Relax Your Neck and Upper Back: A Standing Sequence for Upper-Body Ease

You can do your yoga practice anywhere, but not all floor surfaces are yoga-friendly. Sometimes it is neither possible, nor desirable to lie down on the ground to do your yoga poses, but it doesn’t mean that you should forgo the benefits that yoga has to offer.

I created this yoga practice when I was stuck in a tiny hotel room overstuffed with furniture. There was literally no space to roll out the yoga mat. But my neck was hurting and I was stiff all over from travel, so I had to be selective about the poses I chose. It worked out beautifully.

This yoga practice is done entirely in a standing position. You don’t even need a yoga mat. Just make sure that you are not slipping on the floor. This practice targets the neck and upper back and includes various movements that both stretch and increase circulation to those areas. It also includes a simple breathing practice that helps you relax your neck and lengthen your spine. If you find yourself traveling anytime in the future, this practice might be the perfect match for not-so-perfect practice spaces. 

A Travel-Friendly Standing Sequence for Upper Body Ease 

Study with Olga Kabel and YogaUOnline - Yoga for Every Body: How to Adapt Yoga Poses for Different Situations, Conditions, and Purposes.  

Reprinted with permission from sequencewiz.org 

Educated as a school teacher, Olga Kabel has been teaching yoga for over 14 years. She completed multiple Yoga Teacher Training Programs but discovered the strongest connection to the Krishnamacharya/ T.K.V. Desikachar lineage. She had studied with Gary Kraftsow and American Viniyoga Institute (2004-2006) and received her Viniyoga Teacher diploma in July 2006 becoming an AVI-certified Yoga Therapist in April 2011. Olga is a founder and managing director of Sequence Wiz- a web-based yoga sequence builder that assists yoga teachers and yoga therapists in creating and organizing yoga practices. It also features simple, informational articles on how to sequence yoga practices for maximum effectiveness. Olga strongly believes in the healing power of this ancient discipline on every level: physical, psychological, and spiritual. She strives to make yoga practices accessible to students of any age, physical ability and medical history specializing in helping her students relieve muscle aches and pains, manage stress and anxiety, and develop mental focus.