Release Neck Tension

(waves crashing) Welcome. Let's find a bit more space and relief out through the shoulders and the neck together. Find a comfortable standing position and as you inhale simply squeeze the shoulders up around the ears and exhale drop. And as you inhale, roll the shoulders back and up. Squeeze and exhale and drop.

One more time. Squeezing the shoulders up. Exhale and drop. Reaching your arms out to the side, we'll begin to explore the internal rotation of the shoulders and the external rotations. So this flossing of the shoulders, initiating the movement from the shoulder joint out through the fingers.

Now as you come into the external rotation, can you get a sense of reaching from the heart into the pinky fingers? Lengthening up through the spine, lifting the heart as you let your tailbone descend towards the earth. Inhale, reach, and as you exhale release the arms. Again, inhale, squeeze the shoulders up, exhale and drop. From here I'll turn to the side.

Interlace your fingers. Feet about hip distance. Go down through the feet as you begin to go out through the spine and lengthen a bit side to side. Inhale. As you exhale, release the arms.

Find that internal rotation. Interlace the fingers. Bend the knees, go out through the spine. Lengthen up through the heart. You might stay here or continue to bend the knees.

Roll the pelvis forward, chest towards your thighs as your head releases reaching your arms up, out, and over. Breathing here. You might play with rolling your weight towards the balls of your feet. As you're ready, bend the knees, release the arms. Uttanasana.

Soften the knees, keep the chin into the chest as you slowly roll up towards standing, keeping the chin in. Shoulders, heart, head. Take a moment to pause here. From here, reaching your right arm out to the side again. Find the internal rotation.

I'll bring the back of the hand to my sacrum. This might be perfect. Some of you might begin to bring the hand up the back between the shoulder blades. Once you find a good spot, draw the elbow in towards the front line of the body. From here draw the chin towards the heart and begin to draw the left ear towards the shoulder away from that right elbow.

You might look down towards the earth and you might begin to explore looking up towards the sky. Take a few moments here. Connect back down through your feet and breath into where you feel the sensation. Be tender and gentle here. Beautiful.

As you're ready, take a look down. Chin towards the heart. Release that right arm and shake it out. Take a moment here to notice (exhales). As you're ready, reach the left arm out.

Find that internal rotation. Back of the hand to the sacrum or, perhaps, between the shoulder blades. Again once you find a good spot, draw the elbow towards the front line. Draw the chin towards the heart. You might stay here or begin to draw that right ear towards the right shoulder.

Pause when you feel the stretch. Again, you might look down towards the earth or begin to explore looking up towards the sky, breathing. Softening through the jaw. Last few moments. Connect back down through the feet.

And then as you are ready, release the chin towards the heart and gently release that left arm. Shake it out. Again, pause and notice. From here interlace the fingers one more time down through the feet, up through the spine, lengthening. Releasing the arms, interlace the fingers, go out through the heart.

Soften the knees, forward fold. Let the head drop, let the arms release. Breathing. And you're welcome to stay here or soften the knees, release the arms, Uttanasana. Chin into the chest and slowly rolling up towards standing, keeping the chin in.

Feeling the heart, your shoulders, your head, and pause. Notice how you feel. Namaste.