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Sometimes when you practice yoga, you want a typical practice. But there are also times when you need yoga to be a solution. Maybe you need a boost of energy so you can focus or you’re seeking relief from lower back pain or wanting some stretches to help you relax and fall asleep. And after waking up stiff and sore, you could use the morning tension release of practicing yoga for neck and shoulders.
You don’t need to be super flexible or even experienced in yoga to follow along with this 10-minute morning yoga practice. It’s designed for all levels and meant for those days when you wake up with stiffness in your neck and shoulders so you can experience some relief before you pile on more tension.
The practice starts standing and focuses on releasing the upper back, the back of the shoulders, the neck, even a little into the front of the neck. These are traditional poses with a little embellishment to make them yoga for neck and shoulders. For example, you’ll practice a traditional lunge and lower your head so you can release through the shoulders and chest. It’s a very simple class which means it’s easy to do even first thing in the morning.
10-Minute Morning Yoga for Neck and Shoulders Relief
This simple practice focuses primarily on relief from stiffness and tension through yoga for neck and shoulders. It’s a short routine you can do first thing in the morning. No props are required.
Mountain Pose With Eagle Arms
Begin standing at the front of the mat and bring your feet hip-distance apart in Mountain Pose. Find a strong foundation and then roll your shoulders down and away from your ears as you lift through the crown of your head. Take your arms straight in front of you and bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Wrap your right arm under your left, either just once or twice, and try to bring your palms or wrists to touch as you would in Eagle Pose (Garudasana). Think of drawing your shoulders down, lifting your elbows up, and moving your hands away from your face. Breathe into your upper back.
If you’d like to intensify the stretch, tuck your chin toward your chest, stretching between your shoulder blades and at the back of your neck. Keep breathing in and out through your nose.
Slowly lift your head and elbows as you find a slight backbend and stay here for several breaths.
Then release your arms. You may want to fling them out side or take a cactus shape here to stretch across your chest. Release and roll your shoulders a few times and then do the same thing on your second side.
Standing Forward Bend With Hands Clasped
Take your feet toward the edges of the mat in a wider stance. Interlace your hands behind your lower back, roll your shoulders back and down, open across your chest, and take a slightly bend in your knees as you fold forward in Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) while also reaching your knuckles up and overhead. If clasping your hands isn’t working for you, simply let that go. Let your head be heavy in this rag doll fold as you soften through your jaw and your facial muscles. See if you can lift your knuckles a little higher and stay in your forward fold as you breathe.
Rag Doll
When you’re ready, release your arms and fingertips. You can hold onto your elbows for a more traditional variation of rag doll and just sway a little side to side. You can turn your head as you release tension in your neck and upper back.
Low Lunge With Neck Stretch
From your forward bend, release your fingertips to the mat and then inch your feet back to hip-distance apart. Step your left foot all the way back and lower that left knee to find a Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana). Keep your left hand flat on the mat, a block, or a stack of books. Reach your right hand toward your lower back and roll your right shoulder back in a slight twist. And now let your left ear lower toward your left shoulder. Stay here or you can play a little with the position, perhaps dropping your head toward the mat. I find it’s nice to almost lean my head backward for a neck release through the right side of my neck and along the top of my right shoulder. Try not to hold your breath when you’re in these poses. Really relax your hips here.
Thunderbolt With a Backbend
Slowly come back to center, bring your hands to the mat framing your front foot, step your right foot back, and come to kneeling so you’re sitting on your heels in a version of Thunderbolt (Vajrasana) that also stretches the bottom of your feet. Bring your fingertips back behind you, bend into your elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades and your elbows toward each other, and then lift through your chest and broaden through the collarbones. Breathe here.
Then repeat your Low Lunge on the second side. You might notice that there is more sensation on one side than the other. Perhaps your dominant side, your dominant hand, tends to be a little bit more restricted. That’s normal. Repeat Thunderbolt.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Bring your big toes together and take your knees as wide as is appropriate for your hips and your lower back. Then lean forward and stretch our arms in front of you, releasing your forehead to the mat or a block in Child’s Pose (Balasana). If you’d like to stretch a little more through your upper body, bring your palms together in prayer and then bend at your elbows so your thumbs rest toward the back of your neck. Take slow, steady breaths here.
If you’re doing reverse prayer, slowly straighten your elbows and walk your hands back as you lift your upper body.
Easy Seat (Sukhasana)
Take a seat however is comfortable for you. I like to finish morning practices sitting up instead of in Savasana so that we don’t fall back asleep. Roll your shoulders back again, close your eyes, and see if you can sit a little taller, grounding down through your tailbone and lifting through the crown of the head. Feel the space you’ve created through your neck and shoulders, your chest and upper back, even your hips and hamstrings. Bring your hands together at the front of your heart and linger a moment here in awareness. Thank you so much for doing this practice with me.
