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HW 30DYC: Day 13 Neck Healing
The neck and shoulders are a place where most people easily hold a lot of tension. On the one hand, this is because we do a lot with our arms (and not always choose the right starting position) and we sit at a desk for long periods often in the same (forward bended) position. On the other hand, we literally speak verbally and non-verbally with our head and shoulders, we literally clench our teeth when we try too hard to get something done or to block an undesirable reaction. We raise our shoulders when we don’t know something or bring them forward when we want to make ourselves small. In addition, this region corresponds to the regions of the throat and heart chakras. Chakras that can often be unbalanced because we do not dare to speak from our true core or find it difficult to listen to others without judging them. In addition, trauma and overloading (both physical and mental) can also cause neck and shoulder problems.
Many problems can be prevented or solved by regular neck and shoulder yoga. The emphasis is on the mobility, stretching and muscle strengthening of this region. Especially the first two are important because we often get neck and shoulder pain because the muscles are already toned too much, so we want to get the tonus in these muscles a little lower. During the exercises you can go in all directions, rotation, lateroflexion and flexion/extension. Be careful with tilting the head too far backwards (extension), or with movements that combine all three movement directions. These wringing movements can sometimes give unwanted compression to vulnerable blood vessels and nerves. Alternate between isolated movements in the neck, in the shoulders, and combinations of both. Always listen to your own body, be gentle with yourself and trust that with time, consistency and regular practice everything will get better; no forcing is necessary. Neck and shoulder yoga can be done regularly throughout the day in your bed, on the mat, but also at your desk, in the chair or when standing up. Make sure you keep doing it with attention and don’t develop a (stress) tick off doing it without even noticing, this causes unnecessary agitation and overloading of the neck and shoulders in unwanted places. (You wouldn’t stretch your hamstrings for a whole day either, would you?! )
During or after the neck exercises, also include your facial muscles with a gentle facial massage. Pay special attention to your jaw line and temporalis because there is often a lot of tension. If necessary, use a gua sha or other massage stone to help yourself into certain positions.
The pose I will explain is Rabbit pose. This is, in my opinion, a lesser known posture that can have a pleasant effect on the neck extensors, and also stimulates the thyroid gland, the crown and neck and hart chakra. Again, do the pose with caution and only go as far as remains comfortable for yourself.
Sit in quadrupedal position on a mat or your bed. Support yourself with your forearms on the mat and place the crown of your head on the floor between your arms. Your bottom remains up. Now roll forward over your head, bringing your chin more closely to your throat. So you nod your head forward and form a complete ball with your spine. If this is already stretching a lot just stay here.If it’s stretching too much, go back a little. If this isn’t stretching yet: let go of the armrest and just lean on the crown or back of your head. The arms are then placed along your body like in child pose. If this is going well and you can still use some more stretch, walk with your knees a little closer to your head. Finally, you can grasp your hands behind your back and bring them up. Pull your shoulder blades together. This opens up your heart chakra even more. You can also choose to raise your shoulders “loosely,” allowing you to work more on shoulder mobility and possibly massage your neck with your hands.
Rabbit pose, a pose with all kinds of options where it’s always important to listen to your body, keep breathing fully and if you’re starting it for the first time don’t stretch too far and don’t hold it for too long.Good luck with this important self-care and have a nice day!
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1 Reply
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Wonderful!!
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