Gwyneth Paltrow has some very strange health advice

Gwyneth Paltrow has given some pretty whacky health advice over the years. 

Who could forget when she said she’d rather smoke crack than eat canned cheese? 

Or when she touted this punishing skincare routine?

Suffice it to say, bh takes what she says with a generous grain of salt. 

But her latest tip is particularly difficult to digest.

Posting on her lifestyle blog Goop, the actress has shared a step-by-step guide on how to yawn properly. 

I couldn’t help but giggle at how Gwyneth happened on this very important health issue. 

Apparently, she was out for dinner with yoga instructor and meditation advocate, Michael Lear, when her companion saw someone suppress a yawn (shock horror).

Lear was very upset, imploring the offender to let it out.

Here’s why, according to Lear, it’s supposedly so important to yawn freely: 

“…it’s the body’s primary way to release and stretch the jaw and neck muscles after a long day of work and conversation.

“There’s a perception that it’s rude or that it means that you’re bored, but the reality is that it’s a very important mechanism for releasing stress. It feels good for a reason: trust that your body knows how to calibrate itself.”

Riiight. So how should we be yawning? These are Lear’s steps:

1.  Gently tilt your head back to a comfortable position and allow your mouth to hang open widely while you gently extend into it;
2. Contract the back of the throat as if to perform Ujjayi breathing — a whispery breath — which is typically done through your nose with your mouth closed. Breathe deeply through your mouth so you feel the air hit the back of your throat;
3. Inhale and exhale completely while allowing your shoulders to relax as you exhale;
4. When the yawn comes, reach and extend into it, riding the yawn to stretch the jaw muscles;
5. Repeat 8-10 times until tearing starts. As your jaw muscles stretch and relax, and the yawn expands, the lachrymal glands around the eye are squeezed and tearing is induced.”

So we’re supposed to end the yawn in a flood of tears? That doesn’t sound socially awkward at all… *stare emoji* 

There’s also a second type of yawn, you know, if you wanted to mix it up a little. Here’s how you do it:

1. Continue with steps 1-4 above, and when the yawn comes, bring together only the lips. Keep the teeth slightly separated. Creating this shape with your mouth as you yawn will take out more slack in the throat muscles to bring the lengthening and relaxation around the base of the tongue, and further stretch and relax the neck, jaw, and occipital regions;
2. Repeat 8-10 times until you begin to tear.

Again with the tears. I don’t know about you guys, but I think these 10 meditation techniques are just as effective for releasing stress (and a lot less dramatic). 

They also don’t require you to let your mouth “hang open widely” and cry. Just sayin’. 
 

Do you pay attention to the way you yawn? What’s the best thing you can do for stress relief?