Stretching is the corner stone of modern fitness whether you go to yoga or at the gym. Yet is stretching the best way to relieve tension? Is stretching your neck the best way to relieve your neck tension? Definitely, possibly, maybe!

To focus on my own journey and personal growth, I have taken a well-deserved break from online activities for several months. If you ever can do that even for a shorter time, I highly recommend it.

As a result, I had a wonderful summer and many amazing insights to enrich my life and work!

Now, I am ready to come back with a renewed perspective thanks to the silver lining of past trauma now blossoming into yet another dimension.

During my time off, I spent more time outdoors swimming and walking and one day, I was introspecting on the nature of trauma. I had been reading the book “No Mud, No Lotus, The Art of Transforming Suffering” by Thich Nhat Hanh who was my first spiritual teacher. It made me think about how most people have endured some kind of trauma at some point or another in their life. This can make life quite challenging when not addressed or healed as it influences everything with say or do. Even an apparently good childhood can turn out to have trauma embedded in it as explained in the book of Alice Miller “The Drama of the Gifted Child”.

The thing is that trauma can be a powerful springboard to discover what our true purpose is. It can help us develop the understanding and the skills we need to actualize this true purpose we all have. In fact, the core wounds of my childhood served me well for a very long time. They motivated me to learn about nutrition and health from a young age, to devote myself to exercising daily since my 20’s, to pursue higher education, engage in meditation and spiritual studies, and eventually write a book, among other things.

It led me to discover my true purpose which is to empower people to connect with their Inner Wisdom to experience the Lightness of Being and dance the Joy of Wholeness.

Recently, however, I noticed that my way of being and teaching was in transition.
Leftover reactivity was decreasing further, trust in what I sensed was increasing.
I realized I was shifting from being motivated by my true purpose
rather than my core wounds. What an amazing realization!

Could it be why I allowed myself to take such a break from online activities?
Did I need to create space to get this level of clarity around this inner transformation?

My insight had to do with my need to adjust the balance between my intellect and my intuition.
My intellect had been motivated and developed by my core wounds,
my intuition was my link to my heart wisdom and true purpose.

I always knew I was in touch with both but this time around,
I sensed it was time to allow my intuition to be in charge, assisted by my intellect
rather than the other way around out of habit. What an interesting rebalancing shift!

Although feeling vulnerable about sharing all this, I was drawn to share it with you, maybe hoping it would spark some insights of your own to move you forward from where you are. Let me know! I always love to hear from my readers!:)

I apply all I learn personally and professionally to inspire and guide my students on their journey to the next level of well-being and evolution. And my specialty is to help people who have tried everything to reduce, eliminate, or prevent chronic tension or pain without getting sustainable results. Such chronic pain can be the outcome of a mind, body, heart, and soul imbalance. Most of the time, education on misconceptions around movement and posture is enough or a good place to start.

If you or someone you know needs this type of work,
I am excited to bring to you the new version of my Global Event:
 “Freedom from Chronic Tension or Pain using 3 Unusual Pathways”
coming up on September 22, 2022.

Come along for the ride, then share your experience with me.
I’d really love that!
It is a free event you can enjoy and benefit from.
Hope to see you there! 🙂

Click HERE to reserve your place.

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and soul work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.

Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/

Do you suffer from stress?
When you are agitated, do you experience excess tension in your body?
And vice versa, when your body hurts, do you find it hard to keep a calm mind?

When I was suffering from headaches, I could not get a thing done properly for work because the pain was taking all my mind attention and it was hard to think clearly.
Can you relate?

With the pandemic stress, many people have developed both mental and physical stress.

People tell me how they hold that stress in their neck, or shoulders, or back. And that is a common belief that stress can cause muscle pain. Do you feel that way too?

People attribute their pain and poor posture to stress and many other things.
Fair enough. So many factors can contribute.
And yet, there is a very common reason other than stress that creates or enhance
muscle or joint pain and poor posture – common but not known by most.
It has to do with how you use your knees and feet.

Shoulder openers and stretching do feel good in the moment yet they cannot really change your whole posture because the minute you’re off the mat, your habitual body synergy reclaims its habitual way to be in your body and your shoulders have to hold or surrender

In truth, when it comes to poor posture, muscle knots and pain in otherwise healthy adults, it is often the result of a lack of integrated functioning. You may ongoingly feed that poor posture or those tense spots when misusing yourself.

Progressively you create “A Catastrophe Ready to Happen”. Then, stress goes up as it did with the pandemic and that catastrophe happens.

Stress turns manageable lingering excess tension that you may minimize and ignore
into extreme discomfort or pain that cannot be ignored.

What I eventually learned is that my headaches came from my tensed neck. It was my body telling me I had not listened to its whispers so it had to stop me in my tracks as indicated by this quote from many centuries ago:

“If you do not listen to the whispers of your body, it will yell out loud”
Leonardo Da Vinci

The fact is, when you are more in tune with your body, you can catch trouble before it blossoms into pain. And then, you have more options to reduce, eliminate, or even prevent such chronic tension or pain. Being more in tune with your body means being not only more aware of your body but also more aware of your integrated body.

Functioning as the integrated whole you are designed to be means that all body parts are working harmoniously together more often than not.
And so are your body, mind, heart and soul!

It is not about perfection but expanded awareness in action….

If this speaks to you and you are ready to reach your next level of embodiment and experience less or no chronic tension or pain towards increased wellbeing,
you have lots of options:

1) Sign up for a “How to go from Pain to Ease” free phone consult

2) Join the next Experiential Webinar Freedom from Chronic Tension or Pain using 3 Unique Pathways

3) Join the Foundational “Activate your Body Intelligence” Online Course

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and soul work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.

Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/

Are you a musician and a yoga practitioner? Do you experience excess tension or chronic pain despite your ongoing efforts to be free from excess tension or pain? Would you like to understand why that is? Then keep reading…..

Most musicians consider their practice an integral part of their best performance, so they practice endlessly to be a perfect channel for the music they perform to their captive audience. This is especially true of classical musicians as they do not rely on improvisation at all.

As a result, it is common for musicians to experience chronic pain in their muscles or joints over time due to repetitive stress through repetitive movement. Some are even embarrassed to complain about it and bear through the pain till they no longer can which does not help their situation.

Luckily for musicians, there are modalities that can help them address their pain to feel better. Often, modalities focus on pain relief alone whether it is the manipulation of skilled therapists, a daily stretching or strengthening practice at the gym or through yoga. Another aspect of yoga that helps them is developing presence to their body and sometimes, with the right class, they get the meditative dimension of yoga.

This being said, all these modalities do not address what I call “Integrated Functioning” which is the ability to move from a whole-body perspective, in a way that benefits all body parts at the same time. As a result, it is often the case that people get addicted to their modality of choice, especially yoga!

Yoga addiction is common and, it makes you feel good about yourself to practice daily and diligently. And that way to practice is a good thing until it becomes an addiction. If your excess tension or chronic pain return when you stop practicing, it means you have not tackled its real root yet, hence the addiction to your practice which is also affected by your non-integrated functioning.

The Alexander Technique is a very impactful modality that can also relieve your symptoms. Only, embedded in it, is the potential to prevent your chronic tension or pain to come back by tackling the root of the problem bringing about your pain.

If you are healthy and experience chronic tension or pain, it is likely you suffer on account of how you use your body in a non-integrated way both on and off the mat. The Alexander Technique helps you to reclaim integrated functioning so all your body parts can function harmoniously together both in your daily movements and while you practice and perform.

As you discover and unlearn the unconscious habits that are feeding your pain, you learn about 5 essential key-relationships in your body that can hinder or promote your most natural good posture depending on how they are functioning in an integrated way or not. When functioning efficiently, like a well-trained orchestra, these 5 relationships work together harmoniously. Consequently, they allow you to reduce, eliminate, or even prevent excess tension or chronic pain in a sustainable way. All the while, you can perform at your best and feel good in your daily body as well.

If this work speaks to you and you are ready to invest yourself with its process to be finally free of excess tension or chronic tension fueled by the repetitive movements to play your instrument…..

Then, sign up for this one-time webinar I will be giving on April 26, 2022 by clicking on the link below. Don’t miss the Early Bird Special!

(Number of spaces is limited, so registration happens on a first serve basis)

https://cecileraynor.lpages.co/alexander-technique-for-musicians/

Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.

Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/

This is the title of a WEBINAR happening Online this Thursday, April 28, 2022 @ 7 to 8.30PM EST!

ARE YOU HEALTHY AND YET DEALING WITH
NAGGING NECK, SHOULDER, BACK OR JOINT TENSION OR PAIN?

Are you ready to understand why nothing has given you the lasting results you want and deserve?

We all have inherited some misconceptions around movement and posture which are affecting you right now! Yet, there is a way to activate your Body Intelligence to clear the chronic tension or pain coming from those misconceptions for you. Curious?

Join me this Thursday to understand and experience the solution to your challenge. Give yourself a chance to reclaim optimal wellbeing by clicking the following link to register: The Key to Sustainable Results from Chronic Tension or Pain

If you are ready to discover this missing link to your healing, join me tonight by clicking the link below: REGISTER HERE NOW

Hope to see you there!:)

PS: If you are interested but can’t make that time or date,
reach out to me by clicking my website link below…

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.

Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/

She had tried so many approach without Gaining Sustainable Results!

Marion has been a lifelong musician and athlete. She plays the guitar and the mandolin among other things and she also sings.

She went from the guitar to the mandolin because it was a lighter instrument on her shoulders. Needless to say, she tired easily after playing her instruments although she would not consider stopping completely as it brought her lots of joy.

Also, she used to consider a day to be incomplete if she did not enjoy some outdoor activity.

Over time, however, she developed back discomfort, poor posture, and bursitis in her hip joint. Life did not feel so good at that point because she could not get relief, she could not walk more than 5 minutes before her hip joint would scream, and she could not sleep well.

She was becoming desperate … until she discovered Integrated Functioning!

Here is what she has been experiencing with her first handful of sessions discovering Integrated Functioning, (one in-person and 4 online session):

1. She has been feeling better overall as her level of pain has clearly come down
2. She is no longer comfortable slouching when sitting because she is discovering and progressively reclaiming a more integrated and comfortable way to sit
3. She is finding it so much easier to hold both her guitar and her mandolin without feeling the strap pulling her down
4. She is now able to walk 20 minutes instead of 5 which makes her so very happy!:)
5. Integrated Functioning is the missing link in the world of fitness and in most modalities to help people reduce or eliminate pain. Integrated Functioning works best because an individual can activate his/her Body Intelligence on demand as unconscious mind/body habits are discovered and fading away.

Integrated Functioning is available 24/7 to those who are ready to explore and discover what covers it up and committed to let it go. Although it needs to be integrated into your daily life for sustainable results, Integrated Functioning can be experienced instantaneously, almost like magic!:)

So, if this speaks to you and you want to get a better understanding of it and more importantly a taste of it, simply sign up to my incoming webinar by clicking the following link to reserve your spot in this event with a limited number of participants!

Click Here: “The Key to Sustainable Relief from Chronic Tension or Pain”. 

Hope to see you then!

Cécile 🙂

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.

Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/

And how to handle it gracefully!

Whether you play the guitar, whether you sing or chant, music is a gift to you as the musician playing and a gift to those listening.

On some level, it can be a spiritual experience!
Through music, we access the present moment,
and often, we tend to get lost in it which can be a good thing.
I personally loose the notion of time when I practice.

However, there can be a shadow side to playing an instrument, using our voice as an instrument, sitting for long hours as a performer.

1. You spend lots of hours practicing to play, sing or chant the best way possible
2. Your body gets tired out, tense, or achy from repetitive motions, misuse or overuse of your body
3. Tension or aches tend to carry over in your daily life creating a chronic need to stretch your muscles
4. In specific situation, you may experience stage fright which enhances your level of body tension

Those are some of the reasons why many performers rely on the Alexander Technique to reduce, eliminate, or prevent their chronic tension or pain of both body and mind.

They swear by it because it helps them be a performer without the side effects often experienced by performers. This technique has been endorsed and studied by musicians such as:  Paul McCartney, Sting, Julian Bream, Yehudi Menuhin, James Galway, and Sir Colin Davis to name a few.

They also discover and appreciate the fact that the Alexander Technique helps their daily body function more efficiently as well.

As a result, this is what it can bring to you:

* Increased ease of movement so you and your instrument can be a channel for your music
* improved and effortless posture for efficient energy flow
* Enhanced wellbeing in both daily and specific activities

If you are “Alexander curious” or know other musicians who could benefit,
here is your chance to check it out with my incoming online workshop.

Benefit from a VALENTINE SPECIAL if you sign up by Valentine Day.…….

Limited # of space available, so click the registration link now to reserve yours!:)

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/ where you can schedule a free consult or sign up for events like her incoming workshop on Alexander Technique for Musicians
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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.
Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Hopefully, this is the last snow this winter for us New Englanders. This being said, many of us need to shovel snow and sometimes slush these days. The way you handle your body shows up whether you are practicing yoga, whether you play an instrument, you rake leaves or shovel snow!

And if you experience excess tension in your daily life, 
the last thing you want is to enhance or trigger your tension level 
which would easily manifest NECK, SHOULDER, BACK OR JOINTS TROUBLES.

Now, I am not saying that challenging yourself is not a good thing.
What I am saying is that there are different ways to do so. Some are beneficial to your whole body while others are detrimental to your wellbeing.

MUSCLING THROUGH SHOVELING IS THE BEST WAY TO GET HURT!

TRUSTING YOUR WHOLE-BODY STRENGTH
BASED ON YOUR MUSCLES & SKELETAL STRUCTURE WORKING TOGETHER
IS THE WAY TO MOVE SAFELY!
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HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO SHOVEL SAFELY?

1. Allow your muscles and joints to be as relaxed as possible. You movements will naturally be more fluid and efficient. Your energy will be able to flow more easily throughout your body.

2. Keep in a state of skeletal expansion. Avoid slouching into yourself as you relax like the woman in red in the above picture.

3. Use your body weight whenever possible by pushing or dragging a shovel full of snow with your whole body strength to spare isolated muscles to overdo .

4. Stay present to your body from head to toes as much as possible. That is one way to avoid doing something that feels good or right for one body part while creating excess tension in other parts.

You will discover that your strength comes from your mind and bones more than from tight muscles. You’ll feel much better than usual after you shovel & can prevent your back to go out this way.

When you minimize tensing isolated muscles, you enlist your skeletal structure, and you access greater strength with less efforts. What could be better than that? Plus, it adds a spring to your steps.

So good luck with your shoveling and your way to moving in general!

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Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/ where you can schedule a free consult or sign up for events like her incoming workshop on Alexander Technique for Musicians

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.
Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Have you ever wondered
why are excess tension and poor posture in daily life such common problems?
Even with people who know a lot about anatomy and those exercising regularly.

The fact is whether you are engaged in daily life activities or whether you are performers or athletes, the challenge is you may be bringing your daily habits to any specific activity! 

The fact is that you can only be mindful of what you are aware of. And how people misuse their hinges is not commonly in their range of awareness until they hurt. I used to not have a clue myself and as a result, I was suffering from chronic headaches and muscle tension.

One of the reasons for this situation is a general lack of awareness around how all body parts are designed to function as an integrated whole.

Another reason is a lack of clarity about how to use joints appropriately even though it is the first step of functioning as the integrated whole that you are.

Unknowingly creating “fake joints” causes much tension build-up in your muscles and a common habit to lock your real joints whether in daily life or when you exercise.

These habits become a vicious cycle and the habitual way feels more natural than the natural way which is quite misleading.

That is why
you may not always be doing
what you think you are doing!

As a result, you go from unknowingly stressing your muscles and joints to stretching them – till you run the risk of killing their natural tone.

Your fake joints (usually muscles) eventually complain that you’re giving them a job that’s not theirs to do. All the while, you wonder why your neck or back hold such a level of tension when you stretch regularly?

This is the vicious cycle that keeps your neck and sometimes your whole body uptight in daily life, even when you’re not even stressed out! Being stressed out naturally enhances this tension cycle.

FOR NOW, START TO OBSERVE YOURSELF. Next time you go about stretching a muscle, check if your overall body is in a state of expansion, contraction, or compression?

How can your energy flow through you if your joints are locked while standing, walking or in a yoga pose? Do you want freedom from chronic neck tension or overall excess tension? Do you want to learn how not to trigger neck tension or pain? Do you want to experience natural good posture (even when you are not thinking about it)?

I am happy to assist you in any way I can. It is my life purpose to inspire and guide you to dance the joy of wholeness.

There is nothing like a fresh perspective to promote the changes you are after.

YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE 
in exploring this approach 
but habits that no longer serve you!

If you are ready to be free of chronic tension or pain lingering despite all your efforts, or you want to take constructive action to prevent this common challenge, schedule a Free Consult with me and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you are a MUSICIAN using yoga to handle your aches and pain and you are not getting sustainable results, don’t miss out on my EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!

Then, sign up for my February 2-session workshop by clicking on the link below:
(Number of spaces is limited, so registration happens on a first serve basis)

Alexander Technique for Musicians

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.

Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.

Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/