Screen Break: Neck & Shoulders

For the ache between the shoulder blades.

8 minutesVery gentlebeginnerNeeds: Chair, Wall

Screens pull the head forward, and every centimeter forward adds effective weight the neck and upper back must carry. The result is that familiar burn along the shoulder blades by 3 p.m. This practice takes the load off, then re-opens the chest so the head can stack where it belongs.

Nothing here needs the floor except the final two shapes — skip them at the office and this stays a standing-and-chair practice.

The sequence

  1. 1
    Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
    Mountain PoseTadasana

    5 breaths

    Back against a wall; feel the back of the head reach for it.

  2. 2
    Eagle PoseGarudasana

    5 breaths per side

    Arms only — the single best shoulder-blade stretch a desk worker has.

  3. 3
    Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
    Cow Face PoseGomukhasana

    5 breaths per side

    Arms only, with a sleeve or strap between the hands.

  4. 4
    Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
    Standing Forward FoldUttanasana

    6 breaths

    Hold opposite elbows and sway gently.

  5. 5
    Thread the NeedleParsva Balasana

    6 breaths per side

  6. 6
    Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)
    Extended Puppy PoseUttana Shishosana

    8 breaths

Breath

Slow nose breathing; on each exhale let the shoulders drop a millimeter further from the ears.

To finish

Stand tall against the wall again — notice how much closer the head sits to it now.

Prints clean — pin it where you'll practice.

Where this fits

For feeling calm · flexible — works desk, home, chair.