If you’re like me, your shoulders are where you tend to hold the most tightness. So if you struggle with stiffness and are always seeking shoulder stretches, I can relate!

The idea behind the following shoulder stretching sequence is to help you experience more opening across the chest, upper back, and all parts of the shoulders. Some of this can be done through tweaking traditional yoga poses to focus a little more on the shoulders. So you’ll experience some variations on Puppy Pose to target the shoulder and rotator cuff. You’ll also work on strengthening your shoulders in Dolphin Pose.

These are the shoulder stretches that help the most when I practice them consistently. The practice works the shoulder from all angles and is very much accessible to all levels, even if you’ve never done yoga before. Repeating these over time will definitely help you find more fluidity and ease through your shoulders as well as through your chest and your upper back. And if you already practice yoga but find backbends challenging, you might even find that once you find more shoulder flexibility, you’ll be able to come into those poses with more ease than ever before.

Essential Shoulder Stretches to Relieve Tightness

For this class, you’re going to need a yoga strap, although if you don’t have one at home, please don’t worry about it. You can grab a belt, a long scarf, or if you’ve ever used those physiotherapy Therabands, those work amazingly. You want something fairly long so that you can grab hold of both ends to do a little shoulder flossing, which is phenomenal for your shoulders.

Reclined Shoulder Stretch

Begin lying on your back with your legs straight or your knees bent and your feet flat on the mat. This breathing technique brings awareness to your shoulders and you’ll probably get a stretch simply from practicing this.

Reach your arms overhead. Notice how when you reach your arms, your lower back might pop off of the mat. Push your lower back against the mat and try to keep the back of your palms pushing onto the floor. If your shoulders are really tight like mine, you might already feel a stretch just from doing this.

You can make this stretch a little more intense by straightening your legs while keeping your lower back in contact with the mat, your shoulders pushing down, and the back of your arms and the back of your palms pressing into the mat.

As you inhale, try to fill your lower belly with breath. As you exhale, imagine pushing those ribs down. Inhale through your nose and let your belly balloon up. As you exhale, try to press the rib cage down and keep your lower back flat. Take a few more rounds here at your own pace. You might be feeling some kind of activation through your chest and upper back. For me, this stretch is very, very intense. But for others, you might not be feeling much.

Reclined Spinal Twist With Cactus Arms

Bend your elbows 90 degrees and make cactus shapes with your arms. If your legs were straight, bend your knees. Then move your hips a couple inches to the right before letting your knees and thighs drop over to the left in a twist. Keep pushing your right shoulder blade into the floor.

When you’re ready, twist to the other side by shifting hips over to the left a little and then lowering both knees to the right. When you’re done, bring your knees to your chest.

Seated Shoulder Flossing

Take a seat, either cross legged or kneeling, and grab hold of your strap or whatever you’re using. Place your hands on the strap a little wider than your shoulders. Because my shoulders are quite tight, I’m using pretty much the entire length of the strap and keeping my elbows straight. You may need to adjust your hand placement.

Take your arms in front of you, grab hold of your strap, and inhale as you lift it all the way overhead. Then slowly exhale as you bring your arms back down. If you need to bend your elbows or adjust your hands, go ahead and do that. Your arms don’t need to be straight, but try to keep them as straight as possible.

Then inhale as you come back up and exhale as you lower back down as much as possible. Try to keep your rib cage still so you’re not flaring your ribs forward and back every time you lift and lower. So inhale and exhale. Continue moving with your breath. The next round, you might want to pause at a stickier part of the exercise and hold there for a full round of breath before continuing. When you’re done, shrug your shoulders a few times.

Puppy Pose

Make your way onto your hands and knees and set up for Puppy Pose. This is, by far, the one pose that has helped me the most with my shoulder flexibility and mobility. You have a few different options. The easiest way to do this is to keep your hips over your knees, walk your hands out in front of you, and try to bring your forehead to the mat. If your shoulders are really tight, you can bend your elbows so your forearms are resting flat on the mat.

If you’re seeking a little more challenge, grab hold of the edges of your mat. And then you can try to bring your chin to the mat, although this version is not appropriate for everyone, especially if you feel this in your neck. You never want to feel a strain in your neck in a pose.

Take about 5 deep breaths in whichever version of the pose you chose as you try to relax between your shoulder blades.

Side-Lying Shoulder Stretch or Broken Wing

Take your time as you slide onto your belly. Then take a 90-degree bend in your left elbow, keeping your palm flat on the floor. Slowly roll onto your left hip, left shoulder, and left side of your head. Relax your neck and rest your head. I like to bend my knees to help keep my balance.

Stay here or push your right hand into the mat and lean your upper body back a little to intensify the stretch. You can also step your right foot back behind you to intensity this pose. You’re looking for sensation in the left chest, shoulder, and upper arm. You might also feel a little stretch across the back of the shoulder as well. It should never be painful. You want to feel a stretch. Make sure you’re not holding your breath. You want to be able to keep your breath slow and steady. Try to relax your facial muscles and your jaw.

Release and come back through to center. Then repeat on the other side.

Dolphin Pose

Push yourself back onto your hands and knees and then lower onto your forearms. Adjust them so they’re a little more narrow than shoulder distance. Then press into your forearms, tuck your toes under, and lift your hips up and back in Dolphin Pose. This is like Downward-Facing Dog but on your forearms. You’re not as focused on stretching the back of your legs here, so go ahead and bend your knees and then press your chest toward your thighs to really activate and engage the shoulders.

Keep pushing your palms and forearms into the mat and keep your head lifted off the mat. Don’t worry about getting your heels down. Truly doesn’t matter here. Keep the focus on your shoulders as you breathe here. This is both a shoulder stretch and a shoulder-strengthening pose.

When you’re ready, release your knees to the mat and come back to hands and knees.

Downward-Facing Dog

Find your Downward-Facing Dog by taking your hands shoulder-distance apart, your feet hip-distance apart, and then lift your hips up and back. See if you can find that same stretch in your shoulders as in Dolphin by pressing your chest toward your thighs, not worrying so much about your hamstrings and your legs and your heels. Really focus on opening and stretching through your upper body.

Standing Forward Bend (Rag Doll)

Walk to the front of the mat and take a forward fold. So you can widen your feet toward the edges of your mat, not worrying so much about your legs but keeping the emphasis on your upper body. Bend your knees and interlace your hands behind your lower back or use your strap. Lift your knuckles overhead and toward the ceiling and try to relax your neck.

Then bring your right shoulder to your right thigh and turn your chest to lift your left shoulder so you’re kind of looking underneath your left arm. Then come back through to center and switch the clasp of your hands so you have the other thumb on top. Then rock over toward your left thigh and roll your right shoulder up and lift it a little higher.

Come back to center and release your arms down. Maybe hold on to your elbows and sway a little side to side.

Seated Eagle Arms

Take a seat and you’ll finish with Eagle arms. So take your arms straight in front of you, bend your elbows 90 degrees, and wrap your right arm under your left, binding once or twice. Press your shoulders down, keep your elbows up, and move your hands away from you. You can also lower your chin toward your chest. Breathe here.

Lift your head, release your arms, and maybe open into a cactus shape or squeeze your shoulder blades behind you before you repeat on the other side. So your left arm comes under your right one.

After you release, roll your shoulders a few times or do whatever feels good here. Then pause and notice how your shoulders feel now as opposed to before class and then focus on your breath for a few moments.

Thank you so very much everyone for doing this yoga practice specifically designed to target your shoulders. I know I certainly feel it and am curious how this practice went for you.