Yoga
Poses for Neck and Shoulder Pain
Here are some great Yoga Poses for neck and shoulder pain,
with our busy technological world, we spend far too much time on our iPhones
and computers, even carrying heavy grocery bags, young children and we get our
neck into an unnatural position.
Upper back pain commonly stems from the
tendency to slump in the spine and round the shoulders. Slumping causes the
shoulder blades to slide away from the spine, chronically overstretching and
weakening the muscles around them. Eventually these muscles harden into tough
bands to protect themselves from this constant strain.
Check
out these Yoga exercises to help relieve the stress on your neck.
Open Chest Stretch
In this stretch the hands are clasped behind the body, and
the arms are drawn away from the back to stretch the fronts of the shoulders.
Bend your elbows and interlace your fingers behind you,
separating the palms of your hands. Keeping the elbows bent, lift and square
your shoulders; then draw your shoulders back, moving your elbows toward each
other so that your upper arms are parallel.
The proper action of squaring the shoulders, bending the
elbows, and bringing the upper arms parallel will rotate the upper arms outward,
opening the space between your upper chest and the fronts of your shoulder
joints.
Standing Wall
Stretch
The standing wall stretch can get into the tightest areas in
the arm, shoulder, and chest. Stand next to a wall with your feet parallel and
comfortably separated. Place the fingertips of one hand on the wall at shoulder
height with your arm fully extended. Place your other hand on your hip.
Cup your fingers so
that only the fingertips touch the wall, and rotate your arm outward slightly
so that your thumb points upward. Keep your shoulder aligned with your hand and
begin to lift and open your chest with your breath, rolling your collarbones
back.
This stretch reaches some of the deepest levels of tension
in the arm and shoulder, and opens the flow of circulation to the entire area.
Upward Seated
Plank (Purvottanasana)
This posture stretches the brachialis (inner arm muscles) as
well as the chest. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet a
comfortable distance in front of you. Place your hands on the floor 12 to 16
inches behind you, wider than your hips and (ideally) with your fingers
pointing forward. (If you feel wrist pain in this position, place a support
such as a folded towel under the heels of your hands or turn your hands
outward.)
Bend your elbows slightly, and, as you exhale, soften your chest
downward, bowing your head. As you inhale, draw your shoulders back, keeping
your elbows bent and your upper arms parallel. Lift and open your upper chest,
feeling the stretch just below the lines of your collarbones. Keep your hips on
the floor.
For the best results it is very important to lengthen your
short muscles in the inner arm and chest establishes better alignment in the
shoulders and frees you of fatigue and painful spasms in your upper back.
Cat and Cow
This is a great exercise for neck and back pain A lot of tension can be built up in the shoulders and
neck which is why breathing is essential for releasing tension from the
body.)
The upper and lower trapezius, deltoid, rotator cuff muscles (suprispinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor), and latissimus dorsi benefit from the cat posture as well.
The upper trapezius muscles connect at the base of the scull called the occiput, which can aide in releasing tension from the neck.
Cat and Cow
The upper and lower trapezius, deltoid, rotator cuff muscles (suprispinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor), and latissimus dorsi benefit from the cat posture as well.
The upper trapezius muscles connect at the base of the scull called the occiput, which can aide in releasing tension from the neck.
