4 Yoga Poses to Relieve Neck Pain
We’ve all been there… You get to the end of a long day at work, or you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and the tightness in your neck has gone you cringing every time you try to look to the side.
With all of our working from home, staring at screens and generally not stretching enough, neck pain is a common issue for many people. Luckily, reducing (and even eliminating!) that pain can be done with just a few simple stretches every day.
Next time you feel pain setting in, give this short sequence a try! (scroll to the bottom for the video)
*disclaimer: If you are dealing with a neck injury or something more serious than general tightness, please consult your doctor before trying these stretches!
Pose 1: Side Neck Stretch with Extended Arm
Start in a seated position (legs can be crossed or uncrossed) and make sure to lengthen through the spine and neck
Slowly bring the right ear toward the right shoulder, lengthening the left side of the neck and making sure to keep your gaze forward
Press the left shoulder down away from the ear to deepen the stretch
You can hold here, or you can take the right hand up and around to rest on the temple (important: you don’t want to pull down on the neck, but rather just allow the weight of your hand to help deepen the stretch)
Next, reach the left hand out away from you and toward the floor. You can also try wrapping the left hand behind the back to see which one feels better for you.
Breathe deeply and hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides.
Pose 2: Seated Cat Cow
Start in a seated position, sitting up straight and reaching out through the top of your head
Interlace the fingers behind the head
Exhale as you round forward bringing the chin to the chest and drawing your belly button back toward the wall behind you (again make sure not to pull on the neck, but just use the weight of your hands to help the stretch) Hold for 5 seconds.
Inhale and start to sit up, looking up toward the sky and pressing your elbows toward the wall behind you. Arch slightly through the back and let the neck rest into your hands. Hold for 5 seconds.
Repeat each movement 3-5 times.
Pose 3: Eagle Arms
Start in a seated position, sitting up straight and reaching out through the top of your head
Reach the arms out to the side in opposite directions
Cross the arms in front of you placing the right arm on top of the left
Work to bring either the back of the hands or the palms together into a bind
Inhale as you reach your fingers up toward the sky.
Exhale to feel the shoulders drop away from the ears
Hold for 30 seconds. Focus on spreading the space between the shoulder blades on each inhale.
Repeat on the other side.
Pose 4: Forward Fold with Head Movement
Start standing at the top of your mat in mountain
Exhale and fold forward bringing your chest down over your thighs
Bend the knees as much as you need to so that the top of your head is pointing down toward the floor
Bring the hands behind the head and breathe into the upper back and neck to help deepen the stretch
You can shift side to side slightly through the neck to find where you feel the best stretch
Hold for 15 seconds then stand back up to mountain (repeat 3x)
For ultimate neck pain relief try this short video where we’ll go through all of these postures (plus a few more!)