Bending our heads over a keyboard or phone screen leaves us with a case of "tech neck",
This set of posture and stretch exercises are derived from pilates / qi gong / yoga to relax the muscles in the neck and shoulders and ideally build a bit of support between the core and the mid-lower back.
There isn't a soundtrack for this, though something might help with the timing!
This is an initial draft and i'll extend or correct it with any good tips gleaned from other instructors
- Breathe in through the nose, out through the nose
- To the extent possible, press the middle of your tongue against the upper palate, with the tongue tip resting below the upper front teeth (for relaxing) or below the lower front teeth (for fighting)
- Breathe in through the belly (Level 1)
- Breathe in through the side of the belly up to the sides of the ribs (Level 2)
- Breathe up from the side through the back, out through the top of the head (Level 3)
| Targets | Description | Repeats | Coaching points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spine, core | "Mountain pose": Just stand there, arms at sides, feet hip-width apart. Draw lower back and belly muscles in towards your navel, aka "engage your core" | Test hip-width apart by jumping a little in the air, see where feet naturally land. There's a string pulling up the crown of your head; your jawline pulls back and angles slightly upwards. Breathe | |
| Shoulders, upper back | Raise your shoulders upwards towards your ears, then roll them backwards, bringing the shoulderblades together | x3 | Shoulderblades extend further down the back than you'd think |
| Neck, upper traps | Pull your left ear down towards your shoulder. After a few seconds, extend the left arm, fold at elbow, very gently press down against right ear. Breathe, return to centre, repeat other side | ||
| Neck | Tuck your chin forwards, and slowly roll your head clockwise in a circle, then anticlockwise | 3x per direction | |
| Shoulders, wrists | Extend arms outwards, just below shoulder height, palms facing downwards. Rotate just the wrists, not the forearms, to face upwards | x3 | |
| Shoulders, wrists | Extend arms forwards, just below shoulder height, palms facing inwards and downwards. Flex just the wrists, to face forwards and outwards | x3 | |
| Shoulders, upper-mid back | From here (palms facing up) bend elbows so hands sit on shoulders. Roll elbows outwards, down and backwards, bringing them together in front of the chest. Repeat, then rotate in the opposite direction | x3 per direction | Encouraged to bend upper-mid back backwards as elbows rotate back, hunch slightly as elbows come forward |
| Shoulders, upper-mid back | Extend arms out to side, palms forwards, thumbs face upwards. Rotate wrists so thumbs face downwards. Push backwards and pulse three times, return to centre | x3 |
Yoga poses that should particularly address tech neck. Use a yoga mat for these ideally, and if your knees are trashed like mine are, fold part of the mat in half or even thirds to support them. Hold each position for a few breaths.
| Name | Description | Coaching points |
|---|---|---|
| Tabletop | On hands and knees, front of feet flat against the floor. Hands are underneath shoulders, knees are underneath hips, back is straight and extended. Find "neutral spine" from this position, by slightly angling of pelvis upwards-backwards then forward-downwards, do this a few times with a smaller angle until it settles neutral | Option to spend a while here circling the hips horizontally, quite relaxed and fluid, a few times one direction then the other |
| Pointer | Pilates option - from tabletop, extend one leg backwards, point the foot, no higher than hip height. Extend the opposite arm forward, reach forward, no higher than shoulder height. Back to tabletop, then swap sides. | Option to extend the pointer outwards diagonally, rather than forward; option to add a sort of crunch, bringing in knee and elbow towards chest then back out |
| Cat-cow | Start in tabletop position, then arch the back concave and then convex, led from the pelvic angle. Eye gaze up as you arch backwards, eye gaze down towards navel as you arch upwards | Involve the shoulders |
| Camel | Kneeling with the body upright, support lower back with hands, bend backwards | Option to try to reach for the ankles with the hands, if you're super flexible |
| Glute bridge | Lying on back, knees raised and heels below hips, lift upwards from the core until it's straight (this is not a back bend). Squeeze, hold for as long as possible. Slowly return to the ground, starting at the top, vertebra by vertebra | Option to pull the shoulderblades together and clasp hands under the hips |
| Child pose | Kneeling slightly wider than hip width, bend forward at lower back, stretch arms forward if possible, at sides if more comfortable; relax and sink into it |
Basic yoga combo move to build variations on. See Hip It for a series of hip-opening flows building on this.
- start in mountain pose, or "extended mountain" with arms raised overhead, palms together.
- "Forward fold", arms hang towards the floor, knees slightly bent is ok.
- "Flat back extend", hands on shins and back straight, horizontal, stretching forward.
- Forward fold again, then step one leg back into a lunge (step quite far back). Keep chest raised.
- Step the other leg back into "downward dog" (body is in a v-shape, hips upwards, ribs pulled downwards, shoulderblades down and back.
- Shift weight forward so you're in a plank (arms straight, hands under shoulders, toes tucked, core engaged). Lowering your knees here is better than collapsing your core.
- Slowly fold in elbows and head towards the floor (like a tricep pushup in reverse)
- Untuck toes, straighten arms, hips still pressed down into "up dog" (definitely a back bend).
- From here, reverse the flow: tuck toes, back to downward dog, foot between hands "with control" back to lunge, forward fold, flat back extend, forward fold, up to extended mountain, repeat other side
Back-strengthening exercises that can help connect the neck to the core. Ideally use a weighted bar for this but who has one at home, i don't!
- Starting position is slightly wider than hip width, weight in the heels
- Partial deadlift (hip hinge backwards, lower bar to knees, summon glutes to raise back up, bar close against the front of the thighs)
- Rows (start the deadlift, stay at the bottom, pull the elbows back to move the weight upwards, keep them pressed close to the side of the body)
- Upright rows (from starting position, pull bar upwards, elbows are just below chest height. bar is just below nipple height, then return to start)
- Any sequence combining the above