Freeing Your Neck & Throat with Yoga Actions (Part 2)

Given the tendency for many people to project their head forward as a result of long hours working on computers, I am continuing to explore how the throat diaphragm can enable us to correct this misalignment.

The yoga actions and poses in this blog strengthen our neck and throat muscles. In addition, they allow us to properly align our head and neck over our spine, which opens the breath cavity easing swallowing, speaking and eating. With this realignment comes greater ease and balance due to the reduced effort afforded the upper back muscles that have been working overtime to hold onto a forward-pitched head.

For the poses illustrated below, practise these yoga actions to free your throat.

SUPTA BADDHA KONASANA (Supine Bound Angle) 5 minutes
– horizontal bolster under thoracic
– support under head

YOGA ACTIONs:

1. EXPAND the circumference of the Throat Diaphragm (TD) from the size of a thimble to a bowl; first with your breath, then with your awareness.
2. LIFT the hyoid bone (in red below) back toward the cervical spine and up. Think of “smiling” with it. Notice how the back neck muscles release and relax allowing the head to align over the torso.

Continue to practise the Yoga Actions for each of the poses below.

ARDHA SUPTA VIRASANA (Half Supine Hero) 5 Breaths each
– repeat with other leg bent

ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA (Downward-facing Dog) 5-10 Breaths
– in Inversions roll front edge of TD up toward head — releases back neck

SUPTA VIRASANA (Supine Hero) 3-5 minutes
– on 2 low- or medium-height blocks

PINCHA MAYURASANA 2 repetitions  5-10 Breaths each
– with chair, block between hands, weight on chair seat
– in Inversions roll front edge of TD up toward head to lift head

CHAIR URDHVA DHANURASANA (Upward-facing Bow) 2-3 minutes
– chair back into upper shoulder blades
– press heels into chair legs; toe mounds on floor
– walk hands down wall

UPAVISTHA KONASANA (Wide-angle Forward Bend) 10 Breaths
– in Forward Folds (FFs): roll front edge of TD up toward head — releases neck

SAVASANA (Corpse) 5-10 minutes
– sandbags on wrists & forearms

May all beings feel free to voice their truth. Namaste.