Yoga for your neck and shoulders in Biarritz
Release what the desk left behind.
Neck and shoulders gathers classes that pay special attention to the upper back, neck, shoulders and arms: gentle mobility, yin, somatic movement, desk-break formats and slow hatha. They spend time where screens and heavy bags leave their mark.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Neck and shoulders does for you
You get time for the places that hunch toward a laptop all day. Slow circles, side stretches and chest openers can make your shoulders feel lower and your neck longer. Many people leave with more space across the chest and a jaw that has quietly unclenched. You also take home a few small movements for the desk.
It suits you if
- you spend hours at a laptop or phone
- you carry tension in your jaw and shoulders
- you cycle hunched over handlebars
- you want something short you can repeat at home
Read the full guide to Neck and shouldersWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes run 30 to 75 minutes, including short lunchtime and online formats. Expect slow neck movements, shoulder rolls, arm work with a strap, chest openers over a bolster, gentle twists and some breath practice. Facilitators cue small ranges and a slow pace, and often include self-massage with a ball. You will not sweat much. Some are done sitting on a chair, which makes them easy in office clothes.
Your first time
- Wear a top that lets you raise your arms without it riding up.
- Tell the facilitator about any neck or shoulder history before class.
- Move at half your range at first; small is plenty for the neck.
Good to know
- If you have neck pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling in your arms, or a past neck injury, check with a doctor or physiotherapist before joining.
- Neck movements should stay small and comfortable; skip headstand and shoulderstand unless you have been shown how and feel ready.
- These classes are movement practice, not therapy, and do not replace a diagnosis.
Where it comes from
Attention to the head, neck and shoulders has a long history in body practices. In the 1890s the Australian actor F. M. Alexander, who struggled with losing his voice on stage, began developing what became the Alexander Technique, centered on how the head, neck and back relate. Later, Moshé Feldenkrais built many of his lessons from small, slow movements of the neck, eyes and shoulders.
In yoga, the shoulders came into focus with the rise of inversions and arm balances in 20th-century practice, which ask a lot of the upper body. B.K.S. Iyengar's approach to shoulderstand, with folded blankets under the shoulders to reduce the bend in the neck, is one example of how practitioners adapted poses for this sensitive area.
Desk-focused classes are a product of office life. As computer work spread from the 1980s and smartphones from the 2010s, studios and workplaces began offering short neck and shoulder classes, often at lunchtime or online. In Berlin you will find them in yoga and Pilates studios, in workplace programs and as part of back-care courses.
Words you will hear
- Shoulder blades
- The flat bones on your upper back; cues often ask you to draw them gently down or together.
- Garudasana arms
- Eagle arms: wrapping one arm around the other to stretch across the upper back.
- Thread the needle
- A twist on hands and knees where one arm slides under the other.
- Uttana shishosana
- Puppy pose: kneeling with arms stretched forward and chest lowered toward the floor.
- Head-neck relationship
- An Alexander Technique phrase for how the head balances on top of the spine.