Yoga for Neck & Shoulder Tension: An Experiment

[KathAL79]

Last week I experienced a tension headache due to a stiff neck, which are both unusual for me. Usually when I have trouble with tightness in this area, it’s in my shoulders and upper back, rather than my neck. (This is the result of way too much time hunched over books and computers in a stressful setting; I do the best I can to sit with proper posture, take stretch breaks when I remember, destress, etc., but I still have work to do there!) So I decided to do a little experiment by focusing for a week on different yoga practices that promised to bring relief to those areas. I’ve typed out some observations below in the hopes that others might find this helpful. (Note: this is the order in which I did the practices, one each day. There’s nothing special or magical about it.)

Ana Brett & Ravi Singh’s Yoga Quick Fixes: Headache Helper
This proved effective at quickly relieving tension in the upper back and shoulders and is a great one for anyone hunched over a desk all day. Sadly, it proved to be just what it claimed: a quick fix. The tension returned the next day. Still, this would be one I would consider using whenever I needed some quick relief to prevent that area from getting so tight, especially since it’s only 6 min. long.

Barbara Benagh’s Yoga for Stress Relief: Tension Headache
This is a nice practice that releases tension throughout the upper body, with more passive shoulder stretches and anti-anxiety poses. Unfortunately, I did not set my blanket up correctly for the neck release section, thus losing the benefits of that pose. (Note to self: don’t close eyes too early!) I did find that the progressive relaxation (the one with the inhale relax, exhale expand, which is my favorite of the ones included on this DVD in any case) was actually quite helpful in addressing the fact that I was tensing up all over, not just in my neck and shoulders.
There are also two practices for shoulder tension on this DVD, one passive and one more active. I’ve found them helpful, particularly as they include a number of exercises I personally haven’t seen elsewhere. Strangely, I don’t feel the overwhelming sense of relief with these that I expect to have.

Kathleen Anderson’s Yoga in the Garden of Serenity: neck & shoulders
The neck series in this DVD gets into the neck in a very deep way. (In fact, it may be too intense for some people and should only be attempted by people with healthy necks and some preexisting flexibility.) I prefer to reprogram this DVD so this comes at the end, before the savasana, so that I’m properly warmed up and relaxed for it. I’m also very careful to be very gentle with my neck. Both Lisa Wheeler in one of her old Method videos and Ana Forrest in Strength & Spirit (see below) mention that when you reach your arm over your head to stretch your neck, you should just rest the arm, using the arm’s weight to assist in the stretch, rather than pull on the neck.

JJ Gormley’s Yoga for Every Body: Oh My Aching Neck
This one is different from many of the other practices I tried in that you get at the neck in more subtle ways, with asanas like bridge and shoulderstand, which stretch your upper back in a more subtle way – assuming you have proper form – occupying about as much time as exercises that exist primarily to stretch your neck. One thing I like about this practice is that JJ does all of her neck stretches on the floor, which takes gravity out of the equation and helps you avoid tensing right back up again.
There are additional premixes touching on this area on this DVD. For example, in the Beginners section there’s a practice that addresses the neck, shoulders, wrists, and hands. (Don’t quote me on the order, there.) This is another great one to do for a quick release of stiffness and tightness from too much sitting at a desk writing or typing; at 20 min. it’s easy to squeeze in during the afternoon or evening.

Rainbeau Mars’ Pure Tranquility
Stretching the neck and upper body isn’t the primary focus of this routine, but I find it does that job well. Something about the sequence (in comparison to Karen Voight’s Yoga Focus / Yoga Power stretch portion, where she jumps right into cow’s face pose) helps my neck and shoulders open up. I find the realigning your upper arm in the triceps stretch an interesting touch, too. I’m always gentle with my neck, and I incorporate Ana Forrest’s tip to use your hand to bring your head back to center after tilting it to one side during the stretch.

Erich Schiffmann’s Backyard Series: Beginning Yoga: shoulders
This whole DVD is lovely, especially if you’re looking for a way to relax and recompose yourself. Ideally I’d always have time to do the whole thing, which includes a number of subtle upper back stretches throughout, but when I’m in a pinch (literally!) I head for the shoulder stretches chapter. I never feel as much of a release with any other series of stretches as I do with these. I had my dh do these once after he complained about having trouble adequately stretching his upper back and shoulders, and he continues to do some of these on his own. I have to agree with him: nothing gets at that spot right between your shoulder blades like eagle arms. I prefer to do these seated cross-legged, switching my legs when you put down the stretch, rather than on my knees, as Erich does. (Actually, he’s on a zafu.) I’ve also done them standing.
Erich has these in his book, Moving into Stillness, and on his website, but then you don’t get to do them with Fig the cat. If you don’t have a yoga strap, an old tie or belt or something of that sort will also do. You don’t want something stretchy, however.

Gary Kraftsow’s Viniyoga Therapy for the Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders: Strength & Stability
Strength & Stability both treats and prevents upper back, shoulder, and neck tension by moving in and out of postures. According to Gary, the purpose of this viniyoga session is to contract as well as elongate, so you won’t find yourself in agonizing long holds. Yes, so Gary’s dry and clinical, but he knows his stuff. It worked for the NIH study, and it works for me, too. This is one that I’m going to have to bite the bullet and use consistently for the rest of the semester.
There are two other routines on this DVD, one more focused on neck tension and the other on shoulders, which are more oriented towards treatment than prevention, although they do both well, too.

Ana Forrest’s Strength and Spirit
This is probably the best video I have that shows you how to relax and release your neck. More importantly, it shows you how to do that while you’re moving and holding poses. Ana discusses a few pointers in a separate chapter (she’s perhaps even clearer in those included on Pleasure of Strength), and she integrates those principles throughout the entire practice. Also, there’s a lovely sequence where you milk tension out of your upper back. If you want to prevent neck tension, this is the ounce of prevention that’s worth more than a pound of cure. It’s a challenging practice, both physically as well as mentally (and perhaps even emotionally and spiritually sometimes), even though it’s often described as “beginner,” which is why I don’t do it as often as I should.

Other programs that I have to remember to try in the future:
- Michaelle Edwards' Yoga from Kauai (which also appears as Yoga from Hawaii): There's a shoulder sequence using the strap here, too, although I like Erich's better. (Interestingly, Michaelle thanks Erich in her credits.)
- Jill Miller’s Yoga Tune-Up – Shoulders and/or Shoulder Shakti
- Judi Rice’s Yoga for Inflexible People: There are 5 premixes focusing on the shoulders, which range from 15 to 60 minutes.

A few similar threads:
Any videos for neck/shoulder aches?
Favorite yoga videos for different areas of anatomical focus?
Any beginner/intermediate nonspiritual yoga vids for tight upper back?
Yoga - shoulders and neck
Need specific yoga recommendation: relaxation, focus on neck?

Feel free to contribute other ideas!

P.S. My headache went away the second day after a day of proper, steady hydration, one dose of pain reliever, and a good night’s sleep. Self-massage has also proved very helpful. I’ve had a little bit of a recurrence this week, so it looks like I’ll have to be regular with my use of these practices, at least until the end of this semester.

[lindseylu8]

Thanks for the post! This one sounds just like what I need!

Originally Posted by KathAL79

Kathleen Anderson’s Yoga in the Garden of Serenity: neck & shoulders
The neck series in this DVD gets into the neck in a very deep way. (In fact, it may be too intense for some people and should only be attempted by people with healthy necks and some preexisting flexibility.) I prefer to reprogram this DVD so this comes at the end, before the savasana, so that I’m properly warmed up and relaxed for it. I’m also very careful to be very gentle with my neck. Both Lisa Wheeler in one of her old Method videos and Ana Forrest in Strength & Spirit (see below) mention that when you reach your arm over your head to stretch your neck, you should just rest the arm, using the arm’s weight to assist in the stretch, rather than pull on the neck.

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

I love several of the practices you mentioned, but had a question. You said not to use anything stretchy for the Backyard shoulder stretches, and I always use my wide resistance ribbon, and I love it for this (I call them 'ribbons' to distinguish from 'bands' which are round). I am no Yogi, so I was wondering what your reasoning was to not use anything with stretch. I feel just a bit safer with some 'give' to my prop.

[KathAL79]

Red, I'm no expert, but as I understand it the belt is supposed to be taut during the exercise where you pull down behind your head. I'm not going to suggest it's bad to have some give, because I don't know if that's true or not, but as Erich demonstrates it there should not be give.

[toaster]

Wow, Kath, thank you so much for this extremely comprehensive summary! As you well know, I struggle with neck/shoulder tension too which very likely contribute to my near-daily headaches. I have tried most of the videos you mentioned, and in almost every case my thoughts parallel yours. However, I thought I'd add my own impressions below.

Yoga Quick Fixes, Headache Helper--these very active stretches feel good and provide immediate tension relief, but did not seem to help my headaches

Yoga for Stress Relief, Tension Headache--combination of passive and active stretches, but very gentle overall; some unique shoulder release moves

Yoga in the Garden of Serenity--LOVE the neck stretches on this one; NOTHING makes my neck feel as good

Pure Tranquility--I like this, and it does have some nice upper body stretches, but it's gentle and not what I'd reach for if I really wanted to target the neck/shoulders

Erich's Shoulder Stretches--great for the shoulders and really helped me last week when I was having some tightness around my shoulder blades; doesn't really target the neck or tops of the shoulders as much

Viniyoga Therapy Upper--I really liked the Neck & Shoulder Therapy segment, as there are some unique exercises where you move one arm and the neck in the opposite direction

Strength & Spirit--I had this one awhile, and I agree that the neck work and milking your shoulders parts were great, but the practice felt too grueling to me overall, so I eventually got rid of it

Jill Miller's Shoulder Shakti--this is the only practice that helped me achieve cow-face arms on my "bad" side; opens shoulders nicely, but not really any neck work

Here's one more that Kath didn't mention:
Yoga Wisdom for Neck Pain and Tight Shoulders--I find the instructor a bit annoying and I don't like the vinyasa work, but I've kept this because it includes some really unique upper back/shoulder stretches (doesn't do much for my neck though)

Also, the upper body workout in the Classical Stretch videos really seems to help my neck and shoulders as well.

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by KathAL79

Red, I'm no expert, but as I understand it the belt is supposed to be taut during the exercise where you pull down behind your head. I'm not going to suggest it's bad to have some give, because I don't know if that's true or not, but as Erich demonstrates it there should not be give.

Another thing I noticed with this move (and this is EXACTLY the move that I thought you might be thinking of as needing a firmer strap), when I use the band with stretch my arms shake even MORE. It's funny because he even mentions that if your arms are shaking that is normal, and when I switched to the stretchy band they were all OVER the place, LOL!!!

[~^~RedFlame~^~]

Originally Posted by toaster

Also, the upper body workout in the Classical Stretch videos really seems to help my neck and shoulders as well.

I need to reach for these more. I have several of these workouts and yet somehow they are not something that I do often, and yet I feel that I could get great benefit from them. I have a hard time following her, without constantly watching, and it is not something with the kind of 'choreo' that you can memorize like other workouts, or dance routines. I keep looking for something to hit me during one of these that will make me do them more. Would better 'cuing' help? I know that I would like to do one of these 30 minute routines at least 3 times a week, but I just don't. Too hard to follow and that annoys me. I want to 'listen' and move when I stretch, and with CS I have to watch too intently I guess. Perhaps if I find some threads from people who have REALLY had some wonderful therapeutic results I will try harder!

[Barb]

Thanks so much for compiling this list and adding your thoughts Kath! As someone who suffers from neck pain (I often say that my head is too heavy for my neck! ) I have found great relief from Classical Stretch (as Beth said). I really like her back pain dvd and really all of the upper body work releases my neck in all of her dvds - it's amazing. The tv series has a half hour program on back pain that is terrific (and different than the original back pain dvd.)

[cristinalatina]

Thanks for this summary, I frequently get tension headaches from pushing the neck forward (towards PC screen) and carry tension on my shoulders, with the inevitable result of a migraine or a headache.

A helpful practice for me has been the Secret Tennis Ball Society from Shiva Rea's Drops of Nectar. That's an audio CD intended for complete relaxation, and that track instructs how to use a tennis ball to massage tension away from the shoulders and the back. Doesn't have anything for the neck, but relaxing the upper back and shoulders gets the job done for me.

[KathAL79]

Originally Posted by cristinalatina

A helpful practice for me has been the Secret Tennis Ball Society from Shiva Rea's Drops of Nectar.

You know, I have this one but haven't yet managed to bring the old tennis ball and CD together for a session. Thanks for the reminder!

Thanks, everyone, for sharing all of your own thoughts and experiences. Keep the suggestions and comments coming!