Get yourself ready for the New Year: Spread your wings practice
3I went skiing over this winter holiday, and on the last day ended up pulling my son around in an inflatable tube. Two days later I couldn’t lift my left arm because my upper back was hurting so bad. Even breathing felt painful. I suspect that I either pulled a muscle or popped a rib out of place.
And guess what – I did the short practice for the upper back posted below, and was feeling back to normal the next day. Even after many years of doing yoga, I am still amazed how sometimes a targeted yoga practice helps to get things resolved very quickly.
Originally, I designed this practice to both make your upper back happy, and to evoke the image of a soaring bird. I thought that it would be a good practice for the beginning of the year, when many of us pause to evaluate what’s happened in the past year and set direction for the future. I love the image of the bird because it encourages you to literally and figuratively “spread your wings” and meet new challenges with confidence. It also inspires you to look at the big picture, rather then getting derailed by the mundane, and can help you feel more focused, peaceful and clear. So try this yoga practice to relieve tension in your upper back and get a bird’s eye view of your life.
This practice has been added to Sequence Wiz home yoga practice app. You can find it under Physical body > Neck/upper back > 20-40 minutes. Learn more about the app >
Thanks for this great practice!
Dear Olga,
you are a dream come true that I didn’t know I had. You are a great gift to the World; concise, smart, experienced, creative, generous and devoted to service through Yoga. I am a student in Gary Karafsow’s Yoga Therapy program in Austin, and have a lot to learn. Thank you for being such a bright Yoga Star. Reading and saving your posts is a privilege and a blessing.
Namaste,
Pam Keul
Roseville, MN
Wow, thank you for your wonderful words, Pam! I am thrilled to hear that you find the stuff I post here useful, especially coming from a soon-to-be Yoga Therapist. Congrats on joining Gary’s program, I know that you will learn a lot there. Good luck with your studies and, once again, thank you for your kind words!