Mantra for the day: Chin to throat. Shoulders Soft. Breathe.

Chin to Throat
Often the chin will jut forward shortening the muscles at the back of the neck, holding and further tightening those neck and shoulder muscles, which causes pain. Notice that when you place your hand on the back your neck and lift your chin that the muscles at the back of the neck shorten and tighten. If you lower your chin, even slightly, the neck muscles lengthen.

Tip: For neck tightness, let your chin soften down toward your throat very slightly, creating space between the vertebrae and helping to release the tightened muscles at base of the skull. This allows easier movement and rotation of the head

Shoulders Soft
We always move our shoulders upward and inward toward the ears to protect a sore neck, and then they stay there. They’ll sneak up there as often as they can. Take note: Are your shoulders up, and/or forward? It’s very common for one shoulder to be higher than the other. The trick is to pay attention to when the shoulders sneak up (again).

Tip: To bring them back down: Slide the base of your shoulder blades down the back of your ribcage, then widen them away from your spine; the muscles employed now are the good core muscles we hear so much about. This adjustment will help bring length to your spine and free your neck.

Jaw Relaxed
How tense is your jaw? The strong muscles of the jaw – near the back molars/wisdom teeth - love to hold on to tension when the neck is aching. Don’t be surprised if you’re gripping your jaw throughout the day. Once you catch it, do a yawnlike stretch, blow out your cheeks, then soften the tiny muscles of the mouth and even relax the muscle of the tongue too.

Big Tip: Breath
Use your breath as your own masseuse. You can aim your breath wherever you notice there is tension being held - let it massage you. Take five to 20 long, slow deep breaths, drawing your breath down to the base of your lungs, then expand the ribs sideways – filling and massaging the ribcage from the inside, stretching the little intercostal muscles between the ribs and massaging into your deep back and neck muscles.

• Inhale to create space; exhale to release tension.

• Think of inhaling to lengthen the spine and the back of the neck, exhaling to release tension around the front of the throat.

• Allow the shoulder blades to widen away from the spine as you inhale and relax them downward as you exhale.

• Even think of inhaling breath underneath your collarbones to expand those muscles.

• Take five slow, full-capacity breaths whenever it crosses your mind to help relax your neck and shoulders. It’s such a natural tool at our disposal – our very own back masseuse.

Amanda Musker studied classical ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London. She went on to enjoy 14 enormously successful years working in London’s West End, starring in productions such as “Cats,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” and “Oklahoma.” In 2000 Amanda decided to pursue her other great passions, Pilates and yoga. This led her to an equally successful career as one of the most sought-after teachers of these disciplines. Having experienced 30 years of career-related injuries, as well as working with hundreds of yoga and Pilates students, Amanda is uniquely qualified to bring a deeper understanding of our bodies and what helps to make us flourish in them. Send your questions to Amanda@smartnow.com.