The Bookworm’s Resource: 3 Quick Stretches to Ease Reading Related Neck Pain

Reading a lot is so much fun, but let’s be honest, sometimes it hurts! While most of us bookworms are more than willing to get a crick in our neck for a good story, it’s important to maintain our health. If you have experienced reading soreness (maybe I should call it “book neck”), here are three of my favorite neck and shoulder stretching videos to help recover after reading those epic fantasy novels and impossibly long classics.

Yoga for Neck, Shoulders, Upper Back by Yoga with Adriene

This video is a great one for when you put a book down and realize you lift your head back up a little slower than normal. It is also great for recovering from that famous "Sanderlanche" that get you reading well into the night and possibly doing so with a great deal of tension!

Yoga For Neck, Shoulders, Upper Back | 10-Minute Yoga Quickie

Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Relief by Yoga with Adriene

This video is similar to the previous one, but it offers a couple of additional moves that really help when your neck and shoulders are tense from that last fight scene that sucked you in and resulted in the dishes never getting done (I’m betting it was worth it). It's also great for that knot that sits right under your shoulder blade.

Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Relief - Yoga With Adriene

Yoga for Neck, Shoulders, and Upper Back 15 Min by @yoginimelbourne

This video is one of my all-time favorites for a sore neck! While it targets the same parts of the body as the stretches in the previous videos, this one has some really deep stretches that get your neck nice and relaxed. However, it’s important to do this one slowly. I have noticed that when I do it on my own, sometimes it can make my neck worse as I do it too fast. Following along with the video helps ensure you will do it at a much slower pace and protect your neck while stretching it out.

Yoga for neck, shoulders and upper back 15min

Happy Reading

I hope these three neck and back stretches help you in your reading journey! Enjoy and do some deep breathing while you are at it. If you are anything like me, you might not breathe as much while reading an intense book. As always, have fun!