Hello Yoga Bolster, Goodbye Neck and Upper Back Pain!

Working on a computer all day is tough on your back and neck muscles. Why is that? Forward leaning work causes us to tighten our pectoral and subscapularius muscles. As these muscles tighten, this can also lead to strain and pains in our upper back and neck muscles.

Pectoral Muscle Diagram from Demand Studios

If you have a job that requires you to sit or lean forward for hours at a time, it’s tough to stretch enough to counteract the stress this puts on your upper back and neck muscles. Like brushing your teeth a few minutes each day (versus once a week for 2 hours, (it’s far better to stretch a few minutes each day than just once a week or when you go to the gym!

We recommend you pair a great upper body stretch with a few minutes of relaxation by using a yoga bolster to stretch every day. Let gravity do the work of opening your chest muscles. Meanwhile, give your back muscles a much needed break from holding you upright all day. AND give yourself an easy way to de-stress, take a few minutes to relax and unwind after a busy day.

Gina Saka, a Chicago-based licensed massage therapist and yoga instructor, shows you how to perform the Yoga Bolster Stretch.

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As versatile as they are for stretching, yoga bolsters are not often available at your local department or even sporting goods store. However, it’s easy to order your yoga bolster from many venders online. You may use either a round or a rectangular bolster for this stretch and for many other relaxing yogic stretches.

Round bolsters should be at least 9″ by 25″.

Square bolsters should be at least 24″ by 12″ by 6″s.

If you are very tall (over 6′-2″), you may want a longer bolder, say 10″ by 29″.

Vendors that sell yoga bolsters at reasonable prices:

10″ x 28″ from Yoga Accessories

28″ x 9″ x 10″ from Yoga Direct

26″ by 9″ from The Yoga Warehouse

And if you MUST have an organic yoga bolster, try Zafu Net’s 27″ by 9″ organic bolsters. A bit more expensive, but made of organic materials. (Just don’t eat them!)

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all vendors of yoga bolsters. And we do not receive any advertising income from these product recommendations. Feel free to browse your favorite online search services to find the bolster thats right for you!

[Via http://workingwellresources.com]