Here is a stretch/exercise I do which has helped me a great deal with headaches, digestive problems, tight muscles, and fatigue.  Not everything works for everyone, but I would be surprised if you don't feel better after trying this stretch.

• Roll a blanket into a very firm long roll. I use a thin, firm wool blanket. Soft, insulated blankets don't work very well.
  The roll needs to be as long as or longer than the length from the top of your head to the bottom of your pelvis. Styrofoam tubes work if they are long enough.
• Place the roll or tube on the floor and lie on top so that your head, spine, and pelvis are on the roll.
• Bend your knees and place your feet close to your bum, keeping them a little more than hip width apart. I like to wear my Birkenstocks so that I have good traction.
• Put your arms on the floor perpendicular to your body or higher and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so that your forearms and hands are pointed up.
• Now simply rock your spine with short, thrusts that go up and down the length of the spine, pushing and pulling with your legs and feet. I tend to start gently and build up to a speed, often a fairly rigorous one, which feels good.
• My arms fall asleep and go numb and this is fine. One of the things I have learned at Original Yin is that it is fine to go several minutes with numb limbs (I've gone as long as 20-30 minutes or more, although it's hard to track time in that state).
• Deep breathing helps, in through the nose and a big, sighing exhale out of the mouth. Send the breath all the way down beyond the bottom of your spine. Catch your exhale before it's completely empty and inhale again. I do this breath more fully after I have stopped rocking my spine, when I'm lying still.
• What has been generally true for me is that the longer I do the rocking the better it feels. I can't remember a time when I felt like I went too long. I probably average 15 minutes.
• I like to have a heating pad on my belly, unless the weather is hot. A hot water bottle works too, but I prefer a heating pad. I also cover my eyes with something, especially if I have a headache.
• This stretch gives a taste of what you would experience at Original Yin. The difference at OY is that your knees would go over an angled support so that your hips could better release. Also, you wouldn't be on a roll and you wouldn't be rocking back and forth; I added these pieces from other therapys. Part of Albert's approach is that you lie still and sink into a semi-conscious state so that your body lets go of habitual holding patterns and re-learns correct alignment. I agree with this theory; I just love the massaging and the taking of the weight off my spine with the rolled up blanket. If I have a lot of time, I go for the semi- or unconscious state after the rocking.

Play with it and see what works for you.  If you create any beneficial modifications, let me know.

Lying in the same position described above you can loosen your neck and upper shoulders by simply swinging your head from side to side, down the sides of the roll towards the floor, while keeping the rest of your body still.  Once again, I start slowly and build up my speed carefully.

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