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A tight neck can well cause you more tension than all your worries put together. Stiffness in the neck can result from holding your neck in the same posture all the time, whether it's sitting down looking at a computer or at the smart phone in your hands.
Stiffness in the neck can result in a tight neck, leading to neck pain, headaches, and limited shoulder and head mobility. We don't need to tell you what a bother all of that can be.
Yoga is a fabulous way to ease neck pain. The reason why yoga is good at preventing pains in (mostly) any part of your body is because it involves gentle stretching motions that do not pressurize or stress your muscles. Gentle stretching becomes extremely important as you grow older, as they can help you preserve your muscles' range of motion and flexibility.
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Yoga Poses and Exercises to Loosen Tight Neck
Check out the following five yoga poses and exercises to loosen a tight neck.
1) Cat Cow Pose
This is an excellent pose to relieve tension and loosen up a tight neck.
Instructions:
- Begin by getting on all fours on the ground, hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Inhale to fill your chest with ai,r and drop towards the floor as you inhale.
- Look up towards the ceiling while allowing your head to fall back slightly. Keep your head here.
- Turn to glance over your right shoulder as you exhale.
- Hold your sight for a few moments before returning to the middle.
- Look over your left shoulder as you exhale. Maintain that position before returning to the center.
- Tuck your chin into your chest, and try to curve your spine.
- Hold this stance while allowing your head to dangle down.
- Shake your head side to side, forward and backward.
- Continue the fluid movements of the cat cow position for at least a minute after these variations.
2) Extended Triangle Pose
The neck rotation in this pose can help loosen the muscles of a tight neck.
Instructions:
- Stand in a position where your feet are wider than your hips.
- Turn your right toes out at an angle, and put your left toes forward.
- Raise your arms so that they're parallel to the floor, and your palms are facing down.
- As you hinge at your right hip, extend your right arm forward.
- Lower your right arm, and raise your left arm towards the ceiling.
- You can stare in either direction, or execute modest neck rotations gazing up and down.
- Hold this stance for 30 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side.
3) Half Lord of the Fishes Pose
This pose is responsible for stretching the entire upper body through your tight neck, spine and hips. It's great for relieving tension.
Instructions:
- Raise your right foot, and place it along the outside of your left hip from a seated position.
- Bend your left knee, and cross it over your right leg, allowing your left foot to be planted firmly into the floor to the outside of your right thigh.
- Stretch your spine, and twist to the left with your upper body. Place your left hand behind your buttocks on the floor.
- Bring your right arm up and around your left leg.
- Turn your head to look over either shoulder, or make mild forward and backward neck movements.
- Hold this stance for a minute. Repeat on the other side.
4) Extended Puppy Pose
Another great pose for relieving a tight neck, this pose is great for the back and shoulders.
Instructions:
- Start on all fours, with your wrists directly beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips.
- Lift your heels, and walk your hands forward to rise up onto your toes.
- Bring your buttocks down towards your heels slowly, pausing halfway.
- Keep your arms engaged and elbows elevated. Place your brow on the floor or a blanket.
- Allow your neck to relax completely.
- Maintain a tiny bend in your lower back as you press into your hands; stretch your arms, and drag your hips down into your heels.
- Hold for about a minute.
5) Warrior II Pose
This pose can help loosen your tight neck by stretching your shoulders and strengthening your chest. It also helps improve posture.
Instructions:
- Bring your left foot back from standing, toes facing out to the left at a small angle.
- Step forward with your right foot.
- The inside of your left foot should be parallel to the inside of your right.
- Raise your arms until they are parallel to the floor, palms facing down.
- Bend your right knee, but don't let it stretch any further forward than your ankle.
- As you stretch your spine, press into both feet. Look beyond your right fingertips.
- Hold this stance for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Takeaway
The neck connects to many sections of the body. As a result, neck pain can cause pain in other parts of the body, such as the shoulders, arms, back, jaw, or head.
Neck discomfort on either the right or left side of the neck may go away on its own or with home remedies within a few days or weeks. If you have chronic or severe neck pain, though, you should consult a doctor.
