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Yoga for a Happy Skeleton part 4: Saving Your Neck

Ahimsa
Sep 27, 2015
4 min read

Your neck is a miraculous tube connecting your body with your head. It’s also a hub of vital activity. Think about it. It’s not very big but a lot of things go on in there. Such as…

Spine joins brain
Network of nerves emerge from cervical vertebrae
Supports massive weight of head with poise and patience
Has an incredible range of movement while balancing that big head on top
Airway travels through
Swallowing takes place
Carotid artery pulses day and night
Vocal cords and voice box talk and shout and whisper and sing
Thyroid and parathyroid glands do important chemical work
Location of vishuddhi chakra
Probably other things I don’t know about
It is a metaphor for life and happiness – saving your neck means saving your life, if something or someone is a pain in the neck – well you know what that means.
Wow!

STRONG NECKS AND FLEXY SPINES - meet my yoga students in India.

Our friend Sarah Key lovingly writes of the neck, “Your neck is an exquisite though vulnerable piece of machinery; much more than a dancing column of bricks.”[1] Well yes! (Not sure about you, but I haven't seen many dancing columns of bricks lately...)

As our concern here is with keeping the happy skeleton, let's home in on a few key points:

The enormous range of movement (ROM) is a big responsiblity
The task of balancing and supporting the weight of the human head is also a big responsibility
The complexity of nerves originating in the cervical spine is... a big responsibility
Your neck has a fairly serious life with little chance to play.

A well-functioning neck is a centre of management expertise and diplomacy. Consider the tricky relationship the neck must maintain between its various functions: protecting delicate nerves while moving up, down, round and round according to your every whim is no easy task. The nerves emerging from the neck fan out to many parts of the body, having a major role in the working of the senses and the finer functions of your arms. The neck has a lot of departments to manage and roles to juggle. It needs your cooperation and understanding to keep the workplace chugging along smoothly.

Roses also need to be understood and handled with care to bring you pleasure not pain.

Your neck likes:

Fat discs – that means well-hydrated and nourished. The neck has particularly thick discs, enabling it to do what has to be done.
Freedom of movement in its facet joints – seizing up of joints is bad, like a rusted up hinge.
A mobile, flexible thoracic spine – see last week’s blog.
Optimal lordosis – that’s the lovely inward arch at the back of your neck. This depends on posture and alignment. Too flat or too curved not only gives you a pain in the neck, but most likely referred pain to unsuspecting body parts.

Unhappy cervical spine can give you…

Muscle spasm
Stiff neck
Neck pain
Headache and migraine
Insomnia
Blurry vision
Problem swallowing
Hearing impairment
Tinnitus
Sore teeth
Pains and funny sensations in your arms
Heightened emotion
Anxiety and depression
Nausea
Other unpleasant experiences that you don’t want.

Yoga to the rescue

Prevention is better than cure. Next best is a stitch in time saves nine. In other words, look after your neck sooner rather than later so that you don't develop serious problems. It's a matter of movement.

Some movements are for the neck itself, particularly to counteract

the many hours that are often spent with the head and neck craning forwards towards whatever work is at hand. Taking the neck through its range of movement and holding some of these positions for 10-15 seconds helps maintain ROM.

Strengthening is another must, plus mobilizing the thoracic spine.

If your posture needs correcting, then spend extra time and be diligent about regular practice of asanas that counteract the postural problem. For example, if your shoulders are rounded and your chin protrudes, do backward bends that help lengthen the shortened muscles e.g. bhujangasana, the cobra pose.

Sadhana for a happy neck

All asanas are named according to Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Bihar Yoga Publications. Buy here

Shoulder and neck movements from pawanmuktasana part 1
Majariasana (cat pose) for entire length of spine
Simhagarjanasana (roaring lion pose) to take tension out of the neck and throat.
Tiryaka tadasana (swaying palm tree pose) for the thoracic spine
Jyestikasana (superior posture) – this is the one where you lie prone on the front of the body and interlock your hands over the back of the neck while you rest.
Halasana (plough pose) loosens the thoracic spine and stretches the extensor muscles in the neck.
Sarvangasana (shoulder stand pose)
Shava udarakarshanasana (universal spinal twist pose)
Shashankasana (child pose) variation – whilst in the pose, rest your arms alongside the legs, lift the thighs up towards the vertical and turn your face to one side so that your cheek rests on the floor. Hold for one minute. Change to the other side.
Naman pranamasana (prostration pose) to strengthen your neck – this is excellent preparation if you wish to learn sirshasana, or simply practice it instead.
*Sirshasana (headstand pose) for strengthening. Learn from an experienced teacher and be aware of contraindications.