Neck & Shoulders Practice

Dharma Talk:

Close your eyes, take a deep breathe in.

Focus on softening each area of your physical body. Acknowledge each physical feeling you have, exhale out the tension or heaviness you are carrying.

As your body comes to stillness and feather-like softness, journey inside to your brain and heart.

Acknowledge what comes up, and release it on an exhale.

Our minds and hearts feel for a reason. We have been trained by society to bottle up these feelings though and push them back deep within us instead of inviting them to speak their truths… our truths. This constant build up of emotion can sometimes cause physical ailments, tension, pain, and stiffness after a while of not letting it go. So much of this is carried in our neck, shoulders, cervical spine, and thoracic spine.

Allow yourself to open the conversation with your heart and mind about how you feel. These emotions or feelings are there for a reason and will serve you. Trust your instinctual wisdom and allow yourself to be you.

Namaste Friends <3

Let’s Begin

  • Seated Cat

    On an Inhale— Tilt your pelvis forward, crack your heart open, role your shoulders back and together, tilt your chin upward

  • Seated Cow

    On an exhale— Role your chin down towards your chest, round your shoulders and puff out your thoracic and cervical spine, round the rest of your spine, and tuck your pelvis in and sit back.

  • Seated Twist with Neck Stretch

    Sit up straight, twist to your right placing your left hand on your right knee, inhale and lengthen your spine, exhale and twist deeper. Begin to stretch your right hand off the ground and tilt your head down and to your left armpit.

  • Angled Lateral Stretch

    After your seated twist, sweep your back hand up over you to the opposite corner of your mat. Keep your shoulders relaxed down and your hand placed on your opposite knee slightly pressing down.

  • Seated Ball

    From the angled lateral stretch sweep your outstretched hand to the opposite knee so your hands are on opposite knees. Puff out your spine and shoulders and tilt your chin down so you are shaped like a ball. Repeat the twist, lateral stretch, and seated ball on the left side.

  • Garudasana Shoulder Stretch

    Sit up with a straight spine, cross your right arm below your left arm and then wrap them around each other (if this is inaccessible just wrap your arms around yourself to the opposite shoulder blades like a big hug). Repeat on the other side by placing your right arm under your left.

  • Cat

    Begin in tabletop position. On an inhale— tilt your pelvis downward, crack your heart open, roll your shoulders back, and tilt your chin upward.

  • Cow

    On an exhale— Drop your chin to your chest, puff out your shoulder blades, round your spine, tilt your pelvis down.

  • Intense Toe Stretch with Heart Opener

    Sit back on your heels with your toes tucked underneath you. Make sure your pinky toes are tucked under as well. Sit up straight, bring your arms towards the sky on an inhale, cactus your arms to 90 degrees on an exhale.