A yoga instructor says these four moves can get rid of shoulder knots—I put them to the test

If you work at a desk, you may spend a lot of time with your shoulders hunched without even realizing it. That's been my experience and I recently developed muscle knots in my shoulders.

I thought they might have come from overdoing it at the gym, or straining a muscle while playing tennis, but when I saw a physio, they told me that the knots were most likely caused by my muscles becoming tight from too much time sitting at my laptop.

I'm not looking to change careers anytime soon, so I'm looking for ways to offset the damage.

So when yoga instructor Emily Mouu recently shared a video with four exercises that help to get rid of shoulder knots, I was keen to try them.

Most knots are just mildly uncomfortable, although very irritating. If you have knots that are restricting your range of motion or the movement of your neck and shoulders, you should see a health professional before trying these stretches.

How to do Emily Mouu's stretches for shoulder knots

Mouu uses a towel to do these stretches, in place of Pilates sliders, so it's a routine anyone can do from home. The routine is done while kneeling so Mouu uses a yoga mat to support her knees. Fold yours over if you have one, or rest your knees on a blanket or towel.

Mouu didn't advise how many reps to do, so I did each exercise until I felt my shoulder muscles relaxing, which was about eight reps on each side.

My experience trying Emily Mouu's routine for shoulder knots

I've tried plenty of stretches to make my shoulders feel more comfortable, but I've never tried stretches that incorporate sliders, or a towel in this case.

This novel approach was a revelation and incorporating the towels into these stretches (some of which I've tried before, like thread the needle) meant that I flowed into the movement a lot easier.

In moving more smoothly, I felt the stretch at each stage of the movement, rather than just experiencing the benefits at the end position.

Plus, it allowed me to move even deeper into the stretch and I could feel my shoulders relaxing.

Each of the moves engaged different parts of the shoulder and upper back, and I felt I had moved through most of my range of motion after I'd completed them all, providing a satisfying stretch.

Moving with the towels also meant I had to control my movements, to avoid moving too quickly or in the wrong direction. It engaged some of the smaller muscles around my joints, which can feel neglected by my normal workouts.

Although my shoulder knots didn't disappear, my shoulders and upper back felt less stiff and I wasn't as uncomfortable sitting at my desk for the rest of the day.

I'm going to incorporate these stretches into my exercise routine in order to mobilize my shoulders in the long term and hopefully get rid of any knots for good.