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Neck and Shoulders

Slow shoulder rolls, both directions. Slow neck rolls, both directions. Lift the shoulders to the ears, hold, drop with an exhale. Repeat once.

The posterior neck and upper traps are the first muscles to lock up in long coding sessions. They hold the head forward and slightly down for hours, and you stop noticing the tension until it shows up as a tension headache or a stiff jaw at 5pm. Active rotation, not stretching, is what restores blood flow and resets the local nervous system.

  • Anytime you catch yourself with shoulders at your ears
  • After 90+ minutes of head-down work
  • Before a long meeting where you will be sitting still
  • Mid-afternoon, as a posture interrupt
DurationNotesCommand
45s1 set each direction + active liftflowe reset 45 --protocol neck_rotation

If you can stand up while running it, do that. Standing changes the load on the cervical spine and the reset goes deeper.