Stiff Neck and Shoulders? This 8-Minute Yoga Stretch Session Will Fix That.

Need help releasing tension from your upper body—specifically, your neck, shoulders, and upper back? This simple sequence of yoga stretches is designed to do exactly that. It’s a quick practice that’s essentially variations of traditional poses that target the upper body. Think of taking reverse prayer hands in Child’s Pose, Thread the Needle in Tabletop, letting your neck be relaxed in Rag Doll, and clasping your hands behind your back in Humble Warrior.

They’re simple shapes that make all the difference.

8-Minute Yoga Stretches for Your Upper Body

These simple yoga stretches are suitable for all experience levels. No previous experience or props needed.

Child’s Pose

Let’s begin in Child’s Pose, big toes together, knees wide apart. Since we’re focusing on the upper body, you can do reverse prayer with your hands, bringing the palms together, bending your elbows, and bringing your hands to rest toward the back of your neck. Breathe in and out through your nose. Think of melting your chest down toward the mat and releasing through your hips so they sink toward your heels. Take 2 more belly breaths here.

If you had your elbows bent, you can straighten your arms.

Thread the Needle

Come into Tabletop with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips, setting yourself up for Thread the Needle. Inhale as you reach your left arm toward the sky.

Then exhale and reach that arm underneath you as your left shoulder and left ear come down to the mat. Stay here or straighten your right arm. You might want to pushing your right hand into the mat and use that as leverage so you can twist a little deeper. Try to keep your hips directly over your knees so they’re not swaying side to side. Hug your navel toward your spine and think of sliding your shoulder blades down your back so your neck has a lot of space.

If you had your right arm straight, bring it back in, come all the way up to hands and knees, and extend your left arm upward again. Try this on the other side.

Downward-Facing Dog

From Tabletop, walk your hands a couple inches past your shoulders, tuck your toes under, and lift your hips up and back in your first Downward Dog. You can go ahead and paddle your feet, moving your hips side to side, alternately bending one knee and straightening the other, trying to reach your chest toward your thighs. Relax your neck and your head here.

Rag Doll or Standing Forward Bend

Walk your hands to the back of the mat for Rag Doll. As you fold forward, bend your knees quite a lot, grabbing hold of your opposite elbows and letting yourself dangle and sway a little side to side. Since this is an upper body-focused class, maybe turn your head side to side and let go of any tension through the neck, the jaw, the shoulders, and the arms.

Three-Legged Dog

Walk your way back to Downward Dog and then find Three-Legged Dog with your right leg extending toward the sky. Then bend your right knee, open that hip, and give yourself a nice thigh stretch.

Low Lunge

Step forward into a Low Lunge and let your back knee come down to the mat. Lift your chest and arms and find a little backbend here as you bend your elbows 90 degrees, lean back slightly, and squeeze your shoulder blades behind you. You’re really emphasizing bending from the upper back.

Warrior 2

Circle your arms and bring your hands to the mat. Come into Warrior 2 by planting the back foot parallel to the shorter edge of the mat and lifting all the way up with your front knee bent and your arms reaching.

Humble Warrior

Interlace your fingers behind your lower back.

Then dive down as you reach your knuckles up and overhead in Humble Warrior. You’re still pressing your right knee to the side and still pushing firmly into your back foot, but you’re also really trying to lift those knuckles. Emphasize relaxing your neck and releasing tension in your jaw.

Release your grasp and circle your arms as you bring your hands to the mat.

Revolved Lunge

Set yourself up for a twist by keeping your left hand down and reaching your right arm up, trying to stack your right shoulder over your left and reaching your arms away from one another.

Plank

You’re going to take a flow here by inhaling as you bring your right hand down, step your right foot back, and come into the top of a push-up or Plank Pose.

Cobra

Exhale as you lower all the way to your belly. Then inhale as you lift your chest in a slight backbend, Cobra.

Downward-Facing Dog

Exhale as you press back to Downward Dog. Then repeat the same sequence on the other side, starting with Three-Legged Dog and then Low Lunge, Warrior 2, Humble Warrior, Revolved Lunge, Plank, Cober, and Downward Dog.

As you come into your last Downward Dog, reach your chest toward your thighs. Then go ahead and bring your knees down to the mat.

Neck Stretches

Sit on your heels, if that’s comfortable for you, or come into any seated position. Reach your left hand toward your right ear, gently encouraging it toward your shoulder and letting yourself get a stretch along the side of your neck. You might even feel a stretch down the arm. Keep your chin slightly lifted and make sure you’re sitting tall through the spine and not slouching.

Now roll your chin downward, tucking it a little toward your shoulder and armpit, so you’re stretching a little more along the back right side of your neck. Then roll your chin down toward the chest, still sitting nice and tall. Then do the same thing on the other side

Seated Cat-Cow

Slowly release and sit cross-legged, if you’re not already, and take a few rounds of seated Cat and Cow. Bring your palms onto your knees and inhale as you lift your chest and arch your back.

Then exhale as you round your back and contract your core as you bring your chin to the chest. Keep going in between those two poses a few times, moving with your breath.

Then release and shake out the shoulders and pause here with your hands down on your thighs or together at your chest as you close your practice. Thank you for sharing this 8-minute yoga stretches sequence with me and may you be feeling better.

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Ottawa-based Yin and vinyasa yoga instructor, author, and the face behind YouTube channel Yoga with Kassandra, Kassandra Reinhardt is on a mission to help others feel great with yoga. Yoga with Kassandra has grown to more than 2.4 million subscribers worldwide. She specializes in her bite-sized approach of 10 minute morning classes as well as videos featuring yoga for athletes and mental health.

Kassandra is the author of Yin Yoga: Stretch The Mindful Way (DK Books), has led yoga retreats internationally, and offers online workshops and in-person Yin Yoga training. She is also the creator of the Yoga with Kassandra app, a source for yoga with exclusive video content. With over 2 million people in her online community, Kassandra is expanding her expertise further, with the release of her second book, Year of Yoga: Rituals for Every Day and Every Season (Mandala Publishing). Kassandra and her channel have been featured in CBC, Bustle, PopSugar, Well+Good, and Elle Australia.

Credentials: YTT-200 | YTT-300 | 50-hour yin yoga training | Level 1 yoga therapy