Shoulder loosening – Circle Qigong: Exercise 4
Frozen shoulders? Tension in the rib area? Just try this simple exercise! This week‘s #wellnesswednesday addresses the shoulder girdle.
The ribs, which build the ribcage shoulders and arms are connected through a system of muscles and sinews. Thus, tension and relaxation of the individual muscle groups are easily transmitted. Too much tension in the upper body tends to make breathing and circulation more difficult – in the contrary, a free upper body enables us to take a deep breath and leaves enough space for the heart.
Tsui will show us how to loosen our shoulders and upper body.
Loosening the shoulders by making circles with the elbows
First direction: upwards in front, downwards in the back
We touch our shoulders with our hands, so that our elbows point forward.
Now, we paint a big circle with our elbows:
We go upwards in front of our body – until high above the head, until the upper arms are straight. Then we circle downwards behind our ears. Our shoulder blades follow the movement freely. We aim to circle as round and high as possible. Thus, we create two big circles at the left and at the right of us.
Other direction: upwards in the back, downwards in front
Our hands rest on our shoulders. We circle diagonally backwards and upwards – all the way up until Wecker high above our head. Then, our elbows move back down at the front.
Tipps to enjoy the exercise more
Circle in the same direction for a few times, before you change the direction.
Hold your head straight and upright – consciously contrasting the circling movement of the arms.
Listen into yourself. Big, slow circling opens up the space between the ribs. The organs are gently mobilised in an indirect way. With some patience, you may lower the tension in your upper body and thus free your heart and lungs from strains originating from your posture.
Up for more circles?
Other circle Qigong exercises with Tsui:
#WellnessWednesday 7 – Circle Qigong: Exercise 3 – shoulder circles
More Qigong videos you’ll find on our YouTube channel!
