How to loosen tight shoulders? Any techniques?

Question:

How to loosen tight shoulders? Any techniques?

I've been getting back into breakdancing with my pals and i have my lower body and my legs loose but I've always had problems loosening my upper body, mainly my shoulders. Any tips and techniques that will help, would be greatly appreciated.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I agree with snowflake about yoga - hit your local library and grab some yoga tapes or tapes that are specifically for stretching. Also try these exercises and REMEMBER that you should feel a stretch, but not a sharp pain:

Reach out straight in front of you with the left arm. Cross the left arm over to the right side keeping it at shoulder level. Grab the left elbow with the right hand and gently pull the arm further across your body. Switch sides.

Interlace your fingers behind your back, palms towards each other touching (as if praying). Straighten your elbows while keeping your fingers interlaced which will push your chest outward while stretching your shoulders. See if you can keep your palms flat together while straightening your elbows. Even if you can't, keep the fingers interlaced or you lose all the stretch. Now lift your hands up as high as you can behind your back. (This will stretch the biceps.) Now bend from the waist, lifting your arms a bit higher on the EXHALE. Don't duck your head, keep your back flat.

Lift both arms overhead. Bend one at the elbow so that your hand is behind your neck. Grab the elbow with the opposite hand and gently pull the arm towards the centerline of your body. Switch sides. Don't let the arm you're stretching push your head forward. Keep your head up.

Hold your arms out to your sides at shoulder height. Swing your hands in small circles, slowly increasing until you're swinging them in as big circles as you can (like a swimmer doing the buterfly stroke) then decrease the circles until you're just making small ones again. Reverse the direction of the circles and repeat.

Roll your shoulders up, down, back, and front, making just your shoulders work in as large circles as you can manage. Reverse the direction of the circles after you've done 10 or 12 in one direction.

Some tips about increasing a stretch:

Use your breath to help your stretching. Don't forget to breathe while you stretch. On every inhale, keep your position as it is. On your exhale, you can go slightly deeper into a stretch. (Emphasis on the "slightly" here.)

Hope this helps!