Yoga for Tech Neck

Use Yoga To Treat And Prevent Tech Neck.

“Tech neck” is a series of aches, pains, and stiffness in the shoulders and neck after working on a smartphone or tablet. It happens because the posture in the upper back and shoulders are hunched forward for long periods of time. Include the chin being just a few inches from the chest and you can see why the muscles in the neck and shoulders feel strained.

Yoga can help counteract these painful symptoms. Here are a few poses to get you started (after you’ve set aside your smartphone or tablet):

Forward Fold With Clasp

• Stand, clasp hands behind back, and inhale deeply to open the chest.

• On the exhale, relax the knees and fold forward, letting your head fall toward the ground and gently releasing the neck.

• If you feel comfortable, bend one knee and then the other, getting more into shoulders.

• Turn head right to left to release neck. Stay here for 5 to 10 deep breaths.

Throat Lock

• Kneel with hands lightly resting on thighs.• Lift sternum and drop chin lightly, lifting through the top back of the skull as if someone had a string on the back of your neck and was lifting you up.

• Lengthen through the back of the neck and keep shoulders down.• Breathe here for 5 to 10 deep breaths.

Camel Pose

• Begin in a kneeling position with hips over and lined up with knees, and weight supported by shins and the tops of feet.

• Place palms on the lower back, on the triangular bone the two hip bones of the pelvis, draw elbows into one another so that they aren't winged out.

• Keep thighs pulled inward and pull shoulder blades toward one another and down back. Look to the ceiling as you lift chest upward.

• Release hands to heels and arch spine. Tip head back to keep the whole spine in extension.

• Breathe here for at least 5 deep breaths.

Tips as you get started on the yoga sequence above:

Coordinate your breath with each movement. It should help you feel the movement in your spine, not hinder you or be the entire focus of your attention.

Don’t overdo any of the poses. Be sure that they serve you, not challenge you. Your goal is to use them as a tool to help you release the tension in your back and neck and to treat and prevent “tech neck”.