Neck Stretches: Try These 5 Easy Exercises

Are you doing neck stretches while you feel stressed and exhausted at your work, sitting all day long in front of your computer? Well, it is necessary to do stretching to maintain your good posture and prevent neck injuries. The joints in your neck would benefit from the movement. It is required to do neck stretching exercises, especially before you play your favorite sports or doing your training to reach a full pain-free range of motion and optimize your performance. Here are some of the easiest neck stretching exercises you can do.

Neck Stretches

Sit upright

It is easy to do neck stretching in a relaxed sitting position. You can find a chair where you can plant your feet flat on the floor with a hip-width distance apart and sit upright. Practicing good posture is good for your body and especially for the alignment of your spinal cord. Your shoulders should be centered directly over your head and hips directly over your shoulders.

Do a forward and backward tilt

Sit straight. Your head should be aligned to your shoulders.
Face down or lower your chin to your chest and hold for 15-30 seconds.
Just keep it relaxed and slowly lift your head to normal position.
Face toward the ceiling and bring the back of your head toward your back.
Hold it for 10 seconds then return to starting position.
Repeat this set for several times and do it every day.

Look from side to side

You must inhale while moving your head to one side.
Take several deep breaths while you hold this position.
Look as far over your shoulder as you can without forcing your neck and feeling pain.
Slowly go back to starting position, inhaling as you do the same exercise to the other side.
Repeat these steps two or three times.

Perform Neck Rolls

Sit straight with your spine erect and hands on your lap.
Take a deep breath and exhale while letting your head drop forward.
Inhale while you roll your head up to one side (nearly touching your ear to shoulder).
Relax your shoulder and take some deep breaths in this position.
Exhale while returning to starting position and inhale as you roll it up and over the opposite shoulder.
To relieve neck and shoulder tension, do at least five to ten neck rolls.

Cat Pose

To perform a cat pose, go down on the floor on your hands and knees.
Inhale. Lift your chin while dropping your belly towards the floor while lifting up the back of your hips.
Exhale. Arch your back, drop your head and hips on the floor, like a cat.
Repeat until you’re satisfied and feel relaxed.

Doing these pain exercises and neck stretches immediately relieves you of any stiffness and soreness as the exercises loosen your muscles and kinks. With good posture and proper stretching, you can then enjoy a pain- and injury-free life.