Poses for neck & shoulders

This time, I would like to share some easy and effective poses for releasing tension in the neck and shoulders area. These poses are helping me very often when I feel the stiffness is crawling in from my upper back till my neck ;)

These 3 poses are taken from Yoga for neck & shoulders, Yoga Journal magazine, by Barbara Benagh, photography by Debra McClinton.

1. Neck Blanket Stretch

Make a blanket roll, firm, even and large enough to wedge between the base of your skull and the tops of your shoulder blades. Lie on the roll, feel the neck is gently elongated and stretched. Keeping the knees betn, place palms on the forehead and bring your elbows close to each other. 

"Close your eyes and tune in to your breath, feeling how its rhythm creates subtle movement. Notice areas in your neck, shoulders and upper back that seem dense, dull, and resistant to the breath's wavelike action, and invite them to relax against the blanket roll. As your muscles begin to release, slide your shoulder blades away from your skull; you may want to repeat this movement several times as your muscles continue to relax."

Remain on the blanket for 3 to 5 minutes. Then remove the roll, continue to lie on your mat, let the sensation in your neck, shoulders and upper back sinking in.

2. Arm-under-back stretch

This uses the same setting as the previous pose. Or you can also try let the head rest on the yoga mat. Slide right arm under the lower back until the fingertips are visible on your left side, or not so far to the left if you feel the sensation is too intense. 

At first, just relax and tune in with your breath. Consciously let the movement of the breath in the right side of your upper chest begin to create release in your shoulder muscles. Further, you can experiment to slide the shoulder blades up and down your back, with the rhythm of your breath; you can also have a more intense stretch by drawing the shoulder blade down towards the hips and gently pressing it into the mat. 

Hold for 3 to 5 minutes, then change side.  

3. Arm-across-chest stretch

Same setting as the previous pose. Have the left arm on the floor at shoulder level. Grasp the right wrist with the left hand. Keep both arms straight and shoulders relaxed.

On every exhale, use the left hand to pull the right arm across your chest until you feel resistance around the right shoulder. Pause there and maintain the relaxation in both shoulders. When you feel the resistance fading, increase the pull of the left hand. The chest may be rolled closer to the floor. When you move deeper, create a counter balancing force by rolling the belly to the right, and bringing the right knee up towards the ceiling and foot on the floor.

Hold for 3 minutes, slowly release and repeat on the other side.

Other nice poses...

To continue, practice any pose you remember from our class, until your shoulders and neck feel light and you feel wonderful! :) 

Breathing

Breathing 

Breathing Mechanics 

Understanding the mechanics of breathing will help us better visualize what happens inside our body when breathing and make it easier to learn and practice different yoga breathing methods. 

Here is a very easy and clear text taken from Yoga Journal article by Julie Gudmestad on the mechanics of breathing.

"The diaphragm muscle in the middle of the torso is a key player in establishing the pattern of the breath. Stretching like a drumhead across the bottom of the chest, the diaphragm separates the heart and lungs above it from the abdominal cavity and digestive organs below. The muscle fibers then extend inward toward the middle of the body and gather into a central tendon that doesn't attach to the skeleton.

When relaxed, the diaphragm curves upward like a dome. When it contracts, it shortens and flattens, pushing on the digestive organs below and lengthening the chest cavity above. This expansion of the chest cavity draws air into the lungs. The lungs have no capacity to expand or contract on their own. They simply respond to the size and shape of their container, the chest cavity. When it expands, the lungs inflate and air rushes in to fill the vacuum. When the container shrinks, the lungs are compressed and air is pushed out."

Ujjayi Breathing Step by Step 

(From Yoga Journal, http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2485)

(oo-jy [rhymes with "pie"]-ee)
ujjayi = to conquer, to be victorious

Step by Step

Ujjayi is especially known for the soft hissing sound the breather makes by directing her inhales and exhales over the back of her throat. To learn how, try this.

Inhale through your nose, then exhale slowly through a wide-open mouth. Direct the out-going breath slowly across the back of your throat with a drawn-out HA sound. Repeat several times, then close your mouth. Now, as you both inhale and exhale through your nose, direct the breath again slowly across the back of your throat. Ideally, this will create, and you should hear, a soft hissing sound.

This sound, called ajapa mantra (pronounced ah-JOP-ah mahn-trah, the "unspoken mantra"), serves three purposes: it helps to slow the breath down (which is exactly what we want for Ujjayi), to focus awareness on the breath and prevent your min "wandering," and to regulate, by continually monitoring and adjusting the evenness of the sound, the smooth flow of breath (another important element of Ujjayi).

Start with 5 to 8 minutes of practice, gradually increase your time to 10 to 15 minutes. When finished return to normal breathing for a minute or two, then lie down in Shavasana (Corpse Pose) for a few minutes.

Ujjayi is the foundation of many other techniques listed on this site; e.g., ratio breathing, svara yoga, digital pranayama, retention along with the two bandhas. Note that Ajapa Mantra isn't used when performing digital pranayama.

Breathing for relaxation

Many students in my yoga course mentioned, the moment they pay attention to their breathing, is the moment when their bodies start to calm down and relax. This shows the power of breathing for relaxing and restoring. Meanwhile, this kind of breathing is also the key to an effective stretching. 

Here I share an article on restorative yoga breathing pattern, written by Claudia Cummins. (http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/1468)

"Beginning students often ask for instructions on the "right" way to breathe. Alas, there's no single answer to that question, since the optimal breathing pattern at any given moment depends on the type of practice. Restorative yogafocuses solely on relaxation, though, and emphasizes breathing that creates calm and serene states of being. When you settle into restorative poses, try the following techniques for cultivating breathing patterns that are hallmarks of relaxation and well-being.

Move the Belly With the Breath: When we are at ease, the diaphragm is the primary engine of the breath. As we inhale, this domelike muscle descends toward the abdomen, displacing the abdominal muscles and gently swelling the belly. As we exhale, the diaphragm releases back toward the heart, enabling the belly to release toward the spine.

Keep the Upper Body Quiet: During high-stress times, it's common to heave the upper chest and grip the muscles in the shoulders and throat. When we're at rest, the muscles of the upper chest remain soft and relaxed as we breathe, and the real work occurs in the lower rib cage. To promote this type of breathing pattern, consciously relax the jaw, throat, neck, and shoulders, and envision the breath sweeping into the deepest parts of the lungs as you breathe in and out.

Breathe Easy: Although some breaths may be deeper or faster than others, when we're relaxed, the alternating rhythm of the inhalations and exhalations feels like a lullaby—smooth, soft, and uninterrupted by jerks and jags. Consciously relaxing into this wavelike, oceanic quality of the breath deepens our sense of peace and ease.

Lengthen the Exhalation: When we feel stressed, our exhalations tend to grow short and choppy. When we're relaxed, though, the exhalations extend so completely that they are often longer than the inhalations. Some teachers even instruct that if we're deeply relaxed, each exhalation will be twice as long as the inhalation. To facilitate this, try gently extending each exhalation by one or two seconds.

Pause After Each Exhalation: In our most relaxed state, the end of each exhalation is punctuated by a short pause. Lingering in this sweet spot can be deeply satisfying and can evoke feelings of profound quiet and stillness.

Let the Whole Body Breathe: When we are at ease, the whole body participates in the breathing process. Imagine a sleeping baby: When he breathes in and out, the belly swells and releases, the hips rock to and fro, the shoulders bob, and the spine gently undulates. This offers a mini-massage for the muscles and organs of the whole body, and turns each breath into a soothing melody that further calms and quiets every cell within."

Let's together relearn and rediscover the power of breathing, in yoga and in everyday life :) 

me

Never a diary writer, would I ever be a blogger.

I created this blog during computer class in a Finnish language course. Name it as Mökki (a summer cottage common in finland, where people enjoy the nature, the short but lovely summer and the peacefulness.) Meanwhile, I chose this background picture, travelling van on the road, by chance. What does it say? My body settles, my mind is forever on the road. Or is it the other way around?