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Yoga Fish Pose and Restorative Yoga for Neck Pain, TMJ Pain, Jaw Pain, Rib Pain, and Shoulder Pain. Heal the SCM, Scalene Muscles-and Even your Pelvic Floor-by Opening the Heart Center.

Updated: 5 days ago




A woman in purple workout clothes, lying over a blue soft yoga bolster. Her arms are over her head and her eyes are closed. Her chest is being opened by the bolster and she is lying with her eyes closed breathing.
Restorative yoga postures like this one, and "active" postures such as Fish Pose (described below), can reverse the anterior pull that is causing your TMJ pain, full jaw pain, neck pain, and more!

The back of your neck hurts, your TMJ and the full jaw are in pain, your upper ribs are under stress, and the discomfort in the back of your shoulders is almost constantly in your mind.


You may not be as aware of these symptoms, but your chest is closing off, your pectoralis muscles are hypertonic, your "warrior clavicles" are drawing in, and your anterior (front) neck is tight. Most of us feel the problem is in our upper trapezius muscles—the back of our necks and shoulders—and because the jaw seems mysterious to us, we feel that discomfort is separate, happening on its own.


Your united structure is experiencing dysfunction and sending you signals. The discomfort is asking for your help. As a culture, we think little about the muscles of the front body, or if we do, we are thinking of core workouts—which are so important—but in daily life, most of us are living with anterior (front of body) tension. Our front bodies need opened up; they need the reverse of “tech neck" posture, the clavicles need to be reminded they can unguard the heart center. To heal jaw pain and TMJ pain, even clicking and grinding, we must bring relief to the front of our necks.


I have been doing TMJ manual therapy since 2004, and so I know what muscles to work directly on to end jaw clicking, but you are a united structure. You do not need injections—which can create muscle imbalances and make your jaw worse in the long run. Here is the thing: to end pain cycles in the back of the neck, and the overall jaw, you must learn to “open up” the front body. Your jaw—even when it has its own pattern of dysfunction—needs your neck to be happy.


Healing the back of your neck, ending headaches and even migraines, will take healing the front of your neck. It takes an open front body—open heart center and a free, unstuck ribcage working with the neck muscle—allowing for a full, deep and slow breath. A full breath takes pressure away from the neck and jaw. To understand more about how the neck influences the ribcage, read about the anterior scalene muscles HERE.



Using the gentle art of yoga and the active and strengthening art of yoga, you can literally reshape your tissues and learn to control—or even end—your neck pain and jaw pain cycles.


To heal, you are thinking of reshaping your tissues, stretching and building strength, creating muscle balance in the jaw and neck. But you are also tapping into your nervous system; you are diving into the most important aspect of healing; allowing your nervous system to come to a place of rest. From a place of rest, the nervous system turns down pain signals.


I know for sure: women who do these postures, and allow themselves to come to a place of healing rest, report relief from neck, TMJ, and overall jaw pain.


"You can withdraw from your senses and retreat into healing silence. And whereas that is true with all of fitness, yoga holds a special place in the tradition of balance and medicine”.

—The Elemental Woman.


Keep scrolling for bolstered Variations.


Fun facts about Fish Pose (including the variations): These postures also stretch the psoas muscles, the muscles of the belly, the muscles of the rib cage, and stimulates the organs.


In active Fish Pose, as you lift your neck back up out of the posture, you are strengthening the anterior neck muscles, including the deep anterior neck flexors.

Active Fish Pose


This graphic shows directions for doing Matsyasana, Fish Pose.
This graphic shows some of the basics of what I call "Active Fish Pose." Coming out of this posture—which I will explain below— strengthens your deep anterior neck flexors. To see a post about deep anterior neck flexors click HERE (post coming soon!)

Step-by-step instructions for Active Fish Pose


When I was in my early twenties, in the early 2000s, I spent a lot of time in Active Fish Pose. It reshaped by spine and healed my neck. This posture is magic because it stretches everything that needs stretching and then it activates and strengthens.


Directions for Active Fish Pose


Lie down on your yoga mat and bend your knees, knees pointing to the ceiling, the soles of your feet on the ground.


There are a few ways to put your hands. The goal of placing the hands under the hips it to get the arms and elbows close to the body, as well as give you a platform (your hands, forearms, and elbows are your platform) as you open the chest. The arms might not touch the body, or they could be nearly tucked under the body, depending on someone’s flexibility. Start gently.


1) As you inhale, lift your hips (just a little) off the ground enough that you can slide your hands—palm side down—under your hips.


or


2) As you inhale—and this is just my personal way of describing (and doing) this “flexible” version — lift your hips off the ground (just a little). Now clasp your hands together under your hips. You may need to sway a little to the right and left as you clasp your hands, drawing each elbow closer together and drawing them under the body (or close to the body). Then, lay your palms flat down on the ground. This is now your platform.


Everyone will let their hips fall back down to the ground on top of the hands. Your hands will remain on the ground the whole time.


Remember to exhale.


Now, inhale and activate your platform: press your hands, forearms, and elbows firmly into the ground.


Remember to exhale.


Pressing your shoulders down, inhale, and lift your torso and head up off the ground, then extend the neck, allowing it to drop back towards the floor.


1) If you have little flexibility in your low back, there will not be much of a arch. Your chest may not be open enough—and your neck may not even feel safe enough—to really extend far back. The back of your head may just barely graze the ground. This is a great place to start! Exhale. Breathe.


or


2) If you are flexible, your back arches and your chest moves towards the ceiling, with the elbows tucked under the body, your platform secure, and you feel safe to extend your neck, the crown of your head will contact the floor. It is not pressing into the floor. Your head is brushing up against the floor. No pressure on the spine.


You can keep the knees bent—a great beginning place or an option for tight low back and psoas muscle tension. Or you can straighten your legs and lengthen the body fully out. If you straighten your legs, they are also active, part of your platform.


Inhale and exhale slowly. Allow the air to flow and energize the spine. From the tip of the spine—the jaw — to the bottom of the spine—the pelvic floor. Feel the air move into the low back, side ribs, low belly, and pelvic floor.


You can hold this posture for only 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and up to three minutes.


To come out of the posture:


Inhale.


With the exhale, lift your torso and head back up. Looking straight forward, and then relaxing your platforms, lower your torso down, head to the floor, lying in a normal, resting posture.


When you are doing that lift and exhale, allow your pelvic floor to zip up and in; your entire core is engaged as you lift.


When you are back on your mat, in resting pose, check in and see if your core—your pelvic floor—and your neck are relaxing.


Notice how you feel.


Many women live in a state of tension throughout the day. To heal, your body needs to learn to alternate between work and relaxation.


Here is a great graphic to illustrate how using your platform, you look up and then allow the heart center to open as you extend the head back. In this posture, you rest and breathe into your core. When you are in the posture and going to come back up, you use a powerful exhale and engage your core as you bring your neck into flexion and look straight ahead. Lifting the neck up, you strengthen your anterior neck flexors.
Here is a great graphic to illustrate how using your platform, you look up and then allow the heart center to open as you extend the head back. In this posture, you rest and breathe into your core. When you are in the posture and going to come back up, you use a powerful exhale and engage your core as you bring your neck into flexion and look straight ahead. Lifting the neck up, you strengthen your anterior neck flexors.

Bolstered Variations

Breathing and Neck Pain, TMJ Pain, and Jaw Pain, Rib Pain, and...

the Pelvic Floor.


Variation One


Notice in this picture...


This image is the same as the first title picture. It shows a woman laying on the yoga mat, a bolster under her low back, her heart open, and neck extending back.
Since 2004, I have been recommending this posture, as well as Active Fish Pose, and that is why I know—for sure—just how healing these postures are.

See how her feet are touching: the pelvic floor is open. The chest is open. Not only is this posture healing to your neck and jaw, but at the exact same time you are restoring your pelvic floor.


From working with women who have jaw and pelvic floor pain, I know that establishing a connection between these two spaces is essential to healing throughout the structure.


In this posture, you are opening your throat center, heart center, and what yoga calls your "root," your pelvic floor.


To see my post on the throat and heart center—regarding healing neck pain, TMJ pain, and jaw pain, rib pain—head HERE (Post Coming Soon!).

Here is what not to do:


This image shows women in a restorative yoga class but their head is on a yoga block, the block turned the long ways. The neck is in a flexed position.
When holding these postures, do not place the neck in a flexed position.


The picture of this posture, the one with the pink X through it, reminds me of a woman sleeping on a pillow that is too large. Her anterior neck muscles being placed in a shortened position. We already shorten these muscles (forward head posture) in our daily lives! To heal, we need to set aside specific time to open up the chest and gently extend the neck.



Variation Two

Restorative yoga includes Reclined Bound Angle Pose.


Notice in this picture...

This graphic image show a woman doing Reclined Bound Angle Pose. Laying on a blue bolster in a red-ish yoga outfit. The soles of her feet pressed together.

Doing this posture—with the head and neck resting in their "normal" position—is fine, but I would consider a variation. To shift the anterior holding pattern of your neck, I would allow for a gentle extension of the neck off the bolster. Not dropped off the bolster, but the back of the head resting in a way that allows for a more open throat center.



Other Healing Variations

Since you have the bolster out...

This graphic shows different restorative yoga bolstered pose variations that open the chest, neck, and throat.
Intention is healing. Feel the intention. Breathe. Visualize what you want in your mind’s eye. An open heart. An open throat. A jaw that feels safe enough to let go.

The reason for this post is to illustrate yoga postures that can heal your neck and jaw pain. For all of our various physical and emotional healing needs, we only have so much time to give. You must carve out time, but it does not have to be for this full-bolstered series; this is just an option.


My strong recommendation is that every woman needs to develop a relationship with opening the front body. And if you are in pain—or better yet, to keep pain from heading your way—experiment with full fish or a bolstered variation.


You can also choose any number of healing stretches from my other post on stretching and releasing the scalene muscles HERE.



As the caption of the above graphic says, create magic in your flow—not by rushing through and going through the motions—but with a focused intention of creating light and space in the heart and throat center.

Muscles of the Anterior Neck


Let’s bring this post to an end by helping you visualize the muscles you are trying to heal!


When you open up the front of your body, you heal the back of the body. As an example, your upper traps will relax when they stop being pulled forward by the tight pectoralis muscles.


Here are pictures of some of the muscles you are affecting when you open up the front body:

This graphic shows the platysma muscle. A thin sheet like muscle on the anterior neck.
Platysma is your most superficial neck muscle. It is thin and sheet-like. If you just feel this tight-skin-like-pull when extending your head, it is most likely a tight platysma.
This image shows the scalene muscles located on each side of the neck.
Scalene muscle are a group of three muscles on each side of the neck. When tight, they pull the neck down into flexion.
This is a graphic of the Longus Colli Muscle located on the front of the neck.
The longus colli muscles are forgotten muscles and are so important in solving neck, head, jaw pain, ear pain, headaches and migraines. I regularly apply direct touch therapy to them in my practice.
This graphic shows the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the anterior neck.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle is responsible for so much pain and tension! Rich with trigger points, when tight, the SCM muscles pulls the head forward and radiates pain up towards the eye.
This graphic shows the digastric muscle located under the chin and jaw line and attaching to the chin, hyoid, and mastoid.
Applying therapy to the muscles under the chin is important in healing many types of pain and dysfunction patterns. In my therapy practice, we apply direct touch medicine to these muscles. At home, you can help these muscles find gentle and safe relief by doing fish pose or a softer, bolstered variation.


Do not forget, opening the front body in these posture also influences the muscles of the ribcage and hip.
Do not forget, opening the front body in these posture also influences the muscles of the ribcage and hip.

These are just a few of the muscles that will benefit from a heart center and throat center opening yoga practice.

A few more inspiring pictures...

Play with your postures.
Play with your postures.
This is a chest opener that uses gravity to create change. Great for those who might have internally rotated shoulders. Use caution if you are hypermobile. Hypermobility needs stabilization and joints to be in a created "safe container."
This is a chest opener that uses gravity to create change. Great for those who might have internally rotated shoulders. Use caution if you are hypermobile. Hypermobility needs stabilization and joints to be in a created "safe container."


This posture is like the one shown above with the pink X through it. However, in this variation the neck appears in a neutral position, not reinforcing the flexed position. To do this posture with an extended neck, the block under the neck would be laying flat on the largest side. Her head would lay on that largest flat end. That would make the head lower than the ribcage. But do not choose the extended neck version if it makes you dizzy, hurts, or feels unsafe in any way.
This posture is like the one shown above with the pink X through it. However, in this variation the neck appears in a neutral position, not reinforcing the flexed position. To do this posture with an extended neck, the block under the neck would be laying flat on the largest side. Her head would lay on that largest flat end. That would make the head lower than the ribcage. But do not choose the extended neck version if it makes you dizzy, hurts, or feels unsafe in any way.
Here is a chest opener you can do with a common foam roller. Although this foam roller has "massage nubs," if choosing a roller you are going to use on the spine, I would choose one that is soft-ish and smooth.
Here is a chest opener you can do with a common foam roller. Although this foam roller has "massage nubs," if choosing a roller you are going to use on the spine, I would choose one that is soft-ish and smooth.
Here is a fun variation using a yoga wheel prop. Depending on the history of your spine, a soft gentle bolster may be best.
Here is a fun variation using a yoga wheel prop. Depending on the history of your spine, a soft gentle bolster may be best.

I wanted to include these pictures as inspiration. I have a "yoga wheel" and absolutely love it! Do not get caught in the “more is better approach to stretching." What is best is what feels safe to your mind-body!


Want to Know More?


I have more posts coming soon, including detailed posts on all these muscles!


Check out my books on health and wellness!



This is the cover to The Elemental Woman book. A book on Ayurveda focused on women's health.

The Elemental Woman

A Conversation for the Modern Western Woman Inspired by the Healing Wisdom of the Ancient Eastern Sage


This shows the cover of Food & Mood Journal. A mindfulness journal for women's health to connect emotions and food.

Food & Mood Journal

 A tracking guide to connect the food you eat, the emotions you feel, and increase the feeling of deep self-love



This imagine show the cover of the Mindful Movement Journal. A mindfulness journal for women's health that connects emotions and movement and fitness.

Mindful Movement Journal

 A tracking guide to connect the motions you make, the emotions you feel, and increase the feeling of deep self-love



This image shows the cover of Basic Ayurveda. This is a hard cover women's health book that is a colorful refine guide to the main The Elemental Woman book. The Elemental Woman is a women's health book.

Basic Ayurveda 

The Elemental Woman Supplement Guide






About the author:

Since 2004, Tara Lee Clasen has been assisting women on their healing adventures. As a woman-focused physical medicine provider, also trained in Eastern medicine, she knows transformation is possible and knows that with reflection and self-love, your future is full of bright possibilities.


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