Step One

Take the time to practice a few stretches that help to "reorient the head and the shoulders to a neutral position," Rayburn says.

You might be wondering: what does neutral position even mean? "For the head and the shoulders, neutral usually means 'move backward.' The head and shoulders tend to drop forward or slouch, so generally they need to be moved toward the back plane of the body," Rayburn says.

To do this, try the two stretches below.

1. Clasp your hands behind your back and stretch your chest muscles to move the shoulders back. 2. Clasp your hands behind your head and press your head back (as if into a car headrest) to move the head back to its natural position over the torso.

Step Two

Practice what Rayburn calls "superhero chest," or making your torso — your lungs, ribcage, chest, and upper back — puffed-up and buoyant, like an inflated balloon. Superhero chest, Rayburn explains, "acts like a bio-scaffolding and it starts the process of allowing the shoulders to relax."

Consider it the opposite of a collapsed torso, which he explains forces the head and neck muscles to tighten and hold you up from the outside.

Step Three

"The third step is then relaxing the outer shoulder and neck muscles down onto the buoyant structure you created and maintain," Rayburn says. "The key is not allowing the torso to collapse as the shoulders and neck muscles relax down away from the ears. Too much of either (the inner lift and the outer softening) will result in the ne