Do you have pain between your shoulders? It's possible that your chest muscles (pectoralis major) are too tight and the muscles between your shoulder blades (rhomboids) are overstretched from the patterns of doing everything in front of us - computer stuff, sitting at a desk all day, etc.

It's easy and you can do it anytime you walk through a doorway. First off, mentally scan your body and see if you can sense the area between your shoulder blades and your chest.

• Stand in the doorway with your arms out shoulder height, elbows bent with forearms from elbow through palms against each door frame. (Like you're taking an oath with both hands.) If that feels too tight start with forearms a little lower.
• Keeping your feet together, head aligned with your torso, and arms on the door frame, lean your whole upper body through the door frame. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds, you should feel a stretch through your chest. Repeat 3 times, progressively stretching more deeply through the doorway. 
• Pay attention to what you are feeling. Now, move your forearms slightly up the door frame and repeat. This time you should feel the stretch in a slightly different area of your chest. Repeat 3 times. Move your forearms up again and repeat. Ahhh, that feels better!
• Take your arms down and mentally scan your chest and between shoulders again. Do you feel looser? More flexible? Just by paying attention you help your brain recalibrate the difference.

This is a very easy thing to incorporate in your day at work to counteract all that sitting and forward shoulder rolling. In order to make it a habit, tie to something you do throughout the day, like every time you go into your break room or to the bathroom.

Happy stretching,

Kathleen