Relieve neck and upper back tension by listening to your body
Our bodies reflect our personal stories and our journeys, both physical and psychological. They hold traces of our daily movement patterns, history of injuries (physical and emotional), and hints of internal imbalances. If we learn to read the messages that the body displays and make sense of our own body stories, we can effectively deal with any tensions that show up.
In this short practice, we will explore the discomforts and listen to the messages from the neck and upper back. We will use simple and wide-ranging movements of the neck, arms, and upper back to understand where the tension is stored, what other body parts it is connected to, and what makes it feel better. We will also take time to listen to the messages the body is trying to communicate and look for ways to give it what it needs. Please give it a try and let me know what you find!
Hi Olga, Really wonderful practice. You are an amazing wealth of information and compassion. Not that you want details but . . . I felt it mostly in my jaw and that radiated to the tops of my shoulders. There were images of my sister and mother that came up spontaneously. I did feel a little release in the jaw. And know it would be great to revisit this practice and stay in it a bit longer. Thank you.
Thank you! I am always interested in details 🙂 Was it an unexpected link to your family members that came up? For me, it’s always something new that I haven’t consciously thought about. That’s what makes it so interesting 🙂 Then we understand which part of ourselves needs to be comforted.
Hi Olga. Not unexpected at all. I had been going through some very old photos of the family (from the 50’s mostly). Looking at them to try to discern in our smiles and faces when things changed. Those young pictures look pretty happy but something dark came over all of us. Not bad but there was a change that impacted all of our lives. I did the practice again; this time I felt the most tension in the jaw again but also very much so in the base of the skull where the traps connect; the impression was holding back… Read more »