Say goodbye to stiff and tight shoulders and neck In “40 Minutes Shoulder and Neck Relaxation Yoga” ! This set is enough!
Do you often feel tight and stiff in your shoulders?
Shoulder and Neck pain is a common problem among modern people!
Because most people habitually move their heads and shoulders forward for a long time and are not in the correct body position, this causes a slight imbalance in the surrounding muscles and muscle contraction, which in turn causes stiffness and soreness in the shoulders and neck.
Muscles are like springs, they need to contract and relax alternately. Only with good blood circulation can metabolism be good.
Next, I will share it from an anatomical point of view, so that you can simply understand how to balance muscle stretching activities, and design a set of comprehensive Yoga movements for the shoulders and neck, so that the shoulders and neck can relax and not be tight!
Shoulder and Neck stiffness problem
The shoulders and neck itself must support the weight of the head and arms. The weight of a person’s head is about 1/10 of the body weight, and the weight of one hand is about 6% of the body weight.
If a person weighs 50 kilograms, his head weighs about 5 kilograms, his arms weigh about 6 kilograms, and his shoulders and neck bear 11 kilograms. In addition, staying in the same posture for too long or bad habits can easily cause fatigue and tightness.
If you want to learn more about the location, symptoms, accompanying problems, causes, what to do, treatment methods, and prevention methods of stiff shoulders and necks, you can find them in the article ” Out guide for stiff shoulders and necks! 3-part yoga movements to loosen your shoulders and necks~” Detailed description.
Further reading
Eye fatigue and low temperature can also cause poor blood circulation, leading to stiff shoulders and necks.
Understanding Shoulder and Neck from anatomy
From an anatomical perspective, it’s simple to understand how muscles can move in balance. You don’t need to know every muscle, just know that an action will activate the corresponding muscle group.
For example, muscles that have not been working for a long time will slowly lose their function, or overused muscle groups will cause fatigue.
When we know the mobility and orientation of the cervical vertebrae, shoulder joints and scapulae, we can stretch each angle and direction in a balanced manner, stretch each muscle group, resolve tightness and stiffness in the shoulders and neck, and achieve comprehensive relaxation.
Cervical spine mobility in 6 directions
Flexion 35°~45°: Lower your head, flex your chin to touch your chest Activated muscles such as sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalene muscles .
Stretch (back extension) 35°~45° : Raise your head, stretch your head as high as possible. Activated muscles, such as trapezius , levator scapulae , splenius capitis , etc.
Lateral flexion (lateral bending) is about 45°: cervical scoliosis, the right ear touches the right shoulder, and the left ear touches the left shoulder. Activated muscles such as trapezius ,Levator scapulae , sternocleidomastoid , scalene muscles ,Splenius capitis , splenius cervicalis , etc.
Rotate each side 60° to 80° : Rotate the cervical spine to contact the left and right shoulders respectively. Activated muscles such as levator scapulae ,Splenius capitis , trapezius , sternocleidomastoid , scalene muscles , etc.
Things to note:
- Must be done slowly and without causing Neck Pain
- During the process, keep your shoulders relaxed and downward without shrugging.
8 aspects of shoulder joint mobility
8 aspects of shoulder joint mobility (1/2)
Flexion (forward flexion) 0°~180° : Straighten the arms and place them at the side of the body, with the palms facing inward and the upper arms facing forward and upward. Activated muscles such as deltoid , pectoralis major , biceps , coracobrachialis .
Stretch (back extension) 0°~50° : Straighten your arms and place them by your side, with your palms facing inward and your arms facing upwards and backwards. Activated muscles such as deltoid, latissimus dorsi, teres major, pectoralis major, Triceps brachii.
External rotation (external rotation) 0°～90° : The arm is straightened and placed at the side of the body, the palm is turned inward, the thumb is turned outward and backward, and the arm is externally rotated at the same time. Activated muscles such as deltoid , subspinalis , and teres minor .
Internal rotation (internal rotation) 0°～90°: The arm is straightened and placed at the side of the body, the palm is turned inward, the thumb is turned inward and backward, and the arm is internally rotated at the same time. Activated muscles such as deltoid muscles ,Latissimus dorsi , teres major , subscapularis (on the inside of the scapula),pectoralis major .
8 aspects of shoulder joint mobility (2/2)
Abduction 0°~180° : The arm is straightened and placed at the side of the body, with the palm facing inward and the side of the arm facing outward and upward (when the abduction is above 90°, the upper arm appears to be supinated and the forearm appears to be supinated). Activated muscles such as deltoid and supraspinalis muscles. Adduction 180°～0°:
Return from abduction to inward. Activated muscles such aslatissimus dorsi, teres major, subspinalis, teres minor, Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, coracobrachialis. Horizontal abduction 0°～45°:
Stretch your arms straight to the left/right, palms down, facing backwards horizontally. Activate muscles such as deltoid muscles.
Horizontal adduction 0°~135°: Straighten the arms to the left/right, palms downward, facing forward horizontally. Activated muscles such as deltoid and pectoralis major.
Things To Note:
Keep the body straight and not sideways to either side.
- We usually tend to have too weak shoulder external rotation and too strong shoulder internal rotation. We should train more shoulder external rotation movements.
- There are 6 articulation surfaces of the scapula. There are
6 articulation surfaces of the scapula.
Scapular upward rotation. (External rotation): The action of rotating the scapula (turning upward) so that the socket of the glenoid is facing upward. Activated muscles such as trapezius and serratus anterior.
Scapular downward rotation (internal rotation): Scapular upward rotation. Activated muscles such as rhomboids and levator scapulae.
Scapular abduction: The scapula is pulled away from the midline of the body. Activated muscles such as serratus anterior and pectoralis minor.
Scapula adduction: Pulling the scapula closer to the midline of the body. Activated muscles such as trapezius and rhomboids.
Scapular lift: lift the shoulders. Activated muscles such as trapezius, rhomboids, and levator scapulae.
Scapular depression: Shoulders pointed downward. Activated muscles such as trapezius, serratus anterior, and pectoralis minor.
Note: Keep the body straight and not to either side.
40 Minutes of Shoulder and Neck Relaxation and Stretching Yoga.
This set of 40 minutes of Shoulder and Neck relaxation and stretching yoga is based on anatomy, allowing muscles to stretch in a balanced way. It is a comprehensive yoga movement for the shoulders and neck. Relax your shoulders and neck, not tense! Let’s practice together now!
Other ways to relax your shoulders and neck
Shoulder and Neck heating pad
function improves blood circulation, eliminates Shoulder and Neck stiffness, and provides relaxation. When I
I use the Sunlus Warm Heating Pad, which has 4-stage temperature control and automatically cuts off power after 2 hours, so I can apply it until I fall asleep.
It is very convenient to use as a compress on your stomach or as a hot compress on your shoulders and neck!
Shoulder and Neck massage ball
Function
Massage by pinching the shoulders or beating the waist, pressing the superficial skin, is more difficult to achieve the repair effect. Only deep massage can effectively stretch the muscles, and you can use a yoga ball to help.
Through yoga therapy ball pressure, you can loosen tight and lumpy muscle tissue, return the muscle tissue to its original suppleness, increase muscle extensibility, and promote blood circulation, thereby alleviating and preventing stiffness and soreness. produce.
Compression frequency
Press 1 or 2 times a day, 15 to 20 minutes each time
Things to note
People with fractures, trauma, or rheumatoid arthritis, as well as people with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, or taking anticoagulant medications are not suitable for deep massage.
I have tried ordinary tennis balls, but they become softer and softer after being used for a long time, and the hardness is not enough. I suggest you choose a massage ball with a harder material to press into the deep muscles.
Shoulder Relaxation Roller
There are a lot of details to share about the selection and use of rollers, and a complete article will be compiled later!
Read More – How to Hydrate with Water
in conclusion
The design of Shoulder and Neck relaxation and stretching yoga is to first loosen the cervical vertebrae, shoulder joints and scapulae that are most important for shoulder and neck activities, and then loosen the surrounding muscle groups to achieve comprehensive relaxation of the shoulder and neck.
In addition to good living habits, if you incorporate Shoulder and Neck relaxation and stretching yoga into your daily practice, I believe you can say goodbye to shoulder and neck tightness, stiffness, and soreness!
Don’t neglect Shoulder and Neck relaxation and stretching, as this is very important for your long-term health!
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