Yoga for Tech Neck

We spend so much of our days at a computer or smartphone (heck, you and I are guilty of it right now). Most of the time, our head is down toward a contracted chest with the brow and facial muscles tensed.

Darwin used this position to convey low spirits, anxiety, and sadness. Tense muscles cause slouched shoulders, rounded spine, and neck disc problems. Recent research has shown that slouching in this way can lead to a feeling of lack of power throughout the day.

Muscles around your neck and shoulders do a lot of work — they hold a bowling ball up all day long! If you apply the laws of Physics to the equation, then the forward position of the head increases the lever (remember High School physics?) The muscles and bones that support the bowling ball can feel as if it weighs more than 50 pounds.

You can use this yoga to relieve the pressure on your neck.

Yoga Trick #1: Keep Your Head Up

Use your awareness to live your yoga throughout the day. This will help you avoid pain and injury. You can raise the computer or phone and look down only with your eyes instead of looking at the entire head.

Align your head in the correct position. Allow your head to rest over the shoulders, and then let the shoulders fall back.

Yoga Trick #2: Move your Neck and Shoulders

Move around and take breaks from staring. Relax your eyes and close them while you’re at it. Relaxing the muscles around your eyes will help to release the rest of the tight muscles.

Try these exercises

Bring your chin forward as if trying to create a double chin. Hold the position for a few seconds, feeling the stretch at the back of the neck. Then, release your head to the center.

Look to the side slowly.

Roll the shoulders back and forth a few more times. Switch sides.

Yoga Trick 3: Tense and release

The muscles in your body are affected on a cellular basis when you contract and relax them for a few seconds. This process can help you become aware of unconscious patterns, especially when you are responding to a stressful email from work or a message from an ex.

When under stress, many of us contract our shoulder and neck muscles excessively.

How to:

For a few moments, squeeze your shoulders and pucker up your lips and face. Imagine that you are wringing all the tension out.

Let it all out with a long sigh. Relaxation will wash over your neck, shoulders, and face.

Repeat 3x total. Close your eyes after the final time and experience a deep relaxation from within.

Take a mindful minute break whenever you feel your tech tension increasing.