Feel like you’re forever tightly wound? We feel you. You have a good reason to crave that deep-tissue massage after a stressful day at work. Research shows that we carry certain emotions, like anger and anxiety, in our head, neck and shoulders. Over time, that chronic stress leads to tense knots in our upper body.

That’s why we designed this shoulder-opening yoga sequence to help you relieve stress and set the tone for your day. Amanda Valdes-Mosier, a head yoga instructor at Laughing Lotus in New York City, breaks down five different tension-taming asanas (poses) so you can have a soothing reset to your day.

5 Yoga-Inspired Shoulder Stretches

Photo: Tiffany Ayuda / Life by Daily Burn

1. Cat and Cow

This restorative asana is a great dynamic stretch for opening your chest and shoulders. Valdes-Mosier recommends the pose for warming up the body for future yoga exercises and for creating mobility in the traps, deltoids and biceps. Here, Valdes-Mosier turns one of her wrists out; this can help relieve tension after sitting at your desk and typing for hours. “In addition to opening your shoulders, this pose also strengthens your sides and mid-back. Stacking your shoulders provides stability,” Valdes-Mosier says.

How to: Get into a tabletop position with your hands and knees flat on the floor. Keep your neck in a neutral position with your eyes looking at the floor. One of your wrists can be facing out toward the wall in front of you (a). Take a deep inhale. As you exhale, round your spine and scoop your abs upward. Keep your shoulders and knees in the same position. Release your head toward the floor (b). As you take another deep inhale, reverse the curve in your spine by lifting your sitting bones and chest toward the ceiling. Your tummy should sink toward the floor (c). Exhale and return to the neutral tabletop position. Repeat for 10-20 breaths (d).

RELATED: 275 Exercises to Shake Up Your Workout Routine

Photo: Tiffany Ayuda / Life by Daily Burn

2. Gomukhasana

Also known as the cat face pose, Gomukhasana stretches your shoulders, triceps, hips, thighs and ankles. While this yoga pose is a bit advanced, you can modify it by using a strap (see below).

How to: Sit on a yoga mat with your knees bent and both feet on the floor. (If you have trouble sitting with your knees stacked, you can sit on a folded blanket or block for support.) Slide your right foot under your left knee, so your left leg is crossed over the right and your knees are stacked (a). As you inhale, sweep your right arm behind you, rotating your arm inward so your fingers point toward the floor, and your right hand is between your shoulder blades (b). Next, stretch your left arm forward. Then, turn your left palm up and bend your left elbow behind you with your left hand reaching for your right (c). If you can, hook your right and left fingers together, or hold onto a strap on both ends…

Confession: I’m not a Victoria’s Secret model and never will be—but I’ve accepted this reality and come to terms with it. Since most of my free time is spent firing up my Netflix queue, sharing memes on Instagram and I get way too hangry to ever go on an actual diet, rock-hard abs like an Angel’s will always be out of the question.

While Angels’ fitness level is something to be applauded, as someone with acne-prone skin I’ve always envied the models’ clear, radiant skin that (sorry for being obvious), looks like they used those wings to fly down from heaven onto the runway of the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Since testing products and various beauty routines is part of my job, following the same skincare regimen as the Angels do when they’re prepping for the show was worth a shot. And if the final result was a glowing complexion that rivaled an Angel’s? Consider that the equivalent of a first-time model getting her wings.  

RELATED: See the Sexiest Looks from the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show  

As it turns out, the models’ routine is pretty standard and actually doesn’t require too much extra effort. “My main skincare goal for the models is to achieve a luminous glow and definition. I want to leave them with perfect skin that is ready for makeup and ready for the show,” Mzia Shiman, celebrity facialist and the woman behind the Angels’ amazing complexions told me. Although she regularly works on the Angels throughout the year, she gives them all skincare routine to follow in the weeks leading up to the show as well as a professional treatment the weekend before it tapes.

Above all, the Shiman warns the models against introducing new products or treatments—which I’m completely guilty of because I irrationally expect to see instant results when using skincare products. However, I practiced self-control for three weeks and was monogamous with the Angels’ routine.

The morning lineup consists of cleansing with Decléor Aroma Cleanse Essential Cleansing Milk ($30; nordstrom.com), a spritz of Decléor Aroma Cleanse Essential Tonifying Lotion ($30; nordstrom.com), and applying Decléor Aromessence Rose D’Orient Soothing Serum ($73; nordstrom.com). At night, the facialist suggests the Angels finish their days by washing their faces with Decléor Aroma Cleanse 3-in-1 Hydra-Radiance Smoothing & Cleansing Mousse ($35; nordstrom.com), spritzing on the Tonifying Lotion, and massaging on Decléor Aromessence Rose D’Orient Soothing Night Balm ($42; dermstore.com).

RELATED: 15 Jaw-Dropping Looks from the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show After-Party

“The models very much benefit from calming treatments, which is why we I products and techniques that work against inflammation, redness, and dehydration,” Shiman explained when I asked how she conjured up the most optimal routine for the models…

I’m taking an exercise class at Moving Strength, a boutique Pilates studio in New York City, and, well, I’m struggling. My body feels like it’s buzzing with electricity. My triceps are burning, my quads are shaking, and my heart rate is growing quicker. Don’t get me wrong—this isn’t my first time trying the core-strengthening workout; I’m actually a Pilates devotee. But most of the time, I know what I’m getting when I take a class. I expect the Hundred series and some Reformer-supported leg circles. Now, my go-to routine is suddenly getting shaken up—literally—with the help of the Personal Power Plate.

The Personal Power Plate, which launched this past January, is a smaller, more portable version of the Power Plate. Both machines feature a vibrating platform that’s meant to amplify any type of workout, not just Pilates, by challenging one’s strength, balance, circulation, and flexibility. It’s almost like an electronic version of an old-school step (yes, the kind used for 80s-style dance aerobics).

According to the tool’s makers, research has shown that whole-body vibration exercise offers a wealth of health benefits, from improved body composition and bone metabolism among postmenopausal women to reduced pain and fatigue in female fibromyalgia patients.

RELATED: Conquer the Weight Room: 5 Machines You Should Know How to Use

Still, I wasn’t totally convinced that my workout would benefit from the addition of an unstable surface. After all, aren’t planks tough enough already? Spoiler alert: The Personal Power Plate made them (and a slew of other classic Pilates exercises) tougher.

My one-on-one session with Moving Strength founder Patricia Ruiz began with a quick stand on the plate to get a feel for the way it vibrated. From there, we graduated to a core series. I sat on the edge of the machine with my feet placed flat on the floor and a squishy ball propped between the plate and my lower back to create a standard Pilates C-curve in my torso.

Only it wasn’t so standard once we pressed the start button and the machine started to shake—my abs had to work so much harder than usual to remain stable, especially as we added variations to the mix, like leg lifts and cross-body reaches.  

Other seemingly simple exercises were also amped up when we added the Personal Power Plate to them. Side lunges done with one foot resting on the shaky platform challenged my balance. Mountain climbers performed with my hands placed on top of the plate required extra activation in my upper arms.

RELATED: 3 Pilates Moves for a Flat Belly

For me, the 30-minute session was just enough to get my heart rate up and my muscles fatigued, which is precisely Ruiz’s intention for the Power Plate Pilates class.

If you encounter a Power Plate product (either the larger version that comes complete with handlebars, or the scaled-back platform model I tried) at your gym, don’t be intimidated…