As we move through quarantine, many of us are in a chronic “T-rex” position on the computer. This position can wreak havoc on the musculature of your upper back, shoulders, neck, and chest. Take a moment to visualize what someone looks like hunched over a computer screen. You’ll note, in this visualization, that the muscles on the back side of you are being pulled longer than “neutral,” and the muscles on the front of you are being held in a “shorter” position than neutral. In movement circles, we might call the back body “locked long” and the front body “locked short.” It’s important to note that “long” doesn’t mean “flexible” and short doesn’t mean “strong.” These muscles are all likely a bit weak and imbalanced. They all could improve from the hydration, relaxation, and release techniques that self-massage can offer.

This video breaks down a series of self massage techniques you can do to enliven and reset the trapezius muscle and other notorious “cranky zones” located in the lanes of tissue that run between your spinal column and your shoulder blades. You can do this technique using two tennis balls or, my preferred tools, yoga tune-up therapy balls.