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Yoga for the Upper Back

Beginner II
(356 Reviews)
PREMIUM

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This class is a deep release for the shoulders and upper back, making it perfect for a variety of people, including musicians, new parents, office workers and athletes. It targets all of the muscles connecting to the upper back and shoulders, providing relief from tightness, aches and pain... all in less than 40 minutes!

This can either be done as a stand-alone class or as Day 12 of Grounding and Strength 14-Day Beginner Yoga Challenge.

Yoga for the Upper Back Playlist (to be played with the class)

Click on playlist below and press play when the class begins.

Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple MusicListen on YouTube Music

Note: You will need a subscription for access to Apple Music, and for music to play ad-free on Spotify and YouTube Music. You will also need to adjust the volume to your preference.

Equipment

  • Strap

Focus

  • Flexibility
  • Neck/Shoulders
  • Spine
  • Stress/Anxiety

Style

  • Hatha Yoga
  • Yoga at Work
  • Yoga for Back Care
gentileah
February 28, 2015
Comment:

Thank you David! I am a violinist with a lot of shoulder stress and upper back tension, and this class is great to counteract all the work I do during the day!

micat
February 27, 2015
Comment:

Thank you so much for this video. When I first started yoga, I aggravated an old rotator cuff issue by too-enthusiastically forcing my body into eagle arms. Ever since then, I have been very anxious about most yoga that opens the shoulders. However, in a class recently, I did thread-the-needle, and it was like a revelation for my shoulders - hence my choice to do this class.

This class is such a great sequence, because it opens the shoulders in a gradual manner, so I never felt like I was pushing too far too fast. I also really appreciated the modifications offered, and your encouraging and positive manner. I still am not ready to try to cross my elbows in anything like eagle arms, but stacking the elbows I could do, and I felt great after finishing the class. Crucially, I also felt great the next day - which is when my shoulder issues usually show up. I will return to this class regularly to help my shoulders remain healthy. Thanks.

Kim Gava
February 2, 2015
Comment:

After a hard Monday with high temperature, humidity and pressure at work, with my head sore during all day, this video slowed me down and made the stress in my neck and upper back dissapear, aswell as any other negative feelings I had an hour ago - don't ever remember what was stressing me out, gone!

dsperati
January 29, 2015
Comment:

Thank you David, first of all for making yoga accessible to everyone, for free, with this amazing site, and particularly for this class. I have been practicing for over a decade and have never had a class like this one - which I desperately needed - to alleviate knotted muscles and burning in my upper back. I should add that your presence on the video is so calming and personal that it is almost surreal. I felt like I was taking the class in person. Wonderful. Namaste.

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