Shrug
Sometimes we all feel like we carry the weight of the world — on our shoulders. We fret about things out of our current control, We can't make someone healthy, can't sit with our kid as he takes the SAT, can't clean the kitchen floor when we're at work. And that fretting ends up raising our shoulders higher and higher, keeping from being used on the problems we can fix, right in front of us.
With relaxed shoulders, daily stresses will slide off your back. But with tight shoulders, the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain becomes obstructed. For some, our shoulders are so tight, it seems it would take a three-hour massage to make a dent. But you can shrug off some of the tension with this version of a yoga pose.
Start by sitting tall. Exhale all the air from your lungs. Take a slow inhale as you pull your shoulders up to your ears (relax your neck and jaw as you do it). Hold for a count of two or ten — whatever feels right. Then drop your shoulders, just drop them, as you exhale with a sigh. As you do, imagine you're letting go of what you don't need and can't change. Let serenity replace frenzy.
— Sondra Kornblat, Susannah Seton in 365 Energy Boosters