Trapezius Stretch

The trapezius stretch lengthens the upper portion of the muscle, the part running from the neck to the shoulder and the one that accumulates tension in anyone who spends the day at a screen. The key to the exercise is not the head tilt but what the shoulder does: if you do not anchor it downward, it rises to follow the movement and the stretch disappears entirely. That is why you hold the edge of the seat or tuck the hand behind your back before tilting the head. The free hand only accompanies the natural weight of the head without pulling, because the neck responds far better to a gentle, sustained tension than to pressure. A tight trapezius contributes to cervical stiffness and to tension headaches, so this is worth more than its simplicity suggests.