When I ask students what they want to focus on during the practice, the vast majority of the time the answer is neck and shoulders. In the current lifestyles we are living, we rack up tension in these specific areas and do not really do much to counter act it. Here are a few simple poses that can help you relieve some of that tension!

1: Wide Arms

Standing in a wide-legged position, spread your arms out as wide as they will go. This opens up the shoulders & chest.

2: Hug

Cross your arms over your body in front of you, almost as if you are going to hug yourself. I find that I feel more of the stretch if I keep my arms straight rather than actually hugging around my body.

Return to wide arms.

Hug your arms the other direction.

3: Wide-Legged Fold With Arms Overhead

To transition here, take wide arms and then inhale them tall, reaching for the sky. On an exhale, take your palms behind your back, interlacing the fingers. Deep breath in, exhale wide-legged forward fold. Allow the arms to drop over your head. Relaxing your neck and jaw, gazing through your legs. Micro bend in the knees. Staying with a steady breath.

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4: Modified Side Stretch
Coming back to center, take your knees down to the mat.

Inhale your arms up tall, exhale dropping the left palm to the left thigh, right arm stays in line with the right ear, reaching over towards the left side.

Inhale up, and go to the other side. Dropping the right palm to right thigh, keeping left arm in line with the ear and reaching towards your right side body.

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5 Cat Pose

Inhale up tall, and find your way to all fours. Knees should be under hips, palms should be under shoulders. Start in neutral spine. Then begin cat-cow.

On the inhales you look up, dropping the spine.

On the exhales you look down, rounding the spine (cat pose). Following your own breath, doing this for as long as you desire.

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6 Shoulder Stretch

Transition: come back to neutral spine. Gently find your way to a comfortable seated position.

Once there, take your left arm out long in front of you. The right hand can either grab the forearm to pull it across your chest, or cross under it (as pictured) to hug it into your chest. Look over your left shoulder.

Releasing your arms, come into the other side by taking your right arm out long in front of you, and using the left forearm or hand, cross the right arm in front of your body.

Gaze is over your right shoulder.

Releasing your arms down, we will transition into our next shoulder stretch.

7 Modified Cow Pose

Take your right arm up, placing your right palm on the small of your neck, where it meets your back. The left hand can do one of two things:

Take your left palm to the right elbow to help assist a deeper stretch.

Now for the other side!

Let the left arm come up behind your head, placing the palm on the small of the neck where it meets the back.

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8 Modified Eagle Arms

From here, take the palms flat together in front of your face. Try to get the elbows to touch in this modified version of eagle arms. The elbows to be around shoulder height.

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Relax into a seated position as we begin our neck circles.

9 Neck Circles

Take your left ear towards your left shoulder, relaxing the jaw. Make slow, gentle circles with the neck in one direction. Taking your time to feel the stretch.

After a few rotations, when you find your right ear at your right shoulder,
begin to make circles in the other direction.

Take your time.

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10 Neck Releases

Meet back in a neutral seated position. Take that right arm down towards the mat (in my case to my Aussiedoodle). Left palm reaches up and over to touch the right ear, gently pulling the left ear towards the left shoulder. Hold for a few breaths and release.

Take the left arm towards the mat, right palm reaches up and over to touch the left ear, gently pulling the right ear towards the right shoulder Relaxing here, holding for a few breaths and then releasing.

11 Deep Neck Release

Come to neutral position. Interlace the hands and take the palms to where your head meets your neck. Let your elbows fall towards each other naturally, as your hands add gentle weight to your head, pulling it down to stretch the neck. Let your head fall between your arms.

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12 Bridge

Drop your feet just below your bum, palms down at your sides. Grounding through your feet and shoulders, lift your hips towards the sky for bridge. Imagine there is a rope tied around your waist lifting you towards the sky. This is the position you want. Do not squeeze the glutes!

For a deeper stretch, interlace the hands together under your back, shoulders walk in a little closer to each other.

Slowly ease back on to your back and hug your knees in.

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13 Heart Opening Shavasana

Take a moment to grab the block and place it under your back. Right along the base of the shoulder blades has been a good spot for me. Find where you are comfortable, lay back, let the arms open wide and follow your breath.

You can remain here for shavasana, or remove the block, and make your way into regular corpse pose:

Relax here with your feet about two feet apart. Palms are at your sides, facing up, eyes are closed. Whole body is relaxing with the breath. When you inhale, your body should fill full of breath, inflating. When you exhale, the body should let go, releasing all tension and contracting. Melt your every muscle into the mat. Stay with your breath and hold here for 5-60 minutes.

Hope these poses help!
Feel free to reach out with any questions/thoughts/concerns!

Thank you all for your love & support.

*Namaste*