Yoga Poses to Ease Tech Neck Pain
Yoga Poses to Ease Tech Neck Pain
Let’s face it, we depend on our phones, tablets, and laptops for just about everything in today’s world. Try taking away someone’s phone for a day, it likely will cause them to be a little lost and maybe even a bit agitated. Our beloved devices allow us to socialize, order take out, schedule doctor's appointments, and even make a living. As a result, we spend hours every day looking down at our screens, and our bodies are unfortunately paying the price.
Tech neck is becoming somewhat of a modern epidemic due to our digital lifestyles. Thanks to yoga though, there are holistic avenues you can take to prevent and relieve this painful plight.
WHAT IS “TECH NECK”?
Tech neck is the increasingly common culprit for continuous tension and pain in your neck, shoulder blades, and upper back, which stems from constantly looking down at our electronic devices for extended periods of time. It can cause soreness, stiffness, headaches, and even bony spurs called enthesophytes. Tech neck is also responsible for poor posture and rounded, slumpy shoulders (yep, blame your phone, not your genetics 😉).
The severity of tech neck varies from person to person and depends on your individual screen time habits. More severe cases can result in torn muscles and tendons, herniated vertebral discs, and irritated nerves.
Completely removing our devices though, isn’t an option for most people. So what can we do to combat this creeping condition?
Well…yoga of course! 🙂
BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR TECH NECK
In an upright position our heads on average weigh 11 lbs, but each inch that we move our heads forward increases that weight, causing unwelcome strain on the supporting muscles and pressure on the spine. By actively stretching and strengthening our upper body, we are able to better support the weight of our head and in turn, combat the tightening of the muscles in our neck, shoulders, and back. Yoga is a wonderful and natural elixir to help prevent tech neck and also soothe its painful symptoms for those who are already suffering.
Additionally, prolonged hunching over can lead to excessive curvature of the thoracic spine, causing our posture to worsen more and more over time. Studies have shown that proper posture is associated with increased confidence, which is accompanied by a plethora of benefits for the mind as well. Yoga reinforces proper posture, therefore indirectly improving our mental health!
8 YOGA POSES TO EASE TECH NECK PAIN
These 8 postures will stretch and lengthen the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back while opening your chest and unlocking stored tension.
CHILD’S POSE
In a tabletop position on all fours, slightly open the stance of your knees. Drop your hips and butt back towards the bottom of your heels, extend your arms and shoulders forward as you gently place your forehead on the mat. This pose increases blood flow to your head and neck while it stretches.
REVERSE SHOULDER STRETCH
Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, lace your fingers together behind the bottom of your back, palms facing upwards. Raise your elbows up behind you, as high as you can, and hold for a couple of breaths. This will engage and open your shoulders, biceps, and chest. Relax by lowering them back down.
DOWNWARD FACING DOG
From a tabletop position on all fours, tuck your toes under and push back through the palms of your hands raising your hips and straightening your legs. Slowly move your chest toward your thighs and sink your heels toward the floor. Downward facing dog strengthens and elongates your muscles, while also relieving stress and tension.
BOW POSE
A goodie for your neck muscles, chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. Lying face down on the mat, extend your hands and feet back (hands on your sides). Bend your knees and bring your feet towards your butt, grabbing the tops of your feet with your hands. Lift your upper body by pressing your feet upwards and away into your hands.
SEATED HEART OPENER
A warming opener that stretches through the front of your neck while opening your chest and shoulders. Begin by sitting on your heels towards the front of your mat. Place both hands on the mat behind you with your fingers pointing towards the back of the room, (about ten to twelve inches away from your feet). Focus your gaze up towards the ceiling, and lift your chest upwards, arching your back.
SPHINX POSE
Lying face down, raise your head and shoulders off the mat, placing your elbows shoulder-width apart and keeping your forearms flat, fingers reaching toward the top of your mat. Gaze forward and relax your back letting your hips sink into the mat. This is a great stress-relieving pose to open your chest, lungs, and shoulders.
THREAD THE NEEDLE POSE
Release built–up tension in your upper body with this calming pose. In a tabletop position, move your right hand forward (about a hands–length worth) and thread your left arm below and under your right arm, palm facing up. Extend your threaded arm all the way through, bringing the left side of your face down to the mat.
CAT COW POSE
This classic pose begins in a tabletop position, inhaling and lifting your chest and tailbone, allowing your back to naturally curve downward. Gaze toward the ceiling and keep your core engaged by drawing your belly button inward slightly. As you exhale, tuck your tailbone downward, gently lowering the crown of your head (gaze toward your belly button) so that your back naturally rounds upward.
TRY THIS MINI YOGA ROUTINE FOR INSTANT RELIEF
Practice this quick warm-up and soothing flow to help prevent and relieve shoulder pain and stiff neck, improve head posture, and lessen chronic neck pain.
WARM–UP
While still standing, start with 2 sets of Reverse Shoulder Stretch, holding each for a couple of deep breaths.
Then, lower down onto your mat and transition into Seated Heart Opener, hold this stretch for a few breaths, then release. Repeat 2-3 times.
Drop into Sphinx Pose, followed by Cat Cow, and hold each for a couple of breaths.
FLOW
From a tabletop position, lower down into Bow Pose, lifting your chest on the inhale, and releasing on the exhale. Repeat 2 times.
Transition into Thread The Needle Pose, taking care to keep your weight over your hips, instead of your shoulders. Release back into a neutral position, then repeat with each arm.
Return to a tabletop position and drop into Child’s Pose. Hold for 2-3 breaths, and then return to your starting position.
Finish the flow out with Downward Facing Dog for a final elongating and relieving stretch.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO BATTLE YOUR SMARTPHONE POSTURE
If it isn’t obvious by now, constantly looking down at your electronic devices is bad for your health and mobility. Left untreated, tech neck can cause:
Permanent damage to your cervical spine
Ongoing posture problems
Loss of the natural curvature of your spine
Limited mobility
Since technology is here to stay, the best thing we can do to protect our upper bodies is to be mindful of our posture when using devices. Here are some tech tips to help support healthier screen time habits:
Raise your phone and computer screen to eye level
Don’t hunch over, try to maintain proper posture at your desk
Take frequent breaks to stand and stretch
Get a massage from time to time to get deeper into tight areas
Additionally, regularly practicing these eight yoga poses is a holistic way to prevent and ease the symptoms of tech neck.
If you’d like support putting these moves into practice, drop into one of our upcoming classes and we can spend at least an hour together freeing our necks from our phones 😉.
Keywords: shoulder blades, tech neck, shoulder pain, neck muscles, upper body, neutral position, neck pain, stiff neck, head posture, yoga poses, chronic neck pain, deep breath, poor posture, starting position, periods of time, cervical spine
Meta Description: Suffering from tech neck? Try this mini routine of 8 yoga poses to stretch and relax the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and back.