Yoga for healing and health

Save your shoulders by Annie Smit Strong and stable shoulders are equally essential for simple tasks (such as opening a jar) and a myriad of sporting activities. Grit to golf, swimming to sword fighting; no shoulder, no show. Early one morning in 2016, as I picked up my hair brush, a sharp pain in my shoulder and neck halted my elbow at shoulder height. When you can’t lift an arm, even driving or dressing yourself becomes a feat. It soon became evident that performing repetitive low planks in yoga led to my shoulder injury—but this type of injury can arise from overload and overuse in physical activities, or sleeping at a bad angle. The fragile rotator cuff does not want to be burdened with excessive pressure; it’s there to stabilise the shoulder within a healthy range of motion. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, as illustrated by Dr Ray Long in the video    Scapulohumeral Rhythm .  There are simple exercises to build shoulder integrity, no mat

Is sitting at a desk giving you a pain in the neck? by Annie Smit People who sit hunched forward at a desk for hours can develop a rounded spine and tight hip flexors, often leading to back, neck and hip problems. Even if you are (no longer) a “desk jockey”, we frequently find ourselves sitting; for meals with friends and family, watching television, or checking our phones to catch up on news and social media. To my horror, I recently discovered (via X-ray) that over time, your spine can adjust to this habitual posture and lose its natural curvature. That stooped posture is not only literally a pain in the neck (or back), but it makes you appear older, less confident and less attractive (except if you're 18 and in a red dress). The danger is real. Although we know it’s important to get up and stretch when working in front of a computer, it’s easy to lose track of time when you’re immersed in a task. What can you do? 1.    Get up every half an hour or 40 minut