Neck Rolls

About This Pose

Neck Rolls are one of the simplest mobility practices available, and one of the most immediately effective for releasing the tension that accumulates from screen time, driving, stress, and simply carrying the head forward of the spine all day. Sit or stand comfortably. Drop the right ear toward the right shoulder without lifting the shoulder to meet it. Feel the stretch along the left side of the neck. Hold for three to five breaths. Slowly roll the chin toward the chest and continue the arc toward the left shoulder. Feel the right side of the neck open. Hold for three to five breaths on the left. Move slowly through the arc between the two side positions, pausing wherever you feel resistance or tightness and breathing into it. The slowness is important: moving quickly through neck rolls produces heat and doesn't create the release that slow, attentive movement does. Stay in the front of the arc, from ear to ear through the chin. Avoid rolling the head back through a full circle, which compresses the cervical spine. The upper trapezius and scalene muscles, the most commonly tight muscles in the neck, both respond to this gentle movement. What often surprises people is how different the two sides feel. Most people hold their phone on one side, drive with their head turned slightly, and carry bags on one shoulder. The neck reflects all of it. Three to five minutes of slow neck rolls at the end of a workday consistently reduces the tension headaches that accumulate through the week.

How to Practice

1. 1

   Sit comfortably in Easy Seated Pose or on a chair with the spine tall.

2. 2

   On an exhale, gently lower the right ear toward the right shoulder.

3. 3

   Slowly roll the chin forward and down toward the chest.

4. 4

   Continue rolling to the left, bringing the left ear toward the left shoulder.

5. 5

   Reverse the direction, moving slowly and without forcing any range of motion.

6. 6

   Complete 3–5 rolls in each direction, pausing anywhere that feels tight.

Benefits

• Releases neck and upper-trapezius tension from screen time