Yoga Neck Rolls to Relieve Headache

Video Transcript

"ELIZABETH ROSE: The next thing we're going to do is bring some movement into this area with all the tension, where your headache is happening. So, I'm going to put my hair back, so that you guys can see it, it's a little bit easier. All that's going to happen is you're going to be seated in your easy seated pose, again, with your sits bone on the floor or on a block. You're going to inhale and the crown of the head reaches up so that you're sitting tall, but you're not going to be propped this way. If you're sitting this way, then just relax so that your shoulder blades fall down on either side of the spine, but the crown of your head is still reaching up. You're going to inhale, and then as you exhale, just gently drop the right ear toward the right shoulder. Notice how my shoulders don't creep up--[SOUNDS LIKE] errk--as I drop the ear down, right? They're going to stay exactly where they are and feeling my shoulder blades melting down on either side of the spine, and I'm exhaling to just drop my right ear toward the right shoulder. Take a couple breaths here, inhaling and exhaling, and then, in and out through the nose, remember. And then on an exhale, you're going to go ahead and let the chin fall toward the chest. Again, when you're here, the shoulders aren't creeping up. They're still melting down on either side of the spine. You're going to inhale, think of breathing into the back of the neck and between the shoulder blades, and exhale. Stick with your 3-part breath into the belly, into the ribcage, and then into the heart. Then as you inhale, you're going to let the left ear come over toward the left shoulder. Notice again, the right shoulder isn't going to pop up and the left shoulder isn't going to come up to support the ear in your chest. Just keep then gently falling down. So inhale and lift your ear up, and you're going to breathe here. Now, slowly begin to connect these movements, exhaling as you drop the chin toward the chest and inhaling as the ear rolls up towards the shoulder blades, and do this as long as you're comfortable. I'd say at least 20 repetitions. If you can keep it going for a minute, that's great, but stick with the breath. Let the breath be the emphasis for every movement and don't ever let yourself give the breath away."