Wondering if certain yoga poses benefit certain body parts? The answer is yes. Let’s focus on which yoga poses make a great flow to tone the neck, fix a double chin, and improve posture.
Please note that it won’t take just one yoga session to see these types of improvements. Your best bet for reaping the vast benefits of yoga is to integrate the practice into your daily life.
Do you sit at a computer for many hours of every day? Then you might have noticed that it’s created some structural changes in your back and neck.
If your kids are doing a lot of gaming, their posture will be impacted, over the long term, especially during growth spurts.
It’s important to keep this in check. If your posture is wrong, the following could be happening:
- Muscle strain and muscle tension
- Headaches, neck and back pain
Other side effects of too much sitting at a computer:
- Poor circulation (cold hands and feet, blood flow to the extremities restricted)
- Poor digestion
- Slowed metabolism
- Weight gain
- Sluggish thyroid
Can yoga fix your posture? Can yoga improve the appearance of your face and neck, and reduce double chin?
I am not a doctor, and this should not be taken as medical advice. But as someone who does yoga, I’ve seen an improvement in how my neck looks, and have lessened a shoulder slouch, by doing yoga on a regular basis.
If you take a yoga class, your instructor will get you moving through a yoga flow that will likely include poses that help your posture, including toning your neck and chin area.
But specifically, if you want the yoga poses that target the face, neck, back and shoulders, here they are. I want to also stress that whatever pose you do in yoga should be counterbalanced.
This means that if you’re arching your spine in one pose, you should then do a converse pose that rounds your spine.
A simple example of this is cat and cow. These poses are always done together, alternating a an arching of the back (cow) with a rounding of the back (cat).
To get the most from yoga, really try to relax. Practice yoga in a quiet, peaceful place. Focus on deep, steady breathing. This goes for any pose, but especially ones that involve stretching the neck. The softer your breathing, the better your neck will feel when you complete the sequence.
If you have neck problems, consult with your doctor before doing this sequence… and maybe even talk with a yoga instructor who can work with you to go slow at your own pace.
Try this yoga flow for your neck, chin, shoulders and overall posture.
- For each pose, move slowly and carefully.
- Breathe from your diaphragm, exhaling and inhaling mindfully and completely.
- Hold the pose for six breath counts.
- Then move into the next pose.
Mountain pose.
Forward fold.
Downward dog.
Plank.
Upward dog.
Camel pose.
Go all the way back and grab your ankles or toes with your hands if you can.
Child’s pose.
Bridge pose.
Shoulder stand.
Plough pose.
Seated forward fold.
Please note it’s really important to do these poses that are Converse to the backbend type poses. Otherwise you will end up with a neck ache.
Child’s pose.
Downward dog.
Child’s pose.
Standing forward fold.
Mountain pose.
The final pose from Mountain pose that you can do if you want to put your neck back in the right place is pictured below.
I don’t know what you call this, but it’s a really good way to release tension in your neck.
Fully relax into the pose and hang out there breathing deeply for as long as you find enjoyable.
Again, if you have any pain, or if there is any doubt as to whether you should be doing yoga based on your current physical condition, consult with your doctor or a medical expert before proceeding.
This information is not to be offered as medical advice. Any unusual symptoms should be reported to your physician.
Find a Great Yoga Instructor in Hunterdon or Warren County, NJ
Take yoga classes in Warren County with Mary Walker-Golden at MpowerYogaWellness.com
Sign up for yoga classes in Hunterdon with Laura Knott of GroundedEarthYoga.com