When the muscles of the head and neck are tight, headaches, jaw pain, chronic pain in the head, and migraines can occur. The head and neck can be overworked from activities like sports and exercise, as well as hours of standing or sitting on your chair at the office with your head tilted down and your shoulders hunched.

The sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, and levator scapulae are three important muscles when treating head and neck pain. It’s helpful to understand that the muscles of the head and neck are temporarily problematic because of the larger muscles of the shoulder, chest and upper back. It is wise to check for trigger points in all of these muscles to fix the underlying problem and break the pattern.

You can treat these muscles by lying faceup on your yoga mat with the spiky massage ball behind your head. Its wise to protect your body by wearing a couple layers of shirts along with a hooded sweatshirt to cover your head. Allow the weight of your head to sink into the spiky massage ball and feel around for tightness along the back of the head. Massage behind the neck and head, then begin to slowly move your body or adjust the ball to treat further down along the neck.

Use the video below and photos to help with your self-therapy techniques. My book, How to Heal Your Body, will give more in-depth teachings and practices to further your healing process.

By Tom Spiros