My Shoulders: Massage, Yoga, and Cleansing

I have a complicated relationship with my shoulders. I like that I have strong, broad shoulders. Following in my father's flutterkick, I was a competitive swimmer during high school. I barely use my legs, I extended my reach and pulled volumes of water, building enviable muscle mass. I loved when we did laps with a pull-buoy, and I could really go to town.

When I was in fifth grade, my school gave us scoliosis tests, prompted by a popular Judy Blume book called Deenie. Even then, while I didn't have scoliosis, the nurse warned me to wear my blue, Velo backpack on both shoulders, not slung over just one (the cooool way to wear it). That day I became aware of my shoulders for the first time in my life, always trying to pull them back and stand up straight, and that awareness has never left me.

In November 2004, while I was uninsured, I also damaged my left rotator cuff while snowboarding. I've never gone to physical therapy.

A number of things have come up this week to make this subject blog-worthy:

Now that I walk everywhere, I think about my shoulders a lot. Correction: now that I schlep my life around DC with me, I think about my veritable packhorse existence. One of my recent obsessions is finding the perfectly fashionable, yet ergonomic backpack. I bought a $300 green leather backpack from the Village Tannery in NYC, but returned it in a rushed taxi ride to Penn Station because I realized 1) that it didn't fit my stuff and 2) that it wasn't all that comfortable (defeats the purpose, right?) My ideal backpack would double as a small fashionable vest, a massage therapist, and a storage locker. Needless to say, my search continues...

Last night, being indulgent Friday, I got the most intense hour-long deep tissue massage just on my shoulders, performed by Michael at Natural Body Spa in Arlington. It was deeply intense and at times, I was so relaxed (although in some pain) I almost forgot to breathe.

Wednesday before class, my yoga instructor Corrie (who reminds me a lot of my yoga instructor Suzanne back in SLC) was telling me about her current detoxing cleanse: lemonade, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. (FYI, this is the same cleanse that Beyonce did prior to filming Dreamgirls.) She said that after feeling a bit sluggish, she was feeling really energetic and that she could move in ways that she couldn't before.So, on my lifelong quest for supple, flexible, pain-free shoulders, which includes weekly yoga, and semi-regular massages, I'm considering my first fast---not only for my shoulders, but also for my general health and energy level---most probably over the weekend that my food-loving boyfriend is in California. Does anyone have any advice?