Hi,
My name is Rebecca.
If your neck feels stiff,
You keep stretching and it keeps getting stiff.
You stretch stiff and you're stuck in the cycle.
This video is for you.
Your neck will start to tighten up if it feels unsupported.
So we're going to start with things that support your neck and strengthen it.
So that when you finish today's practice,
You can feel what a release really feels like.
Let's get started.
Alright,
Let's come up to hands and knees.
And we'll switch up the traditional cat cow with a sideways bending.
Puppy tail chase.
Take your left foot,
Lift it up.
Reach it to the right,
Turn your head sideways,
And look for your toes.
Come back to center.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Go to the left.
So the right foot sweeps to the left.
Your head looks over your left shoulder and you look at your toes.
Inhale.
Center.
Exhale to the right,
Left foot lifts.
Head goes sideways.
Look for the toes.
Inhale,
Center.
And exhale to the left.
Back to center.
Traditional cat cows aren't necessarily going to fix your problem,
But we'll do them anyway just to get movement in the spine.
Drop your belly.
Lift your chin.
Lift the tailbone.
Look up.
Exhale.
Tuck the tailbone.
Navel to spine.
Roll your spine.
Bring your chin down toward your chest.
Just one to get warmed up.
Come back to center as you inhale.
Step back into plank pose.
Hold your head in line with your spine.
Lower your hips slightly so that the hips are a straight line from the shoulders to your heels.
Push through the shoulder so you sort of hollow out between the shoulder blades.
Take a breath in.
Exhale,
Lower down to your belly.
Keep the elbows close to the body,
Tops of the feet on the floor.
We'll do five Cobras here.
Pressing into the mat with your hands.
Inhale,
Use your upper back.
Lift up to a cobra.
Keep the neck long.
Look straight ahead.
Exhale,
Lower down.
Tuck the chin slightly,
Touch the forehead to the mat.
Four more like that.
Inhale,
Rise up to Cobra.
Nice and strong and lifted.
Tuck the chin and slightly pull the back of your Jaw backward.
Exhale,
Lower down.
Three more.
Inhale.
Cobra.
Exhale down.
Inhale,
Cobra.
Exhale down.
Inhale cobra Exhale down.
Pop up to hands and knees on all fours.
Bring the right hand behind your head.
Alright,
Knees are hip-width apart.
Inhale,
Reach the right elbow up to the ceiling.
Turn your head,
Look to the side.
Exhale,
Bring the right elbow down to the left hand.
Try to keep the left arm straight if you can.
Inhale,
Right elbow up to the ceiling.
Exhale,
Right elbow to left hand.
Three more.
Inhale up.
Exhale three.
Inhale up.
Exhale,
Four.
Inhale up.
Exhale,
Five.
Come back to all fours.
Switch sides.
Left hand behind your head.
Inhale.
Left elbow lifts up.
Look up.
Exhale,
Left elbow to the right hand.
Inhale up.
Exhale to.
In and out through the nose.
Inhale up.
Exhale three.
Inhale up.
Exhale four.
Inhale up.
Exhale,
Five.
Good,
Come back to neutral,
Grab a block or a cushion,
Bring your knees together,
Feet apart,
Sit back on the block.
We're not really doing much with the hips and legs here.
Just find a comfortable seated position.
Whatever that means for you.
Find a comfortable seat.
Bring your hands behind your head,
Interlace your fingers.
And rest them on the back of your head.
On an inhale we'll start with the right side inhale lift the right elbow up to the ceiling and pull left shoulder blade down Exhale center.
Inhale,
Left elbow lifts,
Right shoulder blade down.
Exhale center.
Inhale,
Right elbow lifts.
Exhale,
Center.
Inhale,
Left elbow lifts.
Exhale,
Center.
One more each side.
Inhale,
Right elbow lifts.
Really reach up.
Exhale,
Center.
Inhale,
Left elbow up.
Exhale center.
Release your hands.
Come back up to hands and knees.
Step into plank.
Holding here Take two integrating breaths.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
And breathe in.
Keep the head lifted and as you breathe out,
Lower down to your belly.
Bring the arms down alongside you.
We're coming into moving Shalabhasana,
Locust Pose.
Arms down alongside you.
Tops of the feet on the floor.
Bring the forehead down to the floor.
Pull the shoulder blades back and down,
Elongate the neck.
Opposite arm,
Opposite leg here.
Inhale.
Lift the left leg as you sweep the right arm out and around.
Up overhead and lift.
Exhale,
Lower down,
Bring the right hand all the way down to the right hip.
Switch sides,
Inhale,
Right leg,
Left arm lifts up.
Exhale down.
Keep going.
Inhale,
Right arm,
Left leg.
Exhale down.
Inhale,
Left arm right leg.
Exhale down.
Inhale,
Right arm left leg.
Exhale down.
Inhale left arm right leg.
Exhale down.
Inhale,
Right arm left leg.
Exhale down.
Inhale left arm right leg.
Exhale down.
Bring the hands down next to your ribs,
Palms down,
Fingers forward,
Elbows next to the body.
Inhale,
Lift to cobra.
Exhale push back to hands and knees.
Coming into puppy pose.
Just a few breaths here.
Keep your hips over the knees.
Slide your hands forward.
Keep the elbows straight,
Forehead to the floor.
Three breaths here.
Breathe in.
Breathe out one.
Breathe in.
Breathe out too.
And breathe in.
Breathe out three.
Carefully slide your hands in one at a time.
Back up to all fours.
Thread the needle.
Keep the left hand to the floor under the left shoulder.
Reach the right hand up to the ceiling.
Reach.
Nice and strong here on an exhale.
Thread the needle.
Bring the right arm down to the floor.
Tuck it underneath the left.
Bring the right shoulder down,
The right side of your head down to the mat.
You can stay here,
Option one.
Option two.
Slide the left leg back,
Toes on the floor.
Maybe extend the left arm up to the top edge of the mat.
Holding here for four more breaths.
Breathe in.
Breathe out too.
Breathe in.
Breathe out three.
Breathe in.
Breathe out four.
Breathe in.
Breathe out five.
Left hand back where it started.
Left knee down.
Push your way back up to all fours.
Other side.
Inhale.
Left arm reaches up to the ceiling.
On an exhale,
Thread the needle.
Left arm underneath the right,
Left shoulder down.
Side of your head to the floor option one stay here option two right leg back toes on the floor Option three,
Right hand up to the top edge of the mat.
Four more breaths.
Breathe in.
Breathe out two.
Breathe in.
Breathe out three.
Breathe in.
Breathe out four.
Breathe in.
Breathe out five.
Bring the right knee down if it's up.
Right hand back to where you started.
Push back up to all fours.
One cat cow to integrate.
Inhale lift the tailbone lift your chin look up Exhale,
Tuck the tailbone,
Navel to spine,
Chin to chest.
Let your head release.
Come back to neutral and push back to child's pose.
You can either keep your knees together or move your knees apart.
Take a seat back on your heels if you can.
Bring your forehead down to the floor.
You can keep your arms extended up overhead for this one.
You can rest your elbows or straighten your arms.
It's up to you.
We'll take three breaths like this.
Breathe in.
Breathe out one.
Breathe in.
Breathe out too.
Breathe in.
Breathe out three.
From here,
Walk your hands off to the right side of the mat You'll feel a long side body stretch on the left side.
Take a breath here and breathe in.
Breathe out.
Back to center,
And then walk your hands off to the left side of the mat.
Breathe in.
And breathe out.
Back to center.
Slide your hands in.
Come up.
Thank you for joining me in this short practice.
I hope it helps.
Be well,
And I'll see you on the next one.
