Author: Claire

I regularly include an exercise that I feel may support my yoga practice, and currently I’m exploring shoulder mobility.

I came across a Facebook video by Dr Stephanie Ridgway, a doctor of Physical Therapy and it inspired me to add some shoulder mobility to my daily practise.

This is my take on the video’s Quadruped Shoulder CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations) which are a mobility exercise designed to improve shoulder joint health and range of motion.

Why am I doing this? I had a shoulder injury towards the end of 2023 that seemed to take ages to heal and I recently triggered a milder version of it again. So, it seemed like a good idea to explore ways of supporting my shoulders.

What do I feel? It feels a bit ‘crunchy’ in both shoulders but the movement is becoming easier and smoother. And I’m hardly noticing the injury after doing this for a couple of weeks.

So what’s that got to do with yoga? The Niyamas teach us about personal observances.

Self study (Svadhyaya) – this, for me, has included reflecting on how I came to have the original injury, my current habits including pushing through pain and discomfort in the shoulder, and seeking inner guidance on how to support healing during meditation.

Right effort (Tapas) – this is showing up as a daily commitment to do these exercises with the intention of keeping the body healthy.

Here’s the FB video that inspired me.

Dr Stephanie has an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Calvin College, USA, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rosalind Franklin University, USA. Her passion is using movement to heal, and she offers strength and injury prevention programmes.