Yoga to Relieve Text Neck and Mouse Shoulder
With an increased use in technology more and more people are experiencing neck and shoulder pain.
These conditions are becoming so common experts have named them as text neck and mouse shoulder.
These new conditions are most likely caused by being hunched over a device for prolonged periods of time.
If the body is incorrectly aligned it is only a matter of time before pain creeps in.
The use of portable devices is massive, so often the head is dropped forwards towards the chest and the shoulders are rolled in whilst devices are used. This poor alignment increases the amount of strain on the cervical vertebrae immensely.
A human head weighs on average 4-5 kg, when released forwards it could apply as much as 25-30 kg of force to the neck.
Today we are seeing an increase in teenagers and children using portable devices, this can be even more detrimental to young bodies as bones are still growing and developing.
A regular yoga practice could help to rebalance the body and provide some relief.
Restorative and gentle yoga practices are ideal to help eliminate neck and shoulder pain.
Yoga encourages muscular balance and improves posture.
Try to practise the following postures regularly to help strengthen and release the shoulders - Majaryasana (cat), Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog), Utthita Balasana (extended child) and Jathara Parivartanasana (revolved belly pose).
During the day take the time to perform some simple seated yoga postures and think about your alignment when using portable devices, if possible bring your device up to eye level and take regular breaks. If seated at a desk get up, stretch or walk around the office.
Yoga when practiced mindfully provides a time and space to discover where tension is stored within the body, it also provides the tools and techniques to work to release tension and rebalance the body.
Practise Mindfulness regularly and try to integrate the practise into your daily routine.
Be mindful of your shoulders, spend some time each day observing what happens to your shoulders when you experience different sensations or emotions, such as if you are cold, excited, scared, angry, happy, self-conscious, before you speak, when you have an idea and so on. On most occasions you will notice that your shoulders rise, work to fully release your shoulders after they rise.
By becoming mindful of how your shoulders gradually creep up during the course of the day you will also be remember to release the shoulders too.
If you suffer from persistent neck or shoulder pain you must seek medical advice.
This blog article was written by Sue Fuller creator of the Yoga 2 Hear range of audio yoga classes and yoga teacher training courses.
