TECH NECK

We live in a constantly connected world but being hooked on to the cell phone, laptop and personal computer, can be a pain in the neck. Crammed up phone between the head and the shoulder and neck straining uncomfortably to view the tiny screen, is a 21st century problem called as "Tech Neck."

Deeply engrossed in our work, our head wants to lead not just functionally but position-wise too, as if it wants to win a race with the entire body. Then the body also decides to lean forward with rounded shoulders, as if catching up with the head. Who suffers – the neck, upper back and the shoulders!

The neck muscles that hold the head straight in place have to work hard all the time, trying to hold it back. They become tight and short with time, and to look in front, we lift our face by arching our neck up. This puts further strain, wear and tear of bones leading to cervical spondylosis.

Tech Neck is also the cause of low energy levels as it hampers free breathing. Slumping alone can reduce the breathing capacity by 20% - 30% as the rib cage cannot expand. This reduces oxygenation to the whole body including the brain thus making us feel exhausted and lethargic.

Yoga Therapy

1. Parshwahastasana - This practice helps to open the shoulder joints, release tension from neck and the chest and frees the breath. With the namaskaar behind, it also stretches the wrists and the hands.

·         Lengthen the spine and stretch the arms on the sides like the letter ‘T’. Then bend the elbows and bring the hands behind the back with the fingers touching.

·         Gently, without any discomfort, begin to press the finger tips upwards so that the palms come towards each other into the namaskar or the prayer pose. You can stop midway if you feel that the stretch is enough for you.

·         Breathe keeping the chest lifted and open. Keep the head directly over the spine and create length to the top of the head.

2. Garudasana arms - By opening the upper back and the shoulder joints from behind, it releases tension from the upper back.

·         Bring the folded arms in front of you, keeping the elbows in level with the shoulders.

·         Then tuck the left elbow firmly under the right and press the back of the hands against each other.

·         If you are comfortable to go deeper, then begin to wrap your arms so that the palms face each other. The palms will not be at the same level though.

·         Then lift the elbows up and out and breathe into your upper back for half to one minute.

·         Feel your upper back muscles getting stretched and softened. Release gently step by step and repeat with the other side.

3.      Setubandhasana with W arms - This pose has an overall strengthening effect on the whole back, shoulders, thighs and the legs with a soothing stretch to the tired muscles of the neck.

·         Lie on the floor on your back with the knees folded. Place the arms by the side like a wide ‘W’ with the palms facing up.

·         Tuck the belly in and lift the hips and spine off the floor. Strengthen your shoulders as you feel some body weight subtly on them.

·         Tuckyour hin and feel the lengthening and the stretching in your neck muscles.

Quick Office Fixes

·         Chin tuck – Slide your head back with your chin parallel to the earth, bringing your head and heart in line. Let this become a habit and not just an exercise!

·         Neck stretch - Move your chin towards your chest, holding for 5 seconds as you feel a comfortable stretch from your neck to the base of your skull. Then holding the side of the face, gently pull the head to the side.

·         T arms - Raise your arms upto the horizontal like a letter T with the thumbs pointing up. Now turn the thumb back as much as you can. As you do so, your palms will turn up to face the sky. Hold for 5-10 seconds, release and repeat.

·         Head press – With your hands interlocked behind your head, press your head back against the resistance of your hands. Hold, release and repeat.

·         Arm stretch - Clasp your hands behind you, inhale and pull the arms strongly back against the resistance of your clasped hands .You can keep your elbows slightly bent so that the upper arms go back easily.

Quick dupatta stretch!

Wrapping a cotton dupatta around our upper back, flip the two ends behind. Cross them as shown in the picture and pull the two ends down. Do not forget to tuck your chin bringing your head over the heart. Hold the pull for a while and feel good as the tension of the muscles eases out!

ASTHMA CAN BE MANAGED WITH YOGA - read the article 'ASAN' way out!

‘Asan’ way out!

Feeling breathless? You can cut short your frequent asthma attacks with certain Yoga exercises.
An asthmatic, Jaya always had to carry an inhaler in her bag, until she was introduced to the world of Yoga and Pranayama. The healing experience of Neti Kriya helped her get rid of steroid tablets and now she can make do without her inhaler. The regular practice of Yogasanas, Pranayama and Kriyas controls the attacks of asthma, which can be eventually cured.

Keep a check:

Bhujangasana and Ushtrasana
They increase movement in the rib cage and the spine to try and improve the working of the lungs. The forward bend of Hastapadasana helps shift and cough up phlegm.

Surya Namaskaar
A regular practice of Surya Namaskaar done with awareness and correct breathing can do wonders. The sequence of practices is such that 95 per cent of the muscles get to work in a very rhythmic way with alternate stretch and strength, forward bend and back bend, which ultimately improve lung and airway functions and helps drain secretions.

Yoga nidra
The deep relaxation induced in the voluntary muscles with Yoganidra extends to the involuntary muscles of the airways too. This helps relax the constricted bronchial tubes and ease the job of breathing. It also reduces the element of panic during an attack as the mind learns to direct inwards and relax the bronchus.

Pranayama:
It helps the full utilisation of all lobes of lungs, normalisation of the fast breathing rate thus improving the exhalations or the breathing out by relaxing the airways. Pranayama teaches diaphragmatic breathing which is a big help during attacks. Asthma patients find it difficult to breathe out due to the spasm of the airways.

They try to cope up with this by contracting their chest wall, which does not really cooperate much due to the tightness of asthma. Here, diaphragmatic breathing done with the help of abdominal muscles is a big resort to reduce the carbondioxide build-up.

Kapaalbhati
Toxins accumulate in our lungs due to our shallow breathing. Kapaalbhati Kriya, with its active abdominal exhalations, purifies the lungs, helping it get rid of carbon dioxide. This also clears the airways making the flow of breathes easier.

Special techniques:

Jal Neti
It helps gain mastery over hyper reactive reflexes by helping develop tolerance to external stimulants something similar to desensitisation therapy for allergens. In Jal Neti, one washes the internal nose with lukewarm saline water.

Here, the water in the hyper responsive nasal lining would trigger off a whole chain of events including excessive sneezing, watery running and nasal blocking. The excitability of the nerves of the air passages gets reduced eventually and one gains mastery over the allergies. This however, should be learnt under guidance.

Medi—Pranayama
This is a special left nostril breathing technique with the left hand in the ‘Surya Mudra’.This breath meditation strengthens the immune system to fight both viruses and bacteria and thus prevent infections. This is followed by breathing with hands interlaced to stimulate the thymus gland (call it the head quarter of the immune system) . The technique has been published internationally and has to be learnt correctly.

Attack the attack - Shashankasana breathing
While sitting in Vajrasana position, hold the right wrist with your left hand behind your back. Synhronise your breathing with your movements — exhale to bend forward on your hip region and inhale to lift your body up. Do this five times. Then as you bend forward, chant a soft ‘Mmm…’ and inhale to come up. Do this five times. During an attack, one can chant ‘Aaaa…’ with the forward bending instead of the ‘Mmm…’