Back and neck tension are totally connected!
Help your spine by releasing your hip joint socket and notice your neck releasing in the process as well!
Learn to allow your body to do its job instead of trying to muscularly control it!
When your back is tight, do you go into forward bends as a way to free your lower back from excess tension? Do you do them in the hope to lengthen your spine? And how are you doing with this? Does your back remains lengthened as a result or does it simply feel awfully good in the moment to stretch that tension but you need to keep stretching that same tension over and over?
The secret to back length is two-fold.
First, you need to focus on the lengthening of your whole torso, not just the back or part of the back. Of course, when you do so, your low back or other part of your back will lengthen on their own if need be.
Second, you can’t truly lengthen your torso or back without releasing your hip joint sockets. In fact, only your whole-body intelligence can truly lengthen your torso/back as a result of your letting go of hip joints tension.
Now, don’t you go do hip openers to free your hip joint sockets. That is not the same as using your mind to simply let go of the tension. Your whole-body intelligence responds more efficiently to thought that allow its functioning than to orders that muscularly forces its functioning.
Back and neck tension are totally connected!
Help your spine by releasing your hip joint socket and notice your neck releasing in the process as well!
Letting go is an intention, a decision that your body can carry out for you instantaneously when you know how to step out of your own way. By doing so, your whole-body intelligence can finally take action from the driver seat where it belongs.
If you want to learn how to activate your whole body intelligence, check my blog site offerings free or paid. If you are a yoga teacher, trainee or committed yoga practitioner, private message me to see if you qualify for a complimentary session with Cecile! https://offthematyogablog.com/
Cecile Raynor has been teaching the Alexander Technique for over 25 years out of which came her B.I.A. Process to assist yogis enhance their practice bypassing the intellect. She is also a Thai Yoga Massage Therapist and a Reiki Practitioner. Faculty at Akasha Yoga Teacher Training, she runs a 12 months Mastermind for Yoga Teachers with a Vision, and a 90 Day Virtual Program for trainees, new teachers and committed yoga practitioners interested in using their body more efficiently on and off the mat in a way not taught in regular training courses. She is currently writing a book on her personal and professional experience to be published this year with Bliss-life Press, San Diego California.
Off The Mat Yoga 
So – I discovered this wonderful ability of my body wisdom some years ago when I was ill (I also practice focusing) and after I had attended some workshops on wholebody focusing which is based on Alexander Technique and Focusing. You seem to suggest it can happen quite quickly I find it can take quite some time, there is often so much sticky stuff in the way of me just getting out of the way and letting my body wisdom take the reigns.
But it is amazing when it happens
Hi Carole,
Thanks for sharing your experience.The way I work, it can happen instantaneously every single time and depending on how old or attached to your habits you are, it then can take more or less time to fade away. There is more to this and would be happy to talk to you about it.
If interested, let’s jump on a quick call so I can address your question more thoroughly! When is a good time for you in the next couple days?