I'm a personal trainer — this one-minute stretch opens your shoulders and builds upper body flexibility

With this one-minute stretch, you can open your shoulders, build upper body flexibility and release tension from your pecs. And you don’t need to spend ages on your mat to feel the benefits in your delts, pecs and triceps. Plus, this one move also delivers a gentle spinal twist.

The laying shoulder stretch only takes 30 seconds to one minute per side, or longer if you enjoy it, and you just need one of the best yoga mats to support your body while you do it. To progress the exercise, simply bend your elbow and create a 90-degree angle with your arm, or raise your hand on a block to create extra space to drop into. 

I swear by this stretch for releasing shoulder tension and program it all the time for cool-downs after workouts with clients. Below, I cover how to do it, the benefits and ways to modify the move to suit your ability.

Suppose you’re dealing with an injury, shoulder pain, or returning to exercise. In that case, I strongly advise getting cleared medically by your physician before jumping into this move.