Release tension and ease pain in the neck and shoulders with this Myofascial Release (MFR) technique that targets the upper traps.
A cue that’s commonly heard in many a yoga class is: “Relax the shoulders away from the ears.” It’s like as a collective we hold tension in the neck & upper back, and while there are many factors that can contribute to discomfort in this region, here are a few common ones:
1. Poor posture.
Look at what we’re both doing right now: Scrolling, typing, and looking at a smart phone or a computer. Pause for a moment and notice the position of your head, neck and shoulders. There can be a tendency to jut our heads forward, or to look down and round through the shoulders and upper back. This can strain the tissues over time.
2. Repetitive movements.
The upper traps help us to move our neck and lift our shoulders... Think about how many activities, sports, hobbies, things we do in daily life require this action?? Repeated movements can create tiny tears in the tissues which, if not managed properly, can lead to discomfort or injury.
3. Stress.
Often times, I think that stress may be the most common culprit of neck & upper back tension. Think about what physically happens when we’re stressed?? Typically, our muscles tense and our breath becomes short and shallow. The same muscles that lift our shoulders towards our ears (a common reaction to stress) become overworked as they also assist in that shallow, “stressed out” breathing (with the diaphragm at the lower border of the ribs being one of our primary breathing muscles that can actually help us in managing our reaction to stress).
I hope you find this tutorial and insight helpful. If you give the technique a try, let me know how it goes!
You’ll need 2 therapy balls (I’m using my fav. RAD Recovery Rounds), or tennis balls, and a yoga block or something similar.
And don’t forget to breathe slowly and deeply. Try breathing into the belly and the ribs (as opposed to the upper chest) — both in these techniques & sprinkled throughout moments in daily life — to combat stress and to pull any lingering tension out of the neck & shoulders :)