*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.
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!)
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
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
