If I had a pound for every time I say, “Draw your shoulders down”, “Pull your shoulders away from your ears”, or “Shoulders are not friends with the ears in this class”, I would be pretty wealthy by now! It’s a cue I repeat in E.V.E.R.Y single class I teach and at least 50 times a day. But there is a reason I am so relentless about it.
Many of us live “in our shoulders”. This means that, consciously or not, we let our shoulders creep up toward our ears, creating unnecessary tension. This tension is not just an aesthetic issue – it significantly impacts our body mechanics, posture, and overall well-being.
Why Do We Live “In Our Shoulders”?
Lifting the shoulders up to the ears is often the result of a long, unchecked behavioural pattern. It can feel good and comforting at first, almost like a protective reflex, until it becomes a deeply ingrained habit that negatively impacts our entire physical well-being.
Stress is also a big culprit. When anxious or tense, our shoulders rise as a protective response, like a turtle retreating into its shell. Over time, this habitual pattern becomes ingrained, and our shoulders seem permanently hunched. Add to that the endless hours of typing on a computer, scrolling through phones, and even carrying heavy bags, and it’s no wonder our shoulders practically live in our ears.
Other common ways we hold tension in our shoulders include:
- Holding a phone in our hands: Most of us unconsciously lift our shoulders toward our ears while texting or scrolling, which creates tension in our upper shoulders and necks
- Working at a desk without proper support and set up: Poor ergonomics lead to constant shoulder elevation.
- Exercising improperly: Lifting weights, working on strengthening the abdominals or doing planks with shrugged shoulders reinforces the problem.
- Wearing heavy backpacks or shoulder bags on a regular basis: The weight pulls the shoulders up and forward.
- Driving for long periods: Gripping the steering wheel tightly and hunching forward creates tension.
- Even sleeping in a curled or awkward position: Many of us sleep with our shoulders hunched, creating stiffness and tension overnight.
The Consequences of Shoulder-Hunching
Chronic shoulder tension doesn’t just affect your muscles and posture – it also influences your nervous system. When your shoulders are constantly lifted in a state of tension, your body perceives this as stress, keeping your nervous system in an elevated state of alert. Over time, this can contribute to increased anxiety, fatigue, and difficulty relaxing. Remember that a body is meant to move; to do so, more than a minimum range of motion in the joints is necessary to keep your body happy.
Shoulder tension contributes to more than just discomfort. Chronic tightness in this area can lead to:
- Neck pain: The muscles around the neck and shoulders are interconnected. When your shoulders are tight, your neck will often feel stiff or sore.
- Headaches: Tension headaches or migraines can result from tightness in the upper trapezius and neck muscles.
- Limited & decreased range of motion: If your shoulders are constantly lifted, it restricts the full range of movement for your shoulder girdle.
- Poor posture: Hunched shoulders contribute to a rounded upper back, leading to more significant postural issues over time.
How Pilates Can Help
Pilates emphasises awareness of movement, alignment, and breath – three essential components to break free from living “in our shoulders”. During a Pilates session, we focus on drawing the shoulders away from the ears, engaging the muscles of the back and abdominals to support the shoulder girdle effectively.
If you struggle to keep your shoulders down, consider these tips:
- Notice your shoulders throughout the day: Are they creeping up while you work or sit? Take a moment to reset and drop them.
- Strengthen your upper back: Strengthening the mid-back muscles will help keep the shoulders from collapsing forward.
- Stretch and release tension: Gentle neck stretches, and shoulder rolls can help relieve built-up tension.
- Breath awareness: Stop breathing with your upper body or “in your shoulders” and practice deep diaphragmatic breathing to help you release tension in the shoulder and neck area, eliminate stress, and connect more effectively to your abdominal muscles. (YES, breathing is also a fantastic and effortless abdominal exercise!)
Among all its incomparable benefits, Pilates teaches us to create space between the shoulders and ears, space for better movement, and space to breathe. When you practice keeping your shoulders down and open, you start to sort out years of tension, giving your body a chance to move more freely and comfortably and last longer without getting into much trouble later in life.
So the next time you hear me say, “Pull your shoulders away from your ears”, take it as a loving reminder, not just for your time on the mat or in the studio, but for the rest of your day, too!