Shoulders, upper back and neck

Viloma: Hands

A calming breath practice that pairs a three-stage inhale with slow, expanding arm movement: a gentle way to settle in before slower mobility work.

How to do it

1. 1

   Sit or stand tall with your arms by your sides

   Shoulders soft, palms turned forward, gaze level and forward throughout.

2. 2

   Breathe in a third of the way and pause briefly

   Take in a small, comfortable part of the breath, then hold for a moment. As you breathe in, let your arms float a little way out to the sides.

3. 3

   Add a second stage, then a third

   Two more small sips of breath with a brief pause after each, and the arms open a little wider on each stage until your hands reach about shoulder height.

4. 4

   Breathe out in one smooth stream as the arms lower

   The exhale is not divided. Let it run continuously while your hands come down through the centre and back to your sides.

5. 5

   Keep the arms low if lifting them is uncomfortable

   A smaller arm range works just as well, and doing the whole practice seated with support takes the effort out of staying upright.

6. 6

   Continue for around two minutes, then breathe normally

   Stop and return to ordinary, unforced breathing if you feel light headed, short of air, or uncomfortable at any point.

What to watch for

Never let the pause between stages create a scramble for air: each stage should be a small, comfortable sip, not a held breath. Stop if lifting the arms brings on shoulder or neck discomfort, or if dividing the inhale leaves you dizzy or unsettled.

Ways to adjust it

• Reduce arm height
• Seated with support
• Keep gaze forward, don't tip the head back

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Arriving with the Breath

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits.

• Viloma: Interrupted Breathing

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.