Lauren Roxburgh is an alignment expert and author of the Foam Roller Physique: 21 Days to a Taller, Slimmer, more Youthful You. Published by Random House (Ballantine Books). Below she shares her 4 Tips to keep your body aligned all day
#1: Warm Water
Take a hot shower or Epsom Salt bath and stretch the neck by rotating side to side and then tilting the head to stretch from the jaw to the collarbone. This will help wash the day away and you will sleep more restfully.
#2: Quick Face/Jaw/Scalp Massage
You can do this at your desk, or while on your couch watching TV.
1. Place your first two fingers on the jaw muscle just below your cheekbone called the masseter muscle and bite down to feel the muscle contract, then apply pressure and open your mouth as wide as you can while pressing slightly upward to release jaw tightness. Repeat 5 times.
2. Next, place all four fingers at your hairline, right above your temples, and gently apply pressure on the temporalis muscle in a circular motion for 30-60 seconds.
3. Then, place your first two fingers behind your ears, on your skull and apply pressure in a circular motion and work your fingers up over your ear and down in front of your ear. Repeat five times.
4. Finally, Take all four fingers and apply pressure to the base of your skull (where your hairline begins at the back of your head/neck). Apply pressure in a circular motion while working your fingers up to the top of you head. Feel the tension of the day melt way. Repeat five times.
#3: Neck Realignment While Driving
Lean you car seat slightly back so your head can rest slightly behind your shoulders and gently tuck your chin and press the back of you head back into the seat. You should feel a stretch at the base of the skull and some activation of the back of the neck muscles that tend to weaken with the head forward posture. This will help your neck muscles remember what they are supposed to do, which is support the weight of your head. You can also do this move laying long on the roller. Repeat 5-8 times.
#4: Sleep with the Right Pillow
I like this pillow, as it shapes and forms to your head, neck, and shoulders, improving the quality of sleep and reducing overall neck stiffness and pain. And, while it has nothing to do with neck pain, I’m convinced that sleeping on a silk pillowcase reduces wrinkles.
