Untangle and decompress the highly overcharged upper back and shoulders with Yoga Tune Up®’s Reverse Crucifix pose featured in the video clip below.  This pose takes care of stretching and releasing tension in not only the teres minor and deltoids, both discussed in the previous blog, but it also stretches and relieves tension from the trapezius, rhomboids, the infraspinatus and literally every upper back and shoulder muscle.

To add on to the benefits of the Reverse Crucifix, consider adding in a Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Ball sequence to relieve the teres minor, a hot spot for tension.  You can use one Therapy Ball, a pair in a tote or an Alpha Ball to do the work.

Standing against the wall, start on one side at a time and place the ball(s) in the region of the teres minor. To find this area, take one hand and cross your chest and thread it underneath your armpit all the way to the beginnings of your back.   Where your fingertips/palm roughly land is in the region we want to target.  For a better idea of placement, visit this page.

Press your back against the wall to pin the ball and have the body at a slight angle.  First sustain compression allowing the body to mold over the ball.  Once you acclimate and take few deep breaths, bend your knees and move your body to allow the ball(s) to circle around the area.  After you take several rotations, find an area that is tender and sustain pressure here.  End with a small chug up and down by bending the knees and moving the ball up one inch and then down an inch from the targeted area.  Be sure to keep breathing as you roll out and take the time to stand still and notice the difference between the shoulders before you move onto the other side.

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Watch the Upper Back QuickFix Video

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