Ease Neck and Shoulder Tension

Be it working behind a computer or spending hours looking down at our phone, poor postural habits can place strain on our neck and shoulder. This is also known as the “Text Neck”, a syndrome commonly found in people who had their head hung forward and down for a long period of time, causing repetitive stress injury to the neck.

Exercises such as yoga and pilates are posture-focused which helps you to concentrate on achieving and maintaining the correct posture. Read on for useful yoga poses that can help to ease tension on our neck and shoulder!

Downward Dog

One of yoga’s most recognised poses – downward dog. 

Benefits: 

• Calms the brain and help relieves stress
• Stretches shoulders, hamstring and hands
• Improves mental alertness

Tip: Experiencing difficulty in opening your shoulders in this pose? Lift your hands off the ground and gently place them on a yoga block!

Cow Face Pose

A known difficult pose for tight-shouldered people who can’t meet their hands at the back.

Benefits:

• Stretches shoulders, triceps, chest, hips and thighs
• Helps to correct posture
• Regain balance on both left and right side of the body

Tip: Unable to connect your hands? Use a strap!

Neck Stretch

A great and easy way for some neck stretching.

Benefits:

• Stretches neck (of course!), hips, and knees
• Increases flexibility throughout upper back, shoulders and chest
• Re-aligns spine

Tip: Feeling extremely tight on your hips? Practice this pose seated on a chair or prop yourself up on a yoga block.

Extended Puppy Pose

A great pose for stress relief and stretching your back and shoulders.

Benefits:

• Improves flexibility in the spine
• Strengthens and stretches arms, hips and upper back
• Calms the mind

Tip: Place a bolster between your thighs and calves to protect your knees and lower back.

Not forgetting, a class specially curated for us who are experiencing neck and shoulder ache – Neck, Back & Shoulders. Join me as we heal and strengthen key areas of our body with subtle yoga stretches. 

See you on the mat!