Release Neck And Shoulder Tension: 7-Minute Desk Yoga

Hours at a screen can leave your neck and shoulders tight and sore. Follow along with simple seated stretches to release built-up tension, ease tech neck, and let your shoulders drop away from your ears. By the end, you'll feel looser through your upper back, ready to sit a little taller and carry less strain into the rest of your day.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Laia. Welcome to this yoga at your desk session for neck and shoulders. This is an ideal class to do before you sit at your desk when you take a small break or also to end the day. And ideally, You can maybe even do it a few times a day so that you're really letting your neck and your shoulders find a little bit of release while you are at work. So go ahead and find a comfortable seated position on a chair, Elongate your spine, And then relax your shoulders down and away from the ears as you lengthen your neck. Take a deep breath in. And a long, Slow breath out. On your next inhalation, Lift your chin up any amount, Gazing up a bit. Exhale, Lower the chin down toward the chest, Opening the back of the neck. Inhale, Lift your chin up, Open through the throat. Exhale, Slowly lower the chin back down. One more like that, Inhale to lift the chin. Exhale to lower the chin back down. Allow the chin to remain down toward the chest. And bring the hands behind your head, Feel free to interlace them. And perhaps you stay here or maybe you start to gently move your chin from side to side, From collarbone to collarbone, Tracing them. And let the breath guide the way in which you move. So perhaps you slow down a bit. One more breath. Inhale. Exhale, Just pause at the center, Keep your hands behind your head and on your inhalation lift your head up, Take your elbows wide. Exhale, Take the elbows forward, Round your back a little bit and look down. Again, Inhale, Open up, Take the elbows out, Lift the chest, Perhaps gaze up a bit. Exhale again to round and maybe look down. One more, Breathe in to open up. Breathe out to round. Inhale, Open up, Take your elbows wide. Exhale, Dip your right elbow down, Left elbow up. You don't have to go very high. Inhale through center. Exhale now, Take your left elbow down and your right elbow up. Opening the side body, Allowing a little bit of space between each rib. Inhale back through center. Start to extend your arms out to the sides, Breathe in, Stretch. Breathe out, Bend at the elbows and allow your hands to float above the shoulders or maybe rest on the shoulders, Whatever feels best for you. Inhale. And then start to take tiny circles with the elbows. Or maybe you let the circles be slower. And bigger. One more. And then pause and switch direction. Noticing how it feels. One more circle. And then slowly release the arms. To your lap, Lengthen through the neck and through the spine, Breathe in. Breathe out, Bring the right ear to the right shoulder. Inhaling your neck back to center. Exhale, Left ear to the left shoulder. Inhale back through center. Exhale, Right ear to the right shoulder and stay here. Or if you want to shift the sensation a bit, Feel free to take your right hand over the left ear. And the intention is not to pull, But just to add a little bit of weight and see what happens. Also feel free to lower or lift your chin until you find the sensation that you're seeking. One more breath. And then release the arm, Bring your neck to neutral, Inhale. Exhale now, Bring your left ear to the left shoulder and stay here. Or again, If you'd rather. This time take your left hand over the head and add a little bit of weight or shift the chin up and down until you find what you're seeking. And breathe. One more breath. And then return to center. Take a deep breath in. And a long, Slow breath out. On your next inhalation, Sort of stretch your arms out to the sides. You can take them as wide as feels good. Exhale, Right arm crosses over the left. Bend at the elbows and take your hands toward opposite arms or opposite shoulders. And you can stay here or maybe start to move a little side to side. Or perhaps you'd rather take tiny circles with your elbows. Keeping your core stable. And you can go a couple of times one way. And a couple of times the other way. One more breath. And then pause at the center. Inhale, Open up through the arms. Again, Any amount. Exhale this time, Left arm over right, Crossing at the elbows and bend the elbows, Hands toward opposite shoulder. Perhaps you move a little side to side. Or if you rather, You could take a few circles with your elbows one way. And a few circles the other way. Release the arms, Stretch them out, Breathe in And as you breathe out, Release the arms to the side. Lift your shoulders up toward your ears. Maybe you make fists, Maybe you squeeze your face. Tighten, Tighten, Tighten. And release. Do that again, Inhale, Shoulders up to the ears, Squeeze your face, Maybe make fists, Tighten, Tighten, Tighten. Take a moment here to find stillness, Maybe yourself in your gaze or look down and we'll just take three breaths in through the nose. Let it go. Inhale deeply letting it expand front to back, Side to side, Top to bottom. Let go. One more deep breath in. And let go. Slowly open your eyes again if you close them. Find movement again. And if you are starting your day, I hope that it's a beautiful and productive one. If you're midday, Get back to your task. And if you have finished, I hope that you get lots of rest. Until we meet again, Take care and be well.

Reviews

That was great, just what I needed right now. Thank you Laia🙏🏾☀️