When many people spend a good portion of their week hooked to screen, neck and shoulder pain problems are becoming some of the common ailments that people have to deal with. While some of the preventive actions, such as suitable desk setups, ate well, many other things can be done.
Fortunately, yoga brings many solutions to all the latest physiological issues before you. For example, certain poses help tackle shoulder and neck pain that you can carry out daily to alleviate symptoms.
Before going to different poses, let us know why your shoulders and neck hurt?
Neck and shoulder pain mainly occurs because of injury of the soft tissues in the upper part of your body. This might result from stress, whiplash, emotional distress leading to arthritis, and stiffness. Physical issues are also the outcome of long-term soreness.
You must consult a doctor when you have widespread pain, but you can also take some steps to make your lifestyle healthy and fit.
Yoga assists in relaxing your muscles as the physical activity is sufficient to keep you moving but slow enough to prohibit any strain.
Have a look at different kinds of shoulder and neck pain
Several causes lead to shoulder and neck pain and can have an impact on your body in varying degrees. Have a look
Neck pain types:
- Cervicalgia: It results from bad posture or long-term stress, and this injury affects the cervical spine. Spasms and rigidity are two main symptoms, and stretching is a significant way to manage issues.
- Neck sprain: This is a result of physical strain and physical activity, which is why it is common among athletes. Primary symptoms include stiffness, fatigue, and dizziness.
- Shoulder pain from bad sleep posture: You might get shoulder pain when you sleep in a bad posture. Even if it will not last long, prompt treatment is essential.
- The tense nerve in the neck: It is called cervical radiculopathy as it results in symptoms such as muscle weakness and searing pain. Physical therapy, yoga, and stretching can assist in easing these symptoms.
- Torticollis occurs because of the muscles that become tight on one side than another. It means tilting your head on one side more than the other. This you can treat by carrying outstretches and yoga poses to exercise muscles on the other side of the neck.
Shoulder pain types
- Shoulder arthritis: Here, the cartilage is damaged within the joint of the shoulder that occurs on a glenohumeral joint or the big ball and socket joint. It happens with time because of stress.
- Shoulder tendonitis occurs because the inflamed rotator cuff has the muscles and tendons in the shoulder. You get it when you overuse your shoulder from running and other sports.
- Subacromial impingement: It is one of the most prevailing shoulder issues and occurs when your tendons surrounding the shoulder cuff are irritated.
Here are some of the yoga poses that assist in relieving shoulder and neck pain:
So, are you ready to get rid of the pain in your neck and shoulder? One of the best ways is through yoga. Specific yoga poses are primarily taught in a 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh that focuses on this area.
Rolls from ear to shoulder/neck:
It is a trendy stretch for relieving neck tension. Ensure you are sitting in a comfortable seat with your hands on your knees. Sit in an upright position, and then relax your shoulders. Now push your chin against your chest for straightening your spine. Then roll your head towards the right or left till your ear touches your shoulder. Use one hand to push your head and the other hand to move the opposite shoulder slowly in another direction.
Gradually start rolling your head towards the center and repeat the whole thing on the opposite side. You can now feel the neck muscles present in your neck getting stretched. This is especially good when your neck is stiff. The contrasting stressors, along with the sensitivity of your neck and shoulder, make you feel good right away.
Seated forward bend:
For this pose, at first, sit upright, aligning your legs straight. Now take a deep breath inwardly and then fold forward. Try to cup your heels to ensure your chest touches the knees or comes as close as possible.
Take your chin inwardly while you roll forward and hold on to that stretch while you slowly pull shoulders in. Now start counting slowly to five, exhale and then pull back out. This is one of the best poses as it can align your neck with forwarding and the natural motion of your spine.
This pose offers you a lot of benefits.
- It stretches your hamstrings, spine, and shoulders
- Enhances digestion
- It stimulates your liver, uterus, kidney, and ovaries.
- Assists in relieving the symptoms of several menstrual issues
- It also helps you with fatigue, headaches as well as anxiety.
Warrior II pose:
It is one of the best poses that mainly focus on releasing your shoulders and chest, which puts force on your neck.
While you are in a standing position, bring your one foot back and another foot in a forward direction in a slight slant V shape. Then, gradually lean towards the front foot while bending your knee. While performing this, gently lift both of your arms and then spread the whole wingspan. Here one hand faces your front foot and the other in the back direction. Hold on to this pose for about 30 seconds, and then start flipping.
Two-foot pose:
This is one of the rare poses with good outcomes as it addresses two different musculoskeletal regions. It not only assist in strengthening your legs but also makes your spinal cord flexible, opens up your chest and shoulders, and soothes your mind.
At first, lie down on your back with your arms extending on your side, keeping your palms down and your feet flat on the floor with bent knees. Now gradually inhale and elevate your butt from the floor while keeping your feet and your palms wherever they are.
It is vital to tuck your chin into your chest the whole time and never move your head at the time of movement.
Hold on in this pose for about 3 – 4 breaths and then exhale downward.
One of the best poses often taught in advanced 300 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh. It assists in the alignment of neck and shoulder pain release but is also helpful for alleviating pain in your pelvic area. In addition, it is one of the best core-strengthening workouts.
Cat or cow stretch:
It is the most flattening stretch, and it targets directly and stretches your neck and shoulder muscles. This pose also helps stimulate and strengthen your abdominal organs, open up the chest, and assist you in achieving gradual and deep breaths.
Start with tabletop position, keep your back arched, look up at the ceiling, then slowly round up your shoulders and back forward and lower your chin until it touches your chest. Alternately inhale and exhale for a minimum of 8 breaths.
So, these are five primary poses that can help you alleviate pain in your neck and shoulder. Besides that, you need to follow some general rules to check your neck and shoulder pain.
Keep in mind that your body keeps on changing day by day. Therefore, make necessary adjustments to your practices as required and prohibit poses that might lead to pain and discomfort.
- Your breathing should guide your movements to move gradually and with fluidity.
- Only practice within your limit and never push yourself beyond that.
- If you are entirely new to yoga, it’s better to do it under some guidance.
- Hatha yoga, Yin Yoga, and restorative yoga best alleviate neck pain. But if you are not experienced, it is recommended not to be on your own as it is a powerful yoga.
- Always be accessible and slow with yourself. Enjoy the whole process as well as the practice.
- Try to practice yoga for at least 10 to 20 minutes every day, even if it is only relaxing in some restful position.
