Over the last few weeks in my classes we’ve experimented with different positions of the head both while standing and laying down, to see how this changes the stretch in your neck, arms and shoulders.
I thought it might be helpful to see what these different movements look like (watch the 1 minute video below). If you try these at home, remember the neck and the nerves, ligaments, tendons, and muscles that travel through your neck and arms are vulnerable. Be gentle. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 if the most significant, you should try for a stretch in the range of 0 to 2. Less is definitely more when it comes to the neck!
In all of these movements, your shoulders do not move. Be sure to try both sides before changing to the next movement.
Tip your ear towards your shoulder: Your ear does not touch your shoulder. It’s just a direction to move your head. You can intensify the stretch, by gently reaching down with the opposite arm – e.g. tip your head to the left and stretch down through the right arm. Remember though – gentle!
Turn your head to the side or look to the side: Do not force your head. If you feel a squishing, crunching, tightening in one side of your neck, move your head back towards the middle. To intensify this stretch, think of pressing your shoulders slightly back.
Use your nose to point to your shoulder: Again do not force the movement of your. If you feel muscles tightening to move your head, you are forcing it. To intensify the stretch, you can try either pressing your shoulders back or stretching down through the opposite arm.
It’s easier to notice these changes while lying on your back with your arms stretched out to the sides but you can do this standing (with arms at your sides or stretched out). You can also try some of these movements with the Yoga@work – gentle stretch for the neck video.
