9 Yoga Poses to Relieve Neck Tension

By request (I take requests!), I've provided a few yoga poses with details below that can help you safely relieve neck tension.  You can use them as a sequence in the order listed, or feel free to pick and choose what matches your needs and lifestyle.  Enjoy! Ask questions! (And for simplicity's sake this time I left all pose names in an English variation.)

*A few key points before you begin:  If you are recovering from a neck injury or strain (or even surgery), please keep your neck in a neutral spinal alignment.  Think mountain pose (see previous blog), where the chin is stacked over the collar bone, ears over shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles.  As we bend and move, try to maintain that spinal alignment.  Resist creating too much arch or roundness through the cervical spine, and keep the chin over the collarbone in twists.  Bottom line, take it slowly and listen to your body-- you'll know when it feels okay to rotate the neck again. 

1. Cat/Cow Flow

Starting on hands and knees in a table top position, stack your hips over your knees and shoulders over your wrists.  

Cow Pose: On an inhale, drop your belly toward the ground and lift your tailbone toward the sky as you gently pull the shoulder blades together and the chest open.  Look slightly forward, but remember that neutral spine alignment with the neck.  Stay light in the elbows with the upper arms hugging in close to your sides.

Cat Pose: On an exhale, begin to round through your upper back, pulling your shoulders away from each other.  Press the hands into the ground to straighten the arms, and drop the chin toward the chest to deepen the stretch.  Tailbone tucks under and reaches toward the backs of the knees.

Repeat this flow 3-5 times, moving back and forth between cow and cat pose with the breath.  Try to keep the spine aligned, the core active, and the deepest sensation through the upper and mid back.  

If you need a less active variation, feel free to try this flow seated as in the photo below.

2. Extended Puppy Pose with Blocks

This can be a little tricky to come in and out of if you're not familiar with it, so take it slowly and listen to your body.  Stack two blocks in front of you so they are about shoulders distance apart (use books or anything else that can stand in as blocks if you don't have yoga props-- get creative!).  Sitting on your shins and knees, begin to place your triceps on each block and then slowly walk the knees back so they stack under the hips.  As you walk the knees back, slowly lower the chest down toward the ground and let the head rest between the blocks with the forehead down.  Keep the hips lifted and lower only as far as you feel that stretch along the upper back, shoulders, and triceps.  Find your edge, that spot where your body naturally resists, and breathe steady.  To come out, lift the chest and walk the knees back toward the blocks until you can comfortably lift the arms off the blocks.

3. Child's Pose

From tabletop, sink the hips back over the heels and stretch your arms out in front.  Soften the shoulders down the back and let the head rest on the floor (or blanket or block).  Knees can be either hips distance apart, or you can take them wider than the hips to let the torso really sink toward the earth more deeply.  This wide legged variation can help release through the low back, too.

4. Downward Facing Dog Pose

From child's pose, spread the fingers wide and press into the base of each finger. Inhale, and lift the hips.  Exhale, and reach the heels back toward the ground, coming into an inverted "V" shape.  Hands are shoulder distance apart and feet are hips distance apart.  Soften the shoulders down the back again and press the chest toward the thighs, keeping the head neutral between the biceps.  Feel the forearms firm and lift away from the mat to help create that straight back sensation.  If the low back or hamstrings feel tight, take a slight bend through the knees and keep pressing the chest back toward the thighs.  Relax the head and neck.  Breathe here for 5-10 breaths.

To modify this pose even further,  feel free to support yourself against a wall as shown in the photo below. 

Press your hands into a wall (or on a table) about hip level or just a bit higher and let the chest sink between the arms to come back to that flat back.  Lift tailbone toward the ceiling and keep the head neutral between the arms, in line with the spine.  Bend the knees to relax the low back and legs, if you need it. 

5. Forward Fold/Rag Doll

From down dog, walk the feet forward toward the hands and begin to lengthen the legs.  Let gravity do some work here and relax the torso over the legs.  If it feels good, grab opposite elbow with opposite hand and cradle the head as you gently rock side to side.  Really let the head be heavy to release the neck and elongate the spine, and feel the tailbone lift toward the sky as you root through the feet.  If the low back feels tight, gently bend the knees.  If you need even more support, take this pose at the wall.  Let the glutes rest on the wall as your torso hangs over your legs.  Breathe here for 5-10 breaths.  

6. Gorilla Pose

From a forward fold, bend the knees until the hands touch the ground. Flip the palms to face up with the thumbs in toward center, and start to slide the palms under the feet.  If your hands don't reach too deeply, don't worry!  Take it one inch at a time.  If you can get your whole palm under your foot, though, start to put a little pressure on the hands and press the toes into the wrist creases.  Exhaling, let the elbows bend and splay out to the sides.  Relax the neck and let the head be heavy.  Straighten the legs as much as you can without causing too much strain in any one place.  Take 5-10 breaths. (And, of course, take this pose at the wall if you need that extra support today!)

7. Cobra Pose (Lifts)

While it feels wonderful to release, it's also important to balance flexibility by strengthening muscles to help prevent future injuries or strains.  Cobra pose offers a safe way to work into those erector muscles along the spine.  

Moving onto your belly, extend the legs back, ground the pelvis, let the forehead rest on the ground (think neutral spine), and take the hands by the chest.  Bend the elbows toward your sides and begin to roll the shoulders back.  Inhale and gently peel the chest off the mat, staying light on the hands.  Press the pelvis, thighs, and tops of feet into the mat.  If it feels accessible to you, lift your hands off the mat.  Keep hugging arms into the sides and elbows toward the spine.  Exhale and release back down.

Repeat 3-5 times, inhaling to lift and exhaling to release. Remember to keep the spine neutral throughout this movement.

*If you want a deeper spinal extension, see my previous post for tutorials on locust and bow poses.

8. Seated Spinal Twist

Honestly, you can take any variation with the legs that feels good to you.  I offer the version pictured above.  Extending the right leg out long, bend the left leg and draw the heel close in toward the sit bones.  Take the left hand behind the back and inhale the right arm up toward the sky.  Exhale and wrap the right arm around the left knee, and begin twisting open to the left.  Keep the spine neutral if you're protecting a strained neck, otherwise feel free to allow the gaze to fall over the left shoulder.  With each inhale, lengthen the spine more.  With each exhale, twist a little deeper.  Try to keep both sit bones grounded and that extended leg active (flex the foot).  Exhale out of the twist and take the other side.  Try to remain here for 5-10 breaths on each side.

(P.S. Take a tip from my serious face above and remember to relax the jaw and maybe even smile, ha! Add some peace to these poses.)

9. Legs-up-the-wall

Finding your way to a wall, sit down with one hip up to the wall and slowly start to rotate the hips until both sit bones come to the wall.  Lower onto your back and make any adjustments to really get your glutes and legs firmly pressed into the wall.  It may also feel nice to take this with a blanket or pillow under the low back.  Let the hands fall down to the sides, or wherever is comfortable, and just relax into this inversion.  You can stay here for up to 10 minutes.

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Always remember to honor your body as you find your edge.  Try to balance effort and ease to cultivate a sense of lightness.  Give yourself permission to experience the sensations that arise without judgment, and breathe!  

Stay light & Namaste

~Kayley

Poses for Posture

Recently, people keep commenting on my posture and I find myself giving mini anatomy lessons in response.  There are plenty of reasons why many of us suffer from poor posture.  On a physical level, a lack of strength in the core stabilizing muscles contribute to our spine caving forward (think abs, hips, and those erector muscles along the spine-- even glutes depending on your school of thought).  Similarly, tightness in the shoulders and chest also impact our ability to sit upright.  We further risk natural rounding through the shoulders and compression through the lower joints if we find ourselves sitting hunched over, say, a desk or computer for prolonged periods.  On a more social stance, think about how many of us carry ourselves throughout the day-- head tilted toward the earth, shoulders caved in to shield the front body, and eyes turned downward.  This natural, seemingly unapproachable state reinforces poor spinal alignment.

But why even care about our posture?  Is it simply just for looks?  Think about it this way.  Your body is a house, and your posture represents the condition of the house's frame.  A sound, well-aligned frame makes for a stable structure that resists collapse, while an off kilter structural foundation risks overdue stress (and eventual failure) in particular areas.  With a healthy posture, your body is aligned in a manner that the joints stack evenly--the force of gravity is distributed in such a way that no area suffers from greater stress or strain than another.  Good posture allows for more length and space through the body, and cultivates a sense of lightness in movements.  Consequently, oxygen and blood flow improves.  We may even begin feeling more confident, as healthy posture literally makes us feel taller and more open, and may make us seem more approachable, less closed-off.  Really good posture can make us feel powerful!

So, what can we do to adjust our posture?  I've provided a few yoga poses below that help improve posture.  You can take the moves as a short sequence, or practice them on their own, drawing awareness to subtle sensations along the spine, core, and joints.  Enjoy!

1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

I joke that when I'm in this pose I literally think "Ta-Da!" We are not simply standing here, but rather activating the muscles and truly stacking the joints.  Root through the feet, taking your feet hips distance apart and trying not to grip the ground with your toes.  Feel your head stack over shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles.  Lift the knee caps to engage the thighs, and gently spin the thighs inward. Draw the navel toward the spine to engage the core.  Broaden through the chest and collar bone by drawing the shoulders down the back, and let the arms fall down to the sides with the palms facing forward and fingers active.   Stay soft through the neck and feel the crown of the head lift up toward the sky.  Energy shoots both downward and upward.  See, active standing, right?  Keep breathing. 😊

2. Forward Fold (Uttanasana):

From standing, fold forward and relax your upper body over the legs.  Head hangs heavy to release through the neck, and the tailbone reaches up toward the sky.  If your low back feels tense, just gently bend the knees.  To release fully, feel free to take grab of opposite elbow with opposite hand and slowly rock side to side in little half moons, just rag-dolling to release the back of the body.

If you want to take a shoulder opening variation here, reach the arms back and either interlace the fingers or grab onto a shirt/strap/towel/band if the fingers don't meet.  Press the palms toward each other, take a slight bend through the elbows, and let the clasped hands fall away from your low back until you feel the stretch across the chest and between the shoulders.  Keep the head hanging, gaze between the legs, and breathe!

3. Half Lift (Ardha Uttanasana)

Either placing your hands on the ground or on the shins/thighs, inhale the gaze forward and come to a flat back.  Navel draws toward spine, tailbone reaches back, and shoulders pull away from the ears.  Wonderful stretch through the back!

4. Runners Lunge/Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana):

Step one leg back to come to a runner's lunge.  Feel the chest pull forward as the back leg lengthen, and keep the bent knee stacked over the ankle.  Think about creating a straight line from heel to head and stay active through the whole length of the stretch.  Shoulders roll away from ears and hips sink.  You can stay here and breathe as the chest opens, or begin to transition into a low lunge variation.  

Drop the back knee, untuck the toes, and, on an inhale, lift the torso and arms up.  Spin the pinky fingers in toward each other and sink the hips lower to the ground.  Stay lifted through the core by keeping space between belly and thigh.  Then exhale the hands toward the ground, palms facing each other, and inhale the chest up toward the sky (as if a string were pulling you straight up from the heart).  Keep reaching fingers down, maybe grazing the earth (or a block or book stacked under the hands) and sink the hips.  Keep lifting the heart up, and, if it feels good on the neck, you can drop the head back.  Roll shoulders away from ears and breathe.  Inhale the torso up to come out of the pose.

Make sure to take both sides in these lunges!  

5. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

This pose is an all over stretch and strengthener.  A must in 90% of my yoga practices, and the first stretch I take if I need to just release it all out.  To enter, take the hands shoulder distance apart, feet hips distance apart and about 3 feet away from the hands; spread the fingers and press into the fingers and pads along the outer edges of the palm, particularly pressing into the base of the thumb and forefinger (think of the inside of the palm acting as a suction cup).  Reach the tailbone up toward the ceiling and press the chest back toward the highs as the legs elongate to come into an inverted v-shape. Navel draws toward spine, knee caps lift, thighs reach up and back, and heels reach toward the earth.  Again, if you feel pressure in the low back then bend the knees and keep the back flat.  Feel the shoulders draw down the back and the biceps spin toward the earth as the tailbone keeps lifting.  Breathe breathe breath.  Add movement if it feels good (bend knees, sway hips, shake the head out-- you'll sense what you need).

6. Plank:

Plank is great to simultaneously work the core and shoulders and create length through the body.  You can take any of the variations above.  Entering from downdog, inhale the chest forward and lengthen the body so it is in one straight line from shoulder to heel, angled slightly downward.  Shoulders stack over wrists and feet are either together or hips distance apart (your choice!).  Engage the abs, lift the knees and activate the thighs and glutes, and reach the heels back as if they were pressing into an imaginary wall behind you.  Tuck the tailbone back toward the heels.  Stay lifted through the chest and keep the gaze slightly forward to remain neutral through the spine.  If the wrists ache or you feel the belly begin to drop (rounding through low back) then just take the plank to your knees, keeping the same alignment from shoulder to knees this time.  

Another option is to take plank to the forearms.  This relieves the wrists, but activates the abs a bit more.  Stack shoulders over elbows and have theforearms  press into the ground as the fingers point forward.  Keep the forearms shoulder distance, and feel the chest pull forward slightly as the heels continue to reach back.  Draw the shoulders down the back and away from the ears to keep space around the neck.  Again, this pose can be done with the knees on the ground.  Don't forget to breathe!

7. Sphinx (Salamba Bhujangasana):

Laying flat on your belly, press the thighs and tops of the feet into the ground and begin to lift up onto your forearms so the shoulders stack over elbows and forearms are shoulder distance apart.  Lift the head up as if a string were pulling you directly from the center of the crown of your head toward the sky.  Sink the hips, and draw the shoulders down the back as you open the chest and pull it slightly forward.  You should feel the sensation between the shoulders and through the upper and mid back.  I like to inhale the head up and, on an exhale, slowly turn my gaze over one shoulder and then the other (inhaling to look forward between sides)-- just to work out kinks in the neck.  Breathe here for 3-5 breaths, or longer if it feels good.

8. Locust (Shalabhasana) and Bow (Dhanurasana)/Spinal Extensions:

From the belly, draw the legs together and reach the arms back to clasp the hands together.  If the hands don't reach, just reach the arms back so the palms face each other and press the hands toward each other.  Inhale and roll the shoulder heads back and away from the ears as you lift the chest and legs off the ground.  Keep zipping everything up the centerline of the body-- drawing legs together and reaching arms back.  Think about lifting the chest and legs higher on each inhale and softening the gaze and hips on each exhale.  Keep the gaze forward to protect the neck.  Stay here for 5-10 breaths and release by dropping one cheek to the mat.

Another option is to reach the arms forward, palms facing each other and pinky fingers spinning in toward the ground.  As the fingers reach forward mindfully draw the shoulders down the back in an opposing pull.  Feel as if someone were pulling you in opposite directions, as if you were literally being stretched like a rubber band.  Release out of it if you feel any compression in the low back.  But also know that a gentle engaging of the inner thighs and internal rotation will help open the sacrum to create space for the low back to release. 

Another option for a backbend/spinal extension pose is Bow.  Feel free to take this variation if you can reach back for the feet or ankles.  Again, roll shoulder heads back and away from ears as you lift the chest and knees.  Find a neutral spot to balance on the pelvis, and try to resist the knees from splaying out-- keep drawing them toward centerline.  Press hands into feet and feet into hands to create more dyanmic tension and upward lift.  Stay relaxed through the neck.  Take 5-10 breaths here.

9. Child's Pose (Balasana):

To release the hips and low back, come on to the knees and take the knees out wider than the hips.  Sink the hips over the heels, draw the big toes to touch, and release the torso over (or between) the thighs.  Reach the arms out in front to stretch through the shoulders, and just ease into the pose to relax through the low back and hips.  Be mindful in this pose if you have any knee issues.  A blanket rolled up between the knees and thighs may help.  Great counter pose to those backbends, and also helps us feel grounded.

10. Staff Pose (Dandasana):

Sitting on your sits bones (ischial  tuberosities for our anatomy junkies), extend the legs out long in front of you and flex the toes back toward your torso.  Inhale the arms out and up and exhale them back by your sides.  Draw the chest up toward the sky as you stay rooted through the sits bones.  Engage the core by drawing navel toward spine.  Feel the thighs, calves, and heels press into the ground to stay active through the legs.  As always, draw the shoulders down the back and away from the ears.  This pose is a great indication of where your posture is on a daily basis.  If your posture is weak, this will feel like a lot of effort.  Over time and with mindful repetition, sitting like this will become more natural.

To create space along the side body, feel free to take a few side stretches here.  Dropping down to the hand or forearm and reach the opposite arm overhead (palm faces down).  Reach as far as you can so that the sits bones both remain grounded.  Make sure to take both sides.

11. Supine Spinal Twist:

Draw one knee into the chest while extending the opposite leg onto the ground.  Extend the same arm as the bent leg out to the side and gently drop the knee over in the opposite direction.  Try to keep both shoulder blades melting into the mat-- your knee may not touch the ground in order to do so, and that's okay!  If it feels good on the neck, turn the gaze toward the extended arm to seal the spinal twist.  This pose rings out the spine and build up through the back.  Be sure to take both sides and breathe your way into the sensation.

12. Supine Knees-to-Chest:

  

Melting the whole back into the mat, bend the knees and gently draw them into the chest.  Keep the low back and shoulders flat on the mat.  You can sway side to side if it feels good.  Otherwise, just stay here for a nice release through the back and hips.

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Feel free to ask questions! I hope you enjoy these poses and find a more comfortable and confident upright posture.  Remember to breathe through each pose, never forcing movement.  The ease will come with time and practice.  

Stay light,

Kayley