Relieving Neck Strain

Your neck works hard to support your head which weighs around 5kg. This months edition focuses on stretching, relaxing and strengthening the muscles of the neck with some simple exercises.

POSES OF THE MONTH

NECK RELEASE SERIES

Lie on your back on the floor or your yoga mat.Place a bolster or rolled towel under your knees so your back relaxed and in a neutral position.

Throughout the exercises, both inhale and exhale through the nose.

Inhale to prepare. Exhaling, allow your head to roll gently to the left with the natural weight of gravity. Inhale to center, and as you exhale, allow your head to drop to the right side.

Repeat alternating 5 x each side.

As you inhale, allow the head to slide back (keeping contact with the floor) so the chin moves up towards the ceiling, forehead back.

On the exhale, tuck the chin to the chest (head slides along the floor)

Repeat 5 x

Imagine a pencil on the tip of your nose. Begin drawing tiny circles on the ceiling above you, gradually increasing their size with each turn until you make wide circles, without any strain in the neck.

Then, keeping the circles wide, begin the circle in the opposite direction, spiralling in gradually until you make the tiniest circles. Then stop.

Then figure 8 or infinity symbol on the ceiling in one direction 5 x.

Then reverse to go in the other way 5x

Benefits

* Relaxing and calming
* Stretches and relieves the different muscles in the neck.
* The last 2 exercises connect the left and right brain functions.

HUNCHING AND GLIDING

Lying face down, take arrms out to the sides in a cactus position, with your elbows in line with your shoulders, forearms facing forward at a 90 degree angle, palm down.

As you inhale, hunch the shoulders towards the ears (it is a sliding motion
- they do not lift from the floor).

As you exhale, let the shoulders draw back down away from the ears.

Repeat 5 x

Then isolating, anchor the left shoulder as you hunch the right shoulder up toward the ear on the inhale. On the exhale, let it glide down again.

Then change sides, anchoring the right shoulder, shoulder as you hunch the left shoulder up toward the ear on the inhale. On the exhale, let it slide and glide back down again.

Firstly do 5 on one side, then 5 on the opposite side.

Observe which side is tighter or weaker. Do another 5 reps on that side.

SUPINE TWIST

Lie on your back with both legs extended, your arms straight out from your shoulders, palms facing down. Raise your right leg, bending the right knee and placing your foot onto the left knee.

Then slowly allow your right knee to drop ove to the left until the foot rests on the floor. Keep your shoulders grounded and turn your head to the right.

Take 10 relaxed breaths here. Come back up on the exhale. Then switch legs, repeating on the opposite side.

Benefits

* Activates the deep spinal rotators of the neck and spine
* Aids spinal stability and flexibility
* Alleviates backlower back pain
* Gentle side stretch

Contraindications

Groin, intercostal or spinal injuries, abdominal hernia or sacro-iliac joint problems. Although it is a gentle twist, avoid with severe lower back pain.