Andronik
Ear stretch: up, out, down
Take hold of your ear and gently pull it upward. Not with a jerk — smoothly, building up, and hold for a second at the end. Feel the pull travel from the ear further on, into the temple.
Now the same thing outward. And down.
The ear is anchored to the temporal bone by ligaments and, through a thin layer of muscle, connected to the membrane that covers the temple. By stretching the ear in different directions you create traction on those layers — and for the first time in a long while they get the chance to glide apart from one another. Right next to them run the lymphatic vessels that collect fluid from the whole upper third of the face and carry it to the nodes in front of and behind the ear.
Ten stretches in each direction, with both hands at once so you don’t create an imbalance. Over time you can work up to thirty.
The downward stretch feels duller than the upward one, and it’s the one people skip most often. Don’t skip it: it’s exactly what frees the area behind the angle of the jaw.
Half a minute — and your temple lets go in a way it hasn’t for months.