HOW: Begin in the quadruped position. Your hands on the ground underneath your shoulders and your knees on the ground under your hips. Starting with a flat back, create a hump in your back as much as you can by pretending you have a tail and you’re tucking that tail in between your legs. Continue that hump in your mid and upper back while looking down with your neck. From here, reverse it and pretend like you are sticking your tail out as you arch your low, mid, and upper back while you attempt to look up. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your lower, middle, upper back working/stretching as you push away from the ground creating the hump in your back and arching it. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your elbows straight, don’t bend them as you arch your back. Don’t rock back and forth with your hips.

HOW: Starting in a tall plank position with your hands and feet on the ground. Push your arms into the ground and protract your scapula to push your hips into the air in the down dog position. Really drive this motion through your shoulder blades. Next, shift your weight forward and let your hips sag to the ground. Arch your upper back as you assume the up dog position. Then repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles in your shoulder working, especially in your shoulder blades under your arm-pit during the down dog. During the up dog, you should feel a gentle stretch you’re the front of your hips and your middle back.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not push back simply by moving your hips backwards. Actively drive your hands into the ground and use your shoulders to perform the movement. Do not let your hips touch the ground during the up dog, keep them elevated just slightly.

HOW: Begin the exercise by getting yourself set up in good posture sitting upright looking straight ahead. Then perform clockwise large neck circles, begin the movement by dropping your chin down, then lower your right ear down towards your shoulder, then turn your chin towards your right shoulder. Do a full circle around, then repeat. For every circle you do clockwise, you should match it with equal counter-clockwise circles.

 

FEEL: This should feel like a gentle stretch in your head and neck region, it should feel relaxing with the goal of promoting pain-free movement. You can start small vs. big to get the hang of the movement, but the goal is to perform large circles as best as you can.

 

COMPENSATION: Maintain body position below your head and neck, only your head and neck should be moving.

HOW: Start with your hands together and finger tips facing the ceiling. Reach up as high as you can while taking a deep breath, then spread your hands apart from one another as far as you can while facing your palms forward. Squeeze your shoulder blades back as your lower your arms down and breathe out. Repeat

 

FEEL: As your bring your arms and hands down and apart, you should feel a stretch across your chest and pecs.

 

COMPENSATION: Limit motion to your arms, do not arch your back when trying to reach or separate your arms. 

HOW: In a standing position with your arms at your side and your shoulder blades squeezed back, bend your elbows and rotate your arms out to the side as far as you can. From here, face your palms forward, point your fingers facing back as far as you can extend them, and extend your wrist back. After this, bring your arms up putting your thumb in your hand making a fist as you point your palms to the front while bringing your arms back to the starting position. Do these in a controlled, continuous motion. 

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your wrist, arm, and finger muscles. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your shoulder blades engaged. Don’t cut each motion short, perform as much as you can for each.

HOW: Start with relaxing the tension in the ulnar nerve by extending your arm out to the side at shoulder height. Put your pointer finger and thumb together, bend your wrist down, and look towards that hand. From here, bend your elbow and place the circle you made with your thumb and finger upside down over your eye trying to bring your elbow up and high as you can comfortably go. Return to the starting position and perform this motion as prescribed. 

 

FEEL:  You should feel a stretch in your forearm, wrist and shoulder. 

 

COMPENSATION: Perform this motion in the correct order. Don’t skip a step and go slowly and with control.

HOW: In a standing position, bring your hands together and reach in front of you as far as you can. Then extend your wrist and fingers so that your palms are facing forward, maintain this position and keep your elbows straight as you spread your arms apart from one another. Once you feel a stretch into your hands/fingers, flex your wrist so that your arms are now facing in. Continue to move your arms back as far as you feel comfortable, return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your pecs and a stretch that may go down into your arms, hands, and fingertips. This is neural tension, which is normal. However, you control the tension by how far you reach and how much wrist and finger extension you have. Flex your wrist and fingers to limit the symptoms.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let your elbows bend, keep the rest of your body still.