I often get asked if it is possible to fix rounded shoulders. The short answer is: YES!
However, you would have to take it on as a practice.
What does that mean?
To take something on as a practice means that you would have to commit to doing it every day for at least 6 months. Just like you would do if you wanted to learn to play the piano, or speak a foreign language.
Your shoulders didn’t get rounded in one day, you will not be able to fix them in one day.
You see, gravity is relentless, it is pulling on us all of the time. Yoga is the practice of undoing those effects of gravity. Once the shoulders are rounded and the head is slightly forward, the effects of gravity have a greater advantage in making you more round shouldered.
As the head is held forward in poor posture, the cervical spine must support increasing amounts of weight. One rule of thumb is that for every inch that the head is held forward in poor posture, an additional 10 pounds of weight is felt on the cervical spine. So, if the average head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds, just 1 or 2 inches of forward head posture can double or triple the load on the cervical spine.
Some muscles in the neck and upper back must continually overwork to counterbalance the pull of gravity on the forward head. As a result, muscles become more susceptible to painful strains and spasms.
Hunched upper back. Forward head posture is often accompanied by forward shoulders and a rounded upper back, which can lead to more pain in the neck, upper back, and/or shoulders.
The longer that poor posture is continued—such as being hunched over a computer or slouching on the couch—the more likely that neck pain, stiffness, and other symptoms may develop.
Standing straight with the head balanced over the shoulders and the chest open not only makes you look better but it helps you to feel better as well. With the chest open breathing is easier and there is less compression on the abdominal organs. People who stand straight and tall have a more youthful appearance. Nothing ages you faster than stooping over!
Watch this video to see how to set up for Supported Savasana.
Give this practice a try and let me know how it feels.