15 May

As @[585851453:2048:Adrian] explains so clearly here, the relationship between your head, neck and back is a central indicator of how well you are functioning as a human being. If you are chronically tight there, you’re not functioning well. Your entire body is led from this area, it’s the ‘primary control’, as Alexander said, drawing upon the work of Magnus. This is something I retain from the Alexander Technique. What I do with it is different though. For example, you will never ‘free’ the tightness in this area, by focusing on this area. Just as you will never free tightness anywhere in your body, by stretching or massaging or doing anything else to that tight area. You can waste many $$ at a physio or chiro by not understanding this. What you can do is just add an awareness of this area, to whatever you’re doing. And then notice what tightens it, and what makes it not tight, in what you do with your *whole* body, inside the activity you’re engaged with. Most generally it will tighten when you are out of balance, as a way to protect you from falling over. You may only be slightly out of balance. Because your body follows your head, if you’re out of balance these muscles will tighten to stop your head from moving further out of balance, which would then make your whole body move out of balance, and fall over. This region of your body is therefore an excellent guide for you, for optimum breathing and circulation and everything else. But a trap if you focus on it alone. You have to feel it within your wider activity, as an indicator of your balance, in what you’re doing. Ultimately you ‘free’ this area by freeing your attention from your body entirely, and allowing your attention to be out in the world. Your head, neck, back and the rest of you will then upon up, and follow your attention, releasing you elastically out into the world and your activity. You will still be aware of your body, but you won’t be attending to it, to try to get it to do anything. It will do it for you, you need to leave it alone. You will just be aware of it opening up and elastically supporting you in your activity in everyday life.