Loosen Up: Three Gentle Seated Stretches for Neck and Shoulders
Shoulders creeping up toward your ears? Three easy stretches you can do from your favorite chair.
Prefer to watch? Here is the video version (large print, no sound needed). Watch on YouTube
By mid-afternoon, my shoulders have usually crept halfway up to my ears. Reading glasses, a long drive, a good phone call or an hour with the newspaper will all do it. The good news is that it doesn’t take a gym or a mat to loosen things up. A sturdy chair and five minutes will do.
These three stretches are gentle, quiet and easy to remember. Do them in the morning, after a long sit, or any time you notice yourself hunching.
Getting set up
- Use a sturdy chair without wheels, on a flat floor.
- Sit toward the front of the seat, feet flat and about hip-width apart.
- Sit tall, as if a string were lifting the top of your head.
- Breathe slowly and steadily the whole time. No holding your breath.
1. Shoulder rolls
Let your arms hang loosely at your sides or rest your hands on your thighs. Lift both shoulders up toward your ears, roll them back, then let them drop down. Make the circle slow and smooth. Do 5 rolls, then rest.
If one shoulder feels tighter, that’s normal. Just keep the motion easy.
2. Ear to shoulder
Sit tall and look straight ahead. Let your right ear drift toward your right shoulder until you feel a mild stretch along the left side of your neck. Keep your shoulders relaxed and down. Hold for three slow breaths, then bring your head back to center and switch sides.
Skip the full head circles you may remember from gym class. Rolling the head all the way back isn’t kind to the neck. Side to side is plenty.
3. Shoulder-blade squeeze
Rest your hands on your thighs. Gently draw your shoulder blades back and together, as if you were holding a pencil between them. Keep your chin level. Hold for a count of five, then relax. Repeat 5 times.
This one is a nice reset after time at the computer or behind the wheel. It also reminds the upper back what good posture feels like, which is handy when you stand up afterward.
Try this today
- Pick a daily cue, like the kettle boiling or the end of the news.
- Do the three stretches in order: rolls, tilts, squeezes.
- Notice how your neck and shoulders feel afterward.
Make it a habit
The secret isn’t a long session. It’s doing a little, often. Tie the stretches to something you already do every day, like the morning coffee, the evening news or the end of a phone call. After a week or two, your shoulders will start reminding you on their own.
Keep it gentle
Stretching should feel like a mild pull, never a sharp pain. Move at about half the speed you think you should, stay in a comfortable range, and stop if anything hurts, tingles or makes you dizzy.
Please check with your doctor before starting any new exercise, especially if you’ve had neck or shoulder surgery, an injury, or feel dizzy when you move your head. Stop if anything hurts.
Want more seated movement?
If you enjoy moving from a chair, my large-print book, Chair Tai Chi, walks through 31 seated movements with a picture for every step. You can see it on Amazon. The free Chair Tai Chi printables are a good place to start too.
Where do you carry your tension: neck, shoulders, or the jaw? Tell me in the comments.