Yoga Link: Shoulder Shape-Up with Jill Miller

MY SKILL LEVEL: Happy beginner....Um, I've been rolling through the same 2 beginner level yoga DVDs for like 5 years now. I know the basic poses. I have them committed to memory. While that gives me some measure of confidence when I'm doing it, I don't practice consistently and am not a flexible person. I work at a PC for hours on end, text too much, garden too hard, etc. I have lots of repetitive use issues! My shoulders are crunchy. My neck is knotty. My hamstrings are tight. I'm a trainwreck. My massage therapist thinks I should just take up drinking. This series has been EXACTLY what I needed!As far as this series goes...If your shoulders are an issue but you're new to yoga, don't sweat it. No matter your skill level, always remember that if you can't go fully into a pose, life goes on. You still benefit from the effort. If you'd like another minute to breathe it in, hit pause. Jill explains the reason why you're doing each stretch and exactly what part of you it will help.I LOVE the Yoga Link series. I've never been a fan of Jill Miller's flow yoga, but this stuff is just perfect for my needs. A lot of nontraditional asanas that Jill created to fix & maintain areas she'd injured as a dancer. If you have any shoulder issues, this takes you through the full range of motion in a non-fussy, non-ohm sort of way. As you stretch, you can feel how clicking that mouse over and over doesn't just affect your hand...it affects your arm and, of course, your shoulder. Blood starts going places where it is needed.The 35 minute workshop is a good place to start. Learn each of the poses that you'll need to integrate them into the more flowing workout. Bonus: During the workshop, you'll feel where you need the most work. Many of the shoulder stretches can be done throughout the day when you take a break from work. I can't say enough about this series. It is as challenging as you allow it to be and so beneficial.(If you don't have yoga blocks, use books. If you don't have a staff, just do as I do and use a mop handle or pool cue. If you have a hip-height table or bookshelf or couch nearby, that will be helpful for 2 of the poses.)

So I had reached the 3 month mark of post-surgery rehab for rotator cuff surgery and I was so frustrated I was just a beast. My progress was slow at best and at this point, I STILL had a posterior capsule restriction that didn't allow me to rotate my arm behind my back at all and I was still waking up with a stiff shoulder and a limited ability to reach overhead. If it weren't for the fact that I had a full thickness tear in supraspinatus and I HAD to have the surgery, I would never go through this again if I could have avoided it - especially now that my range of motion was so badly affected AFTER surgery. Pissed off is an understatement.So I searched around on looking for yoga for shoulders (I am a huge advocate of the wisdom and efficacy of yoga for almost all things involving the body) and I decided on this video. After reviewing the tape, I will start tomorrow - one of the things that I realized is that some of these movements are the same as the ones that I kept doing over and over again in PT with no visible results. I suspect the problem is that the movements in PT were not as thorough and more immportantly, the instruction for doing the exercise was not nearly as thorough as Jill's instruction in this video.I am really impressed by her teaching and her selection of exercises, she takes you through the ENTIRE range of motion for the shoulders, her instruction is extremely thorough (and 20x better than any instruction I got in physical therapy for anything, those lazy monkeys) and I am confident that this video will correct what alot of wasted time in PT this last month could not. I will post a review indicating my progress with this video in about 3 months.For now, I just want to say that as a yoga video and an instructional one, Jill Miller is worth every penny you invest in her videos.

I really like Jill Miller's Shape Up Series. The common principle within the Series is that there's a workshop section where Jill Miller gives a clear explanation of the exercises and a practice section which obviously is meant to lead you during your practice. Compared to hips and core, the shoulder work out is easier and shorter (a good thing in my view as the only criticism I have of the other 2 workouts is that they're a bit long). Even if you don't do yoga you should be able to follow this one and I'd imagine you'd benefit tremendously from it. My girlfriend has often pain in her neck and typically manages to get better by working on her shoulders with this DVD.

This DVD Yoga Link: Shoulder Shape-Up with Jill Miller  practice is wonderful! I have had two frozen shoulders and countless weeks of PT, without ever geeting full rage of motion back in my shoulders. Jill shows how to do theses movements(saftley)to widen the range of motion and also tone the muscles in shoulders, upper back and arms.

I have done lots of stretching and yoga over the years, along with other more strenuous exercises, but had never run across anything like this workout. She's an expert, for sure, and really works out the shoulders to make them stronger. The workouts are hard, not for the faint of heart, but very worth it.

I cannot say enough positive things about Jill Miller. Her style, her knowledge, her way of integrating multiple disciplines into yoga movements that are uniquely hers, create a revolutionary and effective style that will help you become stronger and more open in your shoulders.I daily use many of the movements contained within the DVD. As a yogi who struggles with tight and weak shoulders, these movements have helped me be able to move into handstand and forearm balance while maintaining good form.What do you have to lose for the low price? I was so impressed and amazed by the quality of her teachings and the effective exercises that I ordered all three in the series! Truly a steal at the price and a veritable pot of gold that can be referenced again and again!

This was ordered for my wife.

This entire series is a wonderful addition to anyone's yoga DVD collection. This particular shoulder Shape Up DVD is a great therapeutic approach to opening and stabilizing shoulders - so notorious for getting injured, and for being restricted. Jill Miller yet again giveswonderful instruction and I highly recommend this entire series for anyone who wants to expand their flexibility, deal with injury, or just enjoy a body part specific, targeted practice.

Jill Miller is awesome, this is not the first of her DVD I have and like the others are absolutely great.