Upper Traps

The yellow part in the picture above, is the upper portion of the trapezius muscle (traps).

Movement wise, it:
- Elevates (shrugs) the shoulders
- Upwardly rotates the shoulder blade (as in when you lift your arm out to the side)
- Extend the head and neck (as in when you look up)
- Tilts the head to the side
- Turns head from side to side

It's pretty important and often gets really tight through overuse and bad posture. 

Here are some good ways to give it some love:

Trigger points:

Get rid of the trigger points (knots) before you stretch.

Stretch:

Be gentle when stretching. Ask me to show you how to do the gentle contractions with this stretch to increase effectiveness.

Enjoy! -)