It is quite common to experience shoulder and neck pain when you’re under stress. After all, we tend to store the most stress in our neck and shoulders, which can cause stiffness and knots. If you combine ongoing stress with a sedentary lifestyle, yes, those of you who sit at a desk for 8-hours or more a day, you can quickly end up with back pain and neck pain.

The good news is that hitting your mat for a little stress-relieving stretching can help relieve pain and increase flexibility. Try on these pain-relieving yoga poses:

Yoga poses for joint pain

Whether you have a sore neck or a shoulder or are suffering from arthritis or joint pain, there are some excellent yoga poses, or asanas, to help soothe stiffness and discomfort. The following poses also work for patients suffering from fibromyalgia:

• Downward-facing dog

This popular yoga pose stretches out the hamstrings, but also offers a yummy complete body stretch that targets the back extensors and large muscles in the lower back and hips. This pose also helps support and align the spine.

• Child’s pose

Child’s pose helps elongate the back to relieve stress and pain. This is largely a resting pose, however, it can be turned into an active stretch when you extend and engage the arms and shoulders. This pose also works great as a de-stressor before going to bed after a long and tiresome day.

Yoga poses for relieving hip and lower back pain

• Pigeon pose

Pigeon relaxes and give the hips a good stretch. This pose might be a bit challenging and intimidating for those who are new to yoga because it deeply stretches the hip flexors and rotators.

• Triangle pose

This pose aims to lengthen the torso muscles while building flexibility and strength in the back, legs, and hips.  Triangle lengthens the muscles along the sides of the torso, the back, legs, and even the neck, but especially stretches the muscle fibers along the outer hips.

Yoga poses for relieving shoulder pain

• Cat and cow pose

Two in one great moves for loosening the back and warming up the entire body before practice. Cat-cow pose loosens up the back, hips, and neck and offers relief from a stiffness to warm up the entire body for a workout.

• Forward fold

Forward fold may look easy, but it takes quite a bit of practice to fully release tight shoulders and back muscles as you bend forward toward your knees. Forward fold also stretches out the back muscle, shoulders, and those tense hamstrings.

General tips for using yoga poses for relieving pain

There is a yoga pose to help you relieve pain and stiffness in almost every single muscle and area of the body, but it’s important when starting any new form of exercise to keep this in mind:

• The body changes every day. Therefore, it is important for you to make adjustments to your workout sessions and avoid poses that might cause discomfort, injury, and more pain.
• Do not force or push yourself into a pose you can’t do.
• Always use your breath for guiding your movement and breathe into stretches.
• Move slowly, but with great fluidity.
• Try being gentle and easy. Enjoy the procedure.
• Be careful of your postures and use props (i.e., straps and blocks) when you need them.

When to consult a doctor?

Always consult your doctor prior to attempting any new exercise program. If you try yoga poses for relieving shoulder and other types of chronic pain at doctor recommendation, but did not find them effective, it is time to revisit your doctor.