Uptight Shoulders

This entire week I have been experiencing sharp pain in my right shoulder. In class on Monday we talked about the fact that women store a lot of stress and tension in their shoulders - I can definitely say I am among the masses that experience this. So I did some research about the topic: how muscle knots form, what types of treatments are recommended, why the pain is so persistent, and how knots can be prevented. While doing my research I came upon a handy little article about ways to relieve shoulder pain through yoga. The author's suggestions included eagle pose, shoulder rolls, dolphin pose, and side bending neck stretches. I carefully read the "how-to" of each pose and decided to give them a try. In eagle pose I experienced overwhelming relief in my upper shoulders. It was a bit difficult to increase the angle at which my arms were bent, but with careful monitoring of my body's signals I could find a comfortable angle at which I was still receiving a stretch. The shoulder rolls are a well known strategy - we have even done them in class - and they were also quite helpful. Dolphin pose is basically a downward facing dog pose that has been modified to increase shoulder strength and to provide the shoulders with a better stretch. This pose was more difficult than I had supposed, but once I got the hang of it my shoulders began to relax down my back and the stretch became deeper. The side bending neck stretches were actually quite painful in my situation, although I have had experiences where they felt very relaxing. The source of the pain wasn't targeted as well and that "crick" in my neck prevented much sideways movement. Overall, I felt that my shoulder stretching experience was successful, and I can't wait for the chance to practice some of these poses in class.