If the pain in your neck is…a real pain in the neck, then your head is probably not in the right place—literally. Los Angeles–based fitness therapy expert Jill Miller has an easy, stress-releasing move to fix that:

How to tell if that’s the problem: You constantly want to rub the back of your neck…or crack your neck…or you frequently get neck aches.

What you should do: Place your hands, fingers interlaced, on the back of your head where it would touch the headrest on a car seat. Push your head back against your hands while resisting the push. Hold for 10 seconds…rest for 30 seconds…then repeat twice more.

This isometric exercise will strengthen your neck muscles and align your head over your rib cage—where it should be. “Do this every time you recognize that your head is leaning in front of your rib cage,” Miller advises.

Soon you’ll train your neck to stay in a relaxed, neutral position…where it belongs.

Photo courtesy of Jill Miller and Victory Belt Publishing from The Roll Model—a Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility and Live Better in your Body. YogaTuneUp.com.

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