Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Yoga Poses for Neck and Shoulder Pain

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.