NECK RELEASE for RELIEF
Who is sitting behind you at the community event? We turn our heads to see. How many coconuts are in the tree? Tipping the chin up, we count how many are hanging. When walking on uneven lava ground the head drops to gaze down, stepping carefully.
The neck connects the head to the body. As simple as it is, we may not be consciously aware of this major anatomical structure. It gives us the freedom to perform a variety of significant movements throughout our day. More than twenty muscles cover the skeletal bones of the neck. This exquisite relationship supports the head connected to the upper back, chest, and shoulders. The front, back and side muscles of the neck allow the head to turn left and right, look up and down, as well as tip the ear to the shoulder.
Not to take it for granted, these mighty muscles contribute to swallowing, chewing, and even breathing! Facial expressions, a youthful skin tone, and speaking clearly are also related to the neck muscles, tendons, and the seven bones of the neck.
Headaches, mental tension, disturbed sleeping, labored breathing, difficulty with communication, feeling overly committed, and stiff with a tight jaw are all signs of constriction in the neck. Fortunately, there are multiple exercises we can do on our own to alleviate these symptoms. Let’s begin.
Sit upright while reading these instructions. You can be in a cross-legged posture on a low pillow, on the yoga mat, or have your feet on the floor while seated in a chair. Separate the top teeth from the bottom teeth and relax the tongue. If there is a feeling of dizziness or discomfort in the activity, release from the position.
Exercise #1. Simply sit on your hands. Hook your hands under the thighs. This will bring the shoulders down. Let the neck lift up and out of the collarbones. Imagine a golden cord at the top of your head pulling you skyward. If you are sitting in a chair, hold the legs of the chair. Stay in this position for three minutes. Keep the head in a natural position. Relax and breathe in and out of the nose. Close the eyes or softly gaze outward. Gradually the weight of our personal burdens will dissolve from the neck and shoulders.
Exercise #2. Inhaling through the nose, take the shoulders high up to the ears. Exhaling, bring them down. Do this three times without rushing. When the shoulders are up again, gradually tip the chin and nose up to release the head back into the ‘cradle of the shoulders’. Stay here, look up, and breathe. Slowly lift the neck and return the head to center. This simple movement is significant. It lifts the front body, opens the heart and throat, while deliberately stretching the front muscles of the neck. This exercise sustains a pleasant tone to the voice.
Exercise #3. Bring the arms behind the torso and clasp the hands together. With an inhalation, turn the head to the left. Exhaling, return the head to center. Inhaling, turn the head to the right. Exhale back. This is one full cycle. Proceed for five (5) cycles in conjunction with the breathing. We are stretching the sides of the neck. This releases tightness and encourages circulation of blood flow to the brain, promoting optimism with mental clarity.
Exercise #4. Keeping the arms behind us, bend the elbows to cross the forearms. Hold the opposing elbow with your hand or hold your wrists. Simply drop the chin to the chest. Keep the eyes open or closed. Breathe through the nose. We are targeting the back of the neck, the large trapezius muscle. It extends from inside the neck, spans outward over the shoulders, and continues down the back along the spine. Avoid clenching your teeth in this position. Hold for ten (10) breaths. This position naturally calms the mind.
Exercise #5 Sit upright with the arms beside the body. With an inhalation, lift the right arm up and over the top of your head. Cover the left ear with the right hand. Direct your right ear towards the right shoulder. Stay here with the eyes open or closed. Keep breathing and relax. Hold to the count of ten (10). Bring the arm down and prepare to do the other side. Inhaling, take the left arm up and over the head. Place your left hand over the right ear. Guide your left ear towards the left shoulder. Release. Stay with the liberating sensations from the stretch.
After practicing these neck extensions, notice how the shoulders have dropped 1/2 inch. Now it’s easier to breathe. The mind is more awake. Our attitude is brighter. The head can move with greater mobility. The benefits gained from our neck stretches transform us from fixed to freedom in our Life.
Marcia Galleher
Marcia Galleher, instructor for over 30 years, offers intuitive based teaching rooted in Hatha Yoga. Her classes focus on integrating the mind and body through a creative sequence of postures combined with conscious breathing. A resident of Kalapana Seaview Estates for nine years, Marcia provides community classes at her home Yoga Studio, at Kalani Oceanside Retreat and online to beginning and continuing students. In conjunction with teaching yoga, she is a wife to John Galleher for many years, a mother and grandmother 'Nani'. Marcia's passions include being an artist, gardener, musician and explorer of western and Mayan astrology. She believes all our thoughts, actions and spoken words are to be considered, supporting harmony and cooperation in the world we share. All is One.