Do you love yoga? Do you feel a sense of calm and peace when you step onto your mat? Does yoga provide you with a safe place where you can let go of the day's stresses and breathe? Regardless of your level of expertise, constant practice of yoga can be transformative. It can also provide many benefits, ranging from finding inner peace to building strength and flexibility. 

However, sometimes accidents can happen, and injuries may occur. Have you ever felt a twinge of pain in your neck during a particularly challenging pose? Or maybe you pushed through discomfort, thinking it was just part of the practice? Have you ever found yourself in a pose, feeling your body stretch and your breath deepen, yet somewhere, somehow, you feel a part of you twinge? 

It could be neck pain at the base of the skull or around the area. Unfortunately, it can be distracting and take you out of your flow. It may even leave you feeling frustrated and worried about your practice. 

Yoga is supposed to ground you and take your mind away from the daily stressors, and practicing them with complete mindfulness and consciousness can help you reap its benefits. So, if you're ready to deepen your practice while keeping your neck healthy and pain-free, keep reading.

Move in an active neutral position

During your practice, it's crucial to understand how to protect your body, particularly your neck, as you move from one pose to another. One wrong move can lead to long-term damage and a disrupted yoga journey. Remember that there is no particular movement in yoga that is harmful to your neck or any part of your body, but the constant and repetitive wrong movement can create stress.

To help keep the pressure out of your neck, you must be mindful of moving from a more active neutral position. Eventually, you will notice a significant alignment improvement in all your yoga postures! This is a good way to make the most out of your practice and avoid possible injuries and discomfort, including neck pain at the base of the skull.

Pay more attention to persistent neck pain at the base of the skull

If you have been practicing yoga with much caution and mindfulness, yet there is still a nagging pain, it may signify an underlying condition that needs more attention. For example, if you've been involved in a car accident a few years back or experienced slips and falls that injured your neck or head, the symptoms may manifest just now.

In some cases, the symptoms of past injuries can come out a little later and affect you differently. For example, these injuries can lead to misalignments in the Upper Cervical spine, where your atlas and axis are located. These are the topmost bones of your spine that support the weight of your head and work hard to keep it upright. When a misalignment happens, the surrounding muscles and tissues also experience added stress from the bones.

When the stress becomes too much, you may notice mild to intense neck pain and additional symptoms that can affect your quality of life and make the things you like doing uncomfortable, such as yoga. In addition, misalignments do not heal on their own, so you will need to consult an Upper Cervical Chiropractor for quick physical and digital imaging assessments and a thorough look at your history of neck or head injuries.

Listening to your body can help you enjoy different activities while keeping your body safe and healthy. So if there's persistent pain, visiting an Upper Cervical Chiropractor near you today may be worth a shot!