Stiff neck and shoulders? This 8-minute yoga stretch session will solve that.

(Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Published August 18, 2025 10:13 am

Need help with releasing tension of your upper body – specifically, your neck, shoulders and upper back? This simple order of yoga stretches is designed to do exactly. It is a fast practice that is essentially variations of traditional poses that focus on the upper body. Think of taking inverted prayer hands in the child’s pose, switching on the needle in the table top, having your neck relaxed in rag doll and clamping your hands behind your back in a modest warrior.

These are simple forms that make the difference.

8-minute yoga stretches for your upper body

These simple yoga pieces are suitable for all experience levels. No previous experience or props required.

Woman in the child pose on wooden platform with trees and horses in the background — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Child’s pose

Let’s start in the child’s pose, big toes together, knees wide apart. Because we concentrate on the upper body, you can do prayer with your hands, bring the palms together, bend your elbows and bring your hands to rest to the back of your neck. Breathe in and out through your nose. Think about melting your chest down to the mat and to release your hips, so that they sink to your heels. Get 2 Belly Breaths here.

If you have bent your elbows, you can straighten your arms.

Woman at the beginning of the wire the needle pose with left arm to heaven on wooden platform outside for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Wire in the needle

Come in the table with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, and use yourself for the needle. Breathe in when you reach your left arm to heaven.

Woman in Wire The Needle Yoga Pose on Wooden Platform Outdoor for Trees and Horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Then breathe out and reach that arm under you while your left shoulder and the left ear come to the mat. Stay here or take your right arm right. You may want to push your right hand into the mat and use it as lever, so that you can turn deeper. Try to keep your hips directly on your knees so that they do not swing out of the side. Hug your navel to your spine and think about sliding your shoulder blades along your back so that your neck has a lot of space.

If you straightened your right arm, bring it back, come all the way to the hands and knees and stretch your left arm again. Try this on the other side.

Woman in downward -facing dog yoga poses outside on wooden platform with trees and horses in the background — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Downwarding Dog

Walk a few centimeters along your shoulders from the table top, stop your toes and lift your hips up and back in your first downward dog. You can continue and paddle your feet, move your hips next to each other, alternately bend one knee and straighten the other, try to reach your chest to your thighs. Relax your neck and head here.

Woman is in forward folding yoga -pose with elbows that work each other, outside on a wooden platform for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Rag or forward bend

Walk with your hands to the back of the mat for Voddenpop. As you fold forward, you bend your knees quite a lot, grab opposite elbows and let yourself go dangling and waving a little from left to right. Because this is an upper body -oriented class, you might turn your head next to each other and let go of every tension through the neck, the jaw, the shoulders and the arms.

Woman in three gang dog yoga pose outside on wooden platform for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Three -punch

If you walk a way back to the downward dog and then find a three -nasty dog with your right leg that extends to the sky. Then bend your right knee, open that hip and give yourself a nice thigh stretch.

Lage Lunge

Get forward in a low outages and let your back come knee on the mat. Lift your chest and arms and find a small back bend here while bending your elbows 90 degrees, leaning back a little and squeezing your shoulder blades behind you. You really emphasize bending from the upper back.

Woman in Krijger 2 Yoga pose outside on wooden platform for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Warrior 2

Circle your arms and bring your hands to the mat. Come in Warrior 2 by planting the rear foot parallel to the shorter edge of the mat and lifting all the way up with your front knee bent and reaching your arms.

Woman prepares herself for Humble Warrior Yoga Pose by interlaging fingers behind the back on a wooden platform for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Modest warrior

Connect your fingers behind your lower back.

Then dive down while you reach your knuckles up and above the head in a modest warrior. You still push aside on your right knee and still push firmly into your rear foot, but you also really try to lift those knuckles. Emphasize the relaxation of your neck and release tension in your jaw.

Let go of your grip and circle your arms while you bring your hands to the mat.

Woman in Revloluated Lunge Yoga -Pose on wooden platform Outside for trees and horse — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Furnished Lunge

Put on yourself for a turn by keeping your left hand down and reaching your right arm, try to stack your right shoulder over your left and reach your arms apart.

Plank

You are going to take a power here by breathing in while you take your right hand down, withdraw your right foot and enter the top of a push-up or plank pose.

Cobra

Breathe out while you sink all the way to your stomach. Then inhale while you lift your chest in a light backbend, Cobra.

Woman in down -facing dog pose on wooden platform outside for horses and trees — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Downwarding Dog

Breathe out as you press back to a downward dog. Then repeat the same series on the other side, starting with a three -nasty dog and then Low Lunge, Warrior 2, Humble Warrior, revolves around the inverted Lunge, Plank, Cber and Downward Dog.

If you come to your last dog, you reach your chest to your thighs. Go ahead and bring your knees to the mat.

Woman kneeling and stretching neck with hand on head on the outside platform — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Neck extends

Sit on your heels, if that is comfortable for you, or come in a sitting position. Reach your left hand to your right ear, carefully encourage him to your shoulder and let yourself get a piece along the side of your neck. You can even feel a piece over your arm. Keep your chin somewhat lifted and make sure that you are sitting through the spine for a long time and is not lanky.

Woman stretches neck out by hand on the head and chin stored on the outside platform — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Now roll your chin down and stop it a little to your shoulder and armpit, so you stretch a little more along the back of your neck. Then roll your chin down to the chest, is still nice and long. Then do the same on the other side

Woman in sitting cow yoga pose on wooden platform outside for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Sitting cat cow

Let it go slowly and sit, if you haven’t done that yet, and take a few rounds from sitting cat and cow. Bring your palms to your knees and inhale while lifting your chest and bowing your back.

Woman in sitting cat yoga pose on wooden platform outside for trees and horses — (Photo: Yoga with Kassandra)

Then breathe out while you are around your back and get your core while you breasts your chin. Continue a few times between those two poses and move with your breathing.

Then release your shoulders and shake out here and pause here with your hands on your thighs or together on your chest while closing your exercise. Thank you for sharing these 8-minute yoga stretches set With me and may you feel better.

Ottawa-based Yin and Vinyasa Yoga instructor, author and the face behind YouTube Channel Yoga with KassandraKassandra Reinhardt is on a mission to help others feel good with yoga. Yoga with Kassandra has grown to more than 2.4 million subscribers worldwide. She specializes in her bite -sized approach of 10 minutes morning classes and videos with yoga for athletes and mental health.

Kassandra is the author of Yin Yoga: Rack the conscious way (DK Books), has led international yoga retreats and offers online workshops and personal Yin Yoga training. She is also the maker of the yoga with Kassandra app, a source for yoga with exclusive video content. With more than 2 million people in its online community, Kassandra is further expanding its expertise, with the release of her second book, Year of yoga: rituals for every day and every season (Mandala Publishing). Kassandra and her channel have been shown in CBC” Rush” Pop” Good+good, And They Australia.

References: YTT-200 | YTT-300 | 50-hour Yin Yoga Training | Level 1 Yogatherapy

#Stiff #neck #shoulders #8minute #yoga #stretch #session #solve

Stiff neck and shoulders? This 8-minute yoga stretch session will solve that.