Neck Stretches at Your Desk: 5 Moves Paced by Your Breath

By Bathilde Rocchia, creator of BreathInU. Published .

Why your neck gets stiff at a desk

Your head weighs about as much as a bowling ball. When you lean toward a screen, the muscles at the back of your neck and the top of your shoulders (the trapezius) hold it there for hours. Add stress, which makes the shoulders creep up, and shallow chest breathing, which uses those same muscles, and the neck never gets a break.

Stretching helps, but most people rush it. Tying each move to a slow breath does two things: it slows the movement down so you do not yank your neck, and it adds the calming effect of a longer exhale.

Before you start

  • Sit near the front of your chair, feet flat, arms loose by your sides.
  • Move slowly and stay in a comfortable range. A stretch should feel like gentle tension, never pain.
  • Skip full head circles that drop your head backward. Turning and tilting is enough.
  • Each phase is about 4 to 5 seconds: one slow inhale, one slow exhale.

The 5 stretches

1. Shoulder rolls

  1. Breathe in and lift both shoulders toward your ears.
  2. Breathe out and let them drop down and back.

Do 5 rounds. Let the exhale be slightly audible: it helps the shoulders let go. Start here, it warms everything up.

2. “No” neck stretch

  1. Breathe in and turn your head to look right.
  2. Stay there for one full breath out and in.
  3. Breathe out and turn your head to the left.
  4. Stay for one full breath, then turn back right on the exhale.

Do 2 to 3 rounds each side. Keep your chin level, as if you were slowly saying “no”.

3. Down neck stretch

  1. Breathe out and let your chin drop toward your chest.
  2. Breathe in and turn your head slightly to the right, keeping it down.
  3. Breathe out and come back to the center.
  4. Breathe in and turn slightly to the left, still down.

Do 3 to 4 rounds. You should feel it between the shoulder blades and at the base of the skull.

4. Fan neck stretch

  1. Breathe out and press both shoulders down.
  2. Breathe in and tilt your head to the right, ear toward shoulder.
  3. Breathe out, come back to the center, shoulders down.
  4. Breathe in and tilt to the left.

Do 3 to 4 rounds. Do not lift the shoulder to meet the ear: the stretch comes from the shoulder staying low.

5. Side stretch

  1. Breathe out, shoulders relaxed.
  2. Breathe in, raise your right arm and reach up and slightly over to the left.
  3. Breathe out and lower the arm.
  4. Breathe in and repeat with the left arm.

Do 3 rounds each side. Your ribs open on the inhale, which makes this a good bridge back to deeper breathing.

A 5-minute routine

Shoulder rolls, then the three neck stretches, then the side stretch, in that order. Do it once in the late morning and once mid-afternoon, or whenever you catch your shoulders near your ears.

None of these moves looks strange in an open office, except perhaps the side stretch. If you want a quieter break, pair the first four with a minute of 4-6 breathing. For tired eyes, follow with the eye stretching exercises.

Fix the setup too

Stretching will not undo a screen that is too low all day. Raise your screen so the top is around eye level, keep the keyboard close, and stand up at least once an hour. The UK Health and Safety Executive has a practical guide to working with display screens.

When to see a doctor

Stop if a stretch causes sharp pain, dizziness, or pins and needles. See a doctor if neck pain does not improve after a few weeks, if painkillers do not help, or if you have tingling, numbness or weakness in an arm.

How to do it in BreathInU

All five stretches are in BreathInU: Rolling Shoulders, “No” Neck Stretch, Down Neck Stretch, Fan Neck Stretch and Side Stretch. An animation shows each position and a sound marks every inhale and exhale, so you can follow along without reading. Tap Stretching on the Home screen to see them all, then set how many rounds you want before you start.

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