I regularly give the cue of relaxing the shoulders down. Not only do we tend to hunch the shoulders up, but some movements of our shoulders and arms cause them to lift up which can compress the neck – an area we all tend to carry tension.
You can better release the shoulders and even stretch the muscles of the neck and connective tissue of the neck/shoulders/arms if you actively pull the shoulders down using muscle action. Try it in this simple neck stretch or all of your yoga poses.
Be gentle with this movement as pulling on the fascial tissue can tension nerves. Look for a mild feeling versus a strong stretch.
- Sitting on the floor or a chair, sit up tall, right on top of your bones.
- Rest your hands on your thighs.
- Gently tip your right ear in the direction of your right shoulder.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed down.
- Now try pulling or shrugging your shoulders down. If that’s difficult try squeezing your armpits. If that’s still difficult, try squeezing your elbows in towards your body. Any of those actions should increase the feeling of a stretch through your neck without having to move your neck further.
- Then try stretching your left hand towards the ground or the edge of the chair. Again, try pulling the shoulders down, tightening the armpits or pulling the left arm in towards your side.
- Bring your head back up to the middle and try the other side.
- Afterwards, roll your shoulders forwards and backwards a few times.
Stretch the neck by activating your shoulders
