Stiff neck? This yoga teacher's five stretches will help ease tension and release stress—and you can do them at your desk

Man sitting at kitchen island stretches his neck to the side. A tablet is propped up in front of him.

Neck tension can be caused by many things, from poor posture to awkward sleeping positions, but the prime suspect is a thoroughly modern one.

"Desk jobs increase neck tension by keeping us sitting and working with the neck and shoulders at angles that our anatomy is simply not built for," says Alexandra Kelly, yoga instructor at East of Eden. "Our neck muscles are incredibly strong, but also very small. They generally cannot stay in the correct position across eight hours of stillness."