Unstick Your Shoulders: Myofascial Release for Inversions

If flipping your world upside down is your happy place, you already know that strong, mobile shoulders are your ticket to lift-off (and to fix the dreaded banana back). Shoulder extension and the ability to bring your arms overhead can make or break your inversion game.

When things feel stuck or restricted, we often blame muscles or joints. But what if there is another sneaky player? Meet Fascia, the quiet hero (or occasional villain) of your mobility story.

Fascia is like your body’s Spider-Man suit: a stretchy, fibrous web of connective tissue that wraps around muscles, bones, and even your cells. Myofascia surrounds your muscles, and when it’s tight, it can limit your range of motion like a tangled rope.

But unlike muscles, fascia doesn’t stretch. Imagine a knotted rubber band: pulling the ends doesn’t undo the knot, it just makes it tighter. That’s why traditional stretching doesn’t work to relieve the tightness that we can experience in our fascia. Instead, you need Myofascial Release (MFR): gentle, sustained pressure (using tools like yoga blocks or MFR balls) to soften the tissue, release adhesions, and restore mobility.

Want to geek out more on fascia? Read THIS! 

Now let’s focus on two key areas that, when released, can dramatically boost your shoulder mobility and inversion practice.

1. Latissimus Dorsi: Your "Pull-Up Power"

Known as “The Lats,” these giant, wing-like muscles run from your spine and hips to your upper arms. They help you climb, swim, and crush pull-ups, but when fascia here gets tight, it prevents your arms from reaching overhead with ease.

Try This MFR Technique:

Lie on your side with a block (medium height) just below your armpit, in line with your nipple/chesticle. Rest your side ribs on it and lean slightly back to target your lats. You can stay still or gently rock back and forth until you find that “ohhhh there it is” spot.

You might feel the intensity right there or somewhere else entirely, like your fingers or hips. That’s fascia! You push in one place and feel a pull in a different area! Once you find the magic spot, stay and breathe. It can take 30 seconds to several minutes for MFR magic to work, so give it time.

Too intense? Add a towel on top of the block or swap it with a foam roller. Want pinpoint precision? Switch to an MFR ball. Just make sure it’s never sharp or painful, only intense-but-doable.

When you're done, jump into Dolphin Pose and compare sides. You’ll likely feel a big difference in your shoulder openness!

2. Infraspinatus: The "Shoulder Stabilizer"

Tucked under the spine of your shoulder blade, the infraspinatus helps externally rotate your arm and stabilize your shoulder joint: both actions crucial for Pincha, Bound Headstand, and Handstand. If the fascia here is tight, externally rotating the hands and shoulders and reaching the arms overhead can feel like you’re stuck in T-Rex mode.

Try This MFR Technique:

Drop a myofascial release ball into a long sock and sling it over your shoulder like a backpack strap. The ball should sit just under the spine of your scapula (shoulder blade). Lay down or stand against a wall for more control, and explore by leaning and shifting to find your trigger point.

Avoid moving towards the spine, stay on the outer edge of the scapula where the infraspinatus lives!

Once you find the spicy spot, stay, breathe, and let it release. You can also make a cactus arm and gently rotate (hand up = external, hand down = internal) to explore more.

Then, head back into Dolphin and experience the difference. That shoulder might feel freer, stronger, and way more ready to kick up.

Want to practice together?

Watch the walkthrough on YouTube:

Myofascial Release might sound like wizardry, but it’s a total game-changer. A little ball and a block can unlock your shoulders and your inversions in under 10 minutes.

Have you tried MFR for inversions? I’d love to hear how it’s shifted your experience!

Inside Yogi Flight School, we include MFR protocols for each category of poses we teach, so that you can prep your body, move with freedom, and fly high.

Join me and thousands of students now! 

And if you want to go even deeper into the fascia matrix, check out my course: Unfuck Your Fascia to break free from tightness and reclaim your full range of motion!