Is it week 4 of June already!? That means summer has officially started, yay!  Ok let’s get back to stretching 🙂 The fourth stretch of the week brings us to a combination stretch, with some ROM (range of motion). If you have some neck issues I would encourage you to give this one a try. 

You will not need anything for this stretch.

How to do the Combination Stretch:

1. Take a seated position. Place the right arm in front of the body and the left arm behind the back as shown in photo marked 1.

2. Begin to tilt the left ear towards left shoulder while at the same time bringing the right shoulder down towards the floor, as shown in photo marked 2. Make sure to keep the body upright, don’t lean to the left.

Tip: you control how much of a stretch you receive by how far you bring the head to the left as well as how intensely you bring the right shoulder down. Listen to your body and do what feels good

3. From this position you can start to rotate the gaze downward and to the left. Think 45° angle here. Keep the right shoulder moving downward and keep the head stretching to the left as shown in the photo marked 3.

4. From that position you can bring the head back, still keep the stretch to the left and the right shoulder down, as shown in photo marked 4. Essentially, we are moving through the range of motion with our neck, making half circles from front to back while keeping the stretch engaged.

5. With each position you can stay for 8 to 10 breaths, or you can slowly roll the head through the range of motion lingering on those spots that feel tighter or tender, giving them a little bit more attention. Don’t forget to do the other side!