Matsyasana (fish pose)

Matsyasana (fish pose)

To do this pose:

Come to your mat and lie down flat on your back with your knees bent and feet planted on the floor. Lift your hips up off the floor just slightly to slide your hands underneath with your palms down. From here, you can keep your legs out straight in front of you or cross them in an easy pose or lotus position. Push up onto your forearms to lift your upper body up off the floor. Keeping your chest and shoulders where they are, let your head fall back and rest on the mat. This will either be the back of your head or the crown of your head depending on what’s comfortable for your neck. Keep most of your weight in your forearms to avoid putting too much weight on your head. Hold for 5-10 breaths, breathing deeply into your throat and heart. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It opens your throat. This can be physically and mentally stimulating in that all the muscles of your neck open up and help you find your voice when you’ve been silent.
• It strengthens the upper back and shoulders, as well as improves posture. As we’ve discussed, this is so important when your job involves a lot of hunching over computers and patient’s beds. Strengthening and opening these muscles helps protect you from future injuries! 
• It opens up the intercostal muscles. Those tiny muscles between each rib are often ignored and not stimulated in most yoga poses. This pose opens them up so that you can breathe more deeply and feel more open.