A common mistake in yoga is to keep tension in the shoulders in a lot of the poses. Whilst the focus is elsewhere it can be difficult to remember the shoulders but it is essential if you want to eliminate any stiffness and to combat the aches that come as a knock on effect from shoulder tension, such as a stiff neck and discomfort in the upper back and even facial tension.
A good way to think about the shoulders are to keep them rolling down, away from the ears, especially in poses such as cobra and open leg forward bend. Yet even in poses such as Warrior II and Tadasana (Moutnain Pose) be aware of the shoulders as chances are you will not be relaxing them! In poses where the arms are extended overhead, feel the lift coming through the torso as opposed to through the hands and don’t forget that if you have any shoulder problems the you do not need to go to full extension, keep a bend in the arms. You can also try adding in neck and shoulder rolls at the end of your practice to eliminate any remaining tightness.
