Stretch

Upper Trap Stretch

Ear toward shoulder with a gentle assist from your hand - direct relief for the neck-and-shoulder shelf where desk stress lives. This is the stretch for that spot you catch yourself rubbing at 4 pm.

BeginnerNo equipment~2 min

Demonstration

Hold

30s

Per side

×1

Best for

Post-desk

How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit or stand tall and let your right arm hang, or lightly hold the bottom of your chair.

  2. 2

    Tilt your left ear toward your left shoulder without rotating your head.

  3. 3

    Rest your left hand gently on the right side of your head - the weight of the hand is enough.

  4. 4

    Feel the stretch along the right side of your neck into the top of the shoulder.

  5. 5

    Hold, breathe slowly, then switch sides.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the head hard instead of letting hand weight do the work
  • Shrugging the shoulder you're stretching toward the ear
  • Rotating the head instead of tilting straight sideways

Dad tips

  • Anchor the opposite hand under your chair seat to deepen the stretch safely.