Shoulders
27 Episodes
Rounded and tight shoulders are becoming a common occurrence in our lives and unfortunately, it’s something that brings dysfunction and pain, ages us (ah!), and brings down our general mood and confidence. Overall, rounded + tight shoulders are a bummer!
Ok, so what’s causing this? Sadly, it’s our everyday life—sitting hunched over a computer, a phone, or a book (it all pulls our head forward which actually adds significant weight on the spine); being stationary for long periods of time (we lose mobility and our muscles stop switching on, creating tight chest muscles + weak upper back and core muscles); stress (brings us into shallow breathing, creating constant tension in our neck + shoulders); and lack of awareness of our body (so we don’t realign correctly when we stand).
In this shoulder series, we’ll start from the ground up, going over how our shoulder blades need to move for our shoulder health, releasing our tight chest muscles, and strengthening the muscles to keep the supple, lean, and strong.
Every single one of us needs this series to some degree, whether it’s just self-care or to heal some seriously rounded shoulders, it is worth it!
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29:55Episode 1
understanding your shoulder blades
Episode 1
Creating healthy shoulders requires shoulder blade mobility and awareness. In this class, we'll become more aware of our shoulder blades and apply that awareness to movements in an upper-body flow, strengthening our upper back and arms.
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37:35Episode 2
happy shoulders // shoulder health
Episode 2
This is a class all about the foundations of shoulder movement. We'll go through exercises together that work on the shoulders specifically, how to move them, and proper mechanics to build strength, fix rounded shoulders, and release gripping in the traps.
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11:31Episode 3
release // shoulder blades
Episode 3
We're going to release all of that tension we keep in our shoulders and shoulder blades and shoulders. This class is a must-take if you find your range of motion is limited and/or your shoulders make noise. You'll finish feeling a freedom and a refreshing ease of movement!
Props: a pillow
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14:37Episode 4
arms + shoulders strengthening
Episode 4
A series to strengthen and release any tension or tightness in the arms and shoulders.
Props: a mat + theraband or similar
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15:42Episode 5
movement for shoulder health
Episode 5
Learn how to strengthen your shoulder stabilizers and rotator cuff to prevent shoulder pain which comes when we try to stabilize from the wrong places (aka the upper traps and neck)
Props: a 1lb or 2lb weight (or water bottle, soup can, whatever you have) + a yoga brick or pillow
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11:53Episode 6
relieving neck + shoulder tension
Episode 6
We're talking about ways to release tightness and tension.
Props: a ball
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17:13Episode 7
neck and shoulder tension release
Episode 7
A class to relieve neck and shoulder pain and improve your posture
Props: a mat and a foam roller
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14:50Episode 8
these arms of mine // rotator cuff
Episode 8
We'll build arm strength through a focus on shoulder health aka the rotator cuff to protect the shoulder and make them look and feel great!
Props: two weights (1 or 2 lbs)
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16:56Episode 9
release // the shoulders
Episode 9
We'll use a wall to release + stretch our chest, shoulders, and upper back in this class, which will keep our upper spine from being pulled forward as our shoulders are allowed to relax down our back and prevent pain in our neck and shoulders. It's a class that gives immediate feedback, leaving y...
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healthy hips + shoulders // internal + external rotation
Episode 10
We're building healthy and happy hips and shoulders by deepening our understanding of internal and external rotation. Through exercises, we'll learn to create space and movement in our ball and socket joints and recognize its effects on our bodies.
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19:58Episode 11
pain in focus // neck + shoulder pain
Episode 11
Hunching over a computer is an unfortunate reality of most of our lives and, as a result, a lot of us have rounded shoulders, tightness in the upper back, and even pain between the shoulder blades. This class opens and strengthens to relieve this pain and create strength to bring your body back i...
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10:50Episode 12
tutorial // shoulder placement
Episode 12
Never sure where what's meant by having your shoulders "live in the right place"? You're not alone! A quick tutorial on how to make sure your shoulders are in the correct place so they move with more mobility.
The perfect tutorial to take before basics broken down // pilates for shoulder mobility
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12:18Episode 13
neck + shoulder release
Episode 13
Some gentle movements to release neck + shoulder tension caused by everyday life.
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21:58Episode 14
flow stretch // shoulders + chest
Episode 14
Moving through movements + positions with the intention to open, stretch and release the body so nothing is pulling it out of alignment and you can feel your best!
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39:48Episode 15
the best shoulder + chest stretch
Episode 15
Warm-up + open the body with active and passive stretches with a focus on our often overlooked chest + shoulders (which deserve some love too!)
Props: 2 blankets or pillows
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basics broken down // pilates for shoulder mobility
Episode 16
A how-to Pilates class for healthy shoulder movement where Regan breaks it down to the basics.
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22:00Episode 17
hips + shoulder stretches
Episode 17
Active stretches + passive stretches and mobilizations to get our bodies feeling open + moving optimally.
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14:17Episode 18
neck, shoulder + chest stretches
Episode 18
Easy, everyday stretches that can be done almost anywhere to release + relieve tension we're holding in our chest, neck, and shoulders.
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09:39Episode 19
breathing to change your body
Episode 19
How we are breathing completely changes how our bodies function and feel. Strong external factors like stress and posture alter our breathing patterns for the worse so in this class we'll focus on breathing optimally using an exercise you can work on anywhere anytime.
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18:29Episode 20
strengtheners // upper back
Episode 20
This class is all about building functional strength in our upper back muscles, focusing on the postural muscles and deep stabilizers (to avoid building bulky shoulders), which support our chest and help keep us nice and open rather than hunched over. We'll use the wall as our prop because it hel...
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12:39Episode 21
release // neck + traps
Episode 21
Equal parts stretches + exercises that open the neck and shoulders while also strengthening our underworking muscles to prevent future neck and upper shoulder tightness and tension.
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08:24Episode 22
movement for chest opening
Episode 22
A feel-good way to relieve shoulder + chest tightness which will allow the spine to open + make it easier to breathe.
Props: we recommend a foam roller but a thick blanket can substitute
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09:37Episode 23
these arms of mine
Episode 23
No time to waste in this class where we'll go through 2 short sequences to get the shoulders moving and build strength in the arms + upper back.
Props: light hand weights (1-3 lbs or bottles of water, etc. whatever you have available!)
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13:34Episode 24
prone back strengthers to open the chest
Episode 24
We're bringing all we know about our shoulders together in this class as we work all of our postural muscles, with an extra focus on our deep stabilizers of the back, creating a sleek + strong back, opening the chest, and improving alignment.