Surgery the next day introduced 12 screws and an 8”-inch metal plate into my body. Luckily the surgeon was able to stretch apart my pectoral and shoulder muscles to access the bone, to preserve my muscle tissue. An old friend of mine quipped: “Won’t this affect your Downward Dog?” The thought had certainly crossed my mind. At about three months, when the pain was finally manageable, I began to reintroduce some yoga moves to compliment the regimen. Whether you’ve sustained an injury or not, these following exercises help keep the shoulder lubricated, open the chest (pectoral muscles) and strengthen and tone the arms. Here are eight of my favorite shoulder and chest openers. Be sure to warm up with Cat/Cow and/or Sun Salutations before you begin, and do each pose on both sides of your body. Simply lay back in Savasana with your feet outstretched and splayed open. Raise your arms overhead and bend the elbows at about 90 degrees, keeping your neck long and shoulder blades rooted to the earth. Wrap your left leg over your right, and right arm over your left. Squeeze your inner thighs together as your press your palms together. Think about drawing your shoulder blades down. Bonus tip: In Savasana you can try using the floor pressure to lift your hands toward the crown of your head to give you the ultimate middle back stretch. From Table (Bharmanasana), slide your arms forward. Keep your tail in the air, above your knees. Be sure to warm up with Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) and press up from the hips first. I’m not quite healed enough to lift all the way up to full Wheel, so I stay positioned on the crown of my head. If you keep lifting from your belly, and then try to straighten your arms and legs, you’ll find a deeper opening in the shoulders. When you balance your body over your hands, it’s the key to finding muscular relief and longterm strength-building. Just remember to breathe and relax when you’re upside down. I use the help of a wall or a friend, to stay in the pose as long as possible. From Plank Pose, shift your weight into one hand an roll your whole body open to the side. Stack your hips, knees, and ankles vertically on top of each other. Your shoulders, hips and ankles should be in one straight line. Reach your top arm straight up, forming a line from your planted wrist through your top fingers. Rotate your top leg so your toes point up toward the ceiling. Reach your hand along the inside of your thigh, and then clasp your top foot’s big toe as you extend the leg up toward the ceiling. Breaking my arm was a traumatic experience. It was definitely a wake up call that I’m not 21 any more and I can’t just jump off a cliff and bounce like a ball without the possibility of breaking. I feel really fortunate that I know and continue to learn yoga, which has helped me find ways to heal, keep my body balanced, and focus my mind.
