while stretching out both your legs and the length of your spine. Use these nine dynamic and static stretches throughout your day or post-workout to alleviate and prevent pain-producing shoulder tightness. If you find that this pose bothers your wrists, Yoga Stretch for Opening Shoulders and Upper Back you can use a yoga wedge or the folded edge of a mat under the heels of the hands. How to: Roll your shoulders back a few times before you start this pose to make sure that your shoulders aren’t all the way up by your ears. Make sure to keep your chin tucked and to avoid putting any weight on your head. Allow the upper body (thoracic spine) to naturally rotate toward the right, but keep your hips level.