Your going to think I'm crazy - yawning helps!

Wow those links are really helpful. Thanks for sharing.

No problem!!

I love the link you posted Cheryl!
Here are some pharyngeal strengthening exercises - very good for improving the strength of the swallow itself:

Shaker Exercise (pronounced shu-keer)
Lie flat on your back and raise your head as though you were trying to fixate your gaze on your toes. While you do this, make sure not to raise your shoulders. This simple exercise improves swallowing ability if it is performed three to six times per day for at least six weeks. If you get good at it, increase the duration of each head lift and the number of repetitions.

Hyoid Lift Maneuver
This is a rather simple exercise. Place a few small pieces of paper (about 1 inch in diameter) over a blanket or a towel. Then place a straw in your mouth and suck one of the pieces of paper to its tip. Keep sucking on the straw to keep the paper attached, bring it over a cup or a similar container and stop sucking. This will release the paper into the container. Your goal is to place about 5 to 10 pieces of paper into the container.

Mendelsohn Maneuver
This simple exercise is very effective at improving the swallowing reflex. It involves swallowing your own saliva. Normally, as the saliva enters the area just behind your mouth during swallowing, your "Adam's apple" (the hard area about halfway down the front of your neck) moves up and then back down. To do this exercise, keep the Adam's apple elevated for about 2 to 5 seconds each time. You can help it stay there with your fingers at first, in order to better understand the movement you are about to do. But the exercise will only help you once you can make it stay up without assistance. Repeat this exercise several times per day.

Effortful Swallow
The purpose of this exercise is to improve the contact among the different muscles used during the act of swallowing. In essence, the exercise consists of swallowing. But as you do it, you must try to squeeze all of the muscles of swallowing as hard as you can. You do not need to swallow food during the exercise. Just a dry swallow will do. Perform this exercise 5 to 10 times, 3 times per day.

Supraglottic swallow
You should try this exercise without food first. As you get good at it, you can try it with actual food in your mouth. This exercise consists of 3 simple steps. First, take a deep breath. Hold it as you swallow, then cough to clear any residues of saliva or food which might have gone down past your vocal cords.

Super Supraglottic Swallow Maneuver
This exercise is just like the supraglottic maneuver described above, but with an extra twist. After you take that deep breath, bear down while swallowing. The pressure generated helps with swallowing and increases the strength of your swallowing muscles.