Rotator cuff release exercise:
"The following is an exercise to release the infraspinatus, one of the four rotator cuff muscles," says Hardy. "To start, you'll lie flat on your back and have a ball handy (a tennis ball or similar size therapy ball will do nicely). Place the ball directly behind the shoulder blade, and rest on top of it so that the weight of your body sinks onto the ball. Allow the pressure from the ball to sink gently into the muscles on the back of the shoulder blade. Hold for 3 minutes, breathing easily and deeply. Repeat on the other shoulder."
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To release pectoral tension:
Another great exercise from Hardy: Stand facing a wall, and take your tennis ball (or therapy ball) and place it in front of your chest, beneath the collarbone and just inward from your armpit. Lean gently into the ball, with the wall for support, and feel the muscles in the chest area start to release. Gently hold for 1-3 minutes, breathing easily and deeply. Repeat on the other side.
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"Reset" your nervous system
"Take a minute first simply to pause and notice your breath. Feel your body against the chair you are sitting on. Next, very slowly turn your head and neck from one side to the other. It's important that you really feel the muscles in the neck as you turn them, and allow your eyes to really take in what you see. Go very, very slowly from the right to left and back again. After one or two turns, pause and once again notice your body and breath," Hardy says doing this can help "reset" your nervous system.
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What else should you pay attention to?
"Even if posture seems to be the main reason for aching shoulders, it's important to stay curious about potential energetic or emotional components to the tension," says Cardion who also suggests introspection and journaling as a self-awareness tool.
"Often, people realise the tension and stress is from taking on too much, or taking on 'stuff' that isn't really theirs — 'carrying' someone else's emotional baggage for them, or feeling responsible for stuff that we really have no control over. We truly do carry the weight of the world in our shoulders, and when we can acknowledge it, we can learn how to put it down," she says.
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It could be referred pain
"Don't ignore other related areas. When working with muscle pain and tension in one spot, the normal tendency is to focus right where you feel the pain," says Hardy. "However, it's very common for other muscle groups to be compensating, and contributing to patterns of pain and tension. I find that two areas very often involved with neck and shoulder tension are the rotator cuff muscles, and the pectorals."
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