Hey loves, I was just recently asked, āwhat poses are good for sleeping wrong and waking up with a sore neck/shoulders?ā So I made this little guide for those times when you āslept wrongā and wake up a little sore:
1. Neck Rolls!
Very simple, but super effective. Begin by doing some side stretching here, and then tilt your head side to side, side stretching through your neck. When doing this, focus on bringing your ear down towards your shoulder, but not letting your shoulder rise up towards your ear. To intensify, walk your opposite fingertips away from you. Then roll your neck side to side, clockwise and counter clockwise.
2. Seated twist
You can sit with the legs crossed, in lotus, or any comfortable variation as long as the hips are level. Focus on twisting through the upper back and shoulder blades. Let your gaze turn with the twist to twist into your cervical spine and neck too! You can close the eyes if turning the head strains them. Use your arm behind your back as a support to prop your spine up straight and tall as you twist and use the hand on your knee to increase the twist.
3. Yogi Mudra/The Seal of Yoga
One of my favorite shoulder openers (and itās said to relieve headaches). Keep your hips stacked over the knees and interlace your fingersāor grab a strapāat the base of your spine. As you begin to pull the shoulders together, lift the hips up and come onto the crown of your head. Roll the arms side to side, up and down, whatever feels good, really working into the shoulders. For sensitive knees, this can be done from standing too!
4. Thread the Needle
This is such a great shoulder opening and twist! From tabletop, extend one arm up into the air and then sweep it underneath of you, threading it under the other. Come down all the way onto the shoulder and the cheek, and then you can raise your opposite arm in the air for more opening, leave it on the floor for support, or bind it behind the back for even more opening! Try to keep the hips stacked over the knees and level.
5. Rabbit Pose
This pose targets the space right between your shoulderblades and can feel so good when your back is tight. From childās pose, sweep the arms behind you and grab onto the heels or ankles, come onto the crown of the head as you begin to lift the hips into the airātrying to get them stacked over the knees. Focus on pulling the heels with the hands as you lift the hips high.
6. Puppy pose/Anahatasana
This pose is like a baby down dog, and down dog or dolphin can be substituted in its place for similar benefits. Here we keep the hips stacked over the knees and we begin to walk the hands forward and drop the chest. Keep the arms straight and actively press into the floor through the palms to really strengthen and stretch into the shoulders. You can roll up a towel or blanket for your forehead to rest on.
7. Upward facing dog
Up dog is a great pose for opening and expanding the chest and the upper back/shoulders. Focus on sliding the shoulder blades down the back and away from the neck/ears. Pull the chest and collarbones forward through the arms and really expand there. You can stay here or twist by looking over each shoulder side to side, getting deeper into the shoulders.
8. āRag Dollā
This is one of my favorite poses to do of all time because itās so relaxing and comforting. Fold forward, bending the knees deeply enough so your belly can rest on the thighsābut keep the hips lifted so gravity can continue to lengthen the spine and the legs donāt have to work so hard. Interlace your fingers behind the back of your head, letting the weight of the elbows and hands cause the neck to release even more, becoming heavier and more relaxed. You can stay still or rock side to side and back and forth with the head and torso.
Hope this helps all of you who are waking up feeling sore!
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