Seated Pilates Neck Stretches for Desk Workers

Hi, my name is Ali. I'm a Pilates teacher.

We're going to release your neck, if I can find a hair tie.

Oh my God. Okay. Sit down, sit tall, push your computer away, and let's do it.

Relax your shoulders back, ground through your feet.

No, I don't want to get on that meeting.

Right hand comes up and over to your left ear and draws your right ear to your right shoulder.

Now press your left shoulder down gently without too much force and feel a settling in your chest.

Close your eyes, take three deep breaths.

Hopefully my cat fountain is serenading you per usual.

But really bring your mind and your focus to the breath in and out.

Let it feel really, really good. Remove your hand, keep your head where it is.

Take your gaze down and look right at your thigh.

Continue to pull your shoulders back in space.

Inhale, exhale. The breath is so important.

Inhale tilts your gaze up, stretch the front of your neck.

And sit tall, pull in your belly, right?

Make this, like, intentional. Make this relieving.

And then drop your chin to your chest. Stretch the back of your neck. Options here.

Fingertips can come behind your skull with a little bit of pressure.

You might feel the release more. Maybe you find a cat leg back.

And the fingertips could stay or you can let them settle and just breathe.

But find a weight in your head, like even if your hands aren't there, I'm there pushing your head down.

Inhale gently, stack your spine nice and tall. Hey.

Drop your left ear to your left shoulder.

Right arm comes over. JK, left arm comes over, presses your left ear down, relaxes your right shoulder.

Rights, lefts, I don't know. So my computer, which is my ring light, it just...

You know, I had to give it a little ch-ch-ch.

So lame. Remove your hand, look down. But, like, if you're someone that works, hopefully this is really helpful for you. When I mean if you're someone that works, I mean specifically on your phone or computer.

Breath in, gaze tilts up, stretch the front of your neck.

But really for anyone. I think sometimes, I mean, look, I'm young, I'm 26, so I don't always have neck pain, but I know that, like, a lot of people walking around do, and so, like, we try to get ahead of it.

Drop your chin to your chest. Try to get ahead of what could be in your future, that feeling of stiffness from sitting like this as early as you can.

Lift your gaze. Capiche? Okay, I hope that was helpful.

Maybe you take some neck rolls. It's really simple, right?

But it's important. Okay, love you. Bye.