Pose of the Month – How to do broken wing pose

Broken wing is an excellent pose to release tension and tightness in the upper body. Consequently it helps to let go of all that no longer serves us, freeing up movement in the shoulders and upper back.

What is broken wing pose?

Broken Wing is a yin yoga pose which targets the 6 upper body meridians of the lungs, large intestine, heart, small intestine, pericardium and triple heater. From a physical perspective, this posture is a great release for the pectorals and shoulders.

How to do broken wing pose?

1. Lay on your stomach and extend the left arm out to the side at roughly shoulder height.
2. Keeping the left arm on the floor, roll your body on to the left hip. Your torso is now facing the opposite direction from the arm.
3. Rest the head on a small cushion, and place the right hand in front of the torso. This will help to steady the position.
4. Legs can be curled up towards the torso.
5. Stay here for up to 3-minutes. Come out of the pose by rolling onto the stomach and releasing the left arm down by the side.

Modifications

1. If you feel very restricted in this position, try taking it to the wall. Stand facing the wall, extend left arm out to the side at shoulder height and place right hand on wall in front of torso. Gently rotate the body away from the left hand and stay for 5 slow, deep breaths. Move slowly to the opposite side.
2. To intensify the sensation, try placing the feet flat on the floor with one or both knees pointing up towards the ceiling. Take care as this is an intense position.
3. To target the large intestine meridian, extend the top arm behind parallel to the floor.

Props

Use a cushion or rolled blanket underneath the head.

Benefits

• Stretches the pectorals and shoulder area.
• Improves neck mobility, easing recurring headaches.
• Stimulates the lung meridian which can help with breathing.
• Helps to counteract ‘text neck’ by correcting posture.

Variations

Try heading to the wall as detailed above for a less intense option. Here you could slowly increase the time you hold the pose, starting with 5 slow, deep breaths and progressing at your own pace. Go easy and be kind to yourself.

Would you like to try some FREE yin yoga? After reading, head over to my Yoga by Gillian YouTube channel where there are plenty of videos between 10-minutes and 30-minutes long.