tension in the neck

[Guest guest]

Hello everybody !<br>I have a question and

hopefully can someone give me some usefull tips. Lately I

started to feel alot of tension in my neck. I have

propably been developing it for some time. I can feel it

f.eks. in warrior 1 posture. What postures are good for

relieving tension in this area? <br><br>thanks<br>:-)

[Guest guest]

imbagogg from Iceland,<br><br>The best way to

relieve tension and stiffness in the neck & shoulder area

is to free and stretch the affected parts to

increase mobility.<br><br>Upward-facing Dog & Downward Dog

are certainly very good for this purpose. When

heating up your body through the Sun Salutes, use the

time you spend in Downward Dog for 5 breaths to

STRETCH your upper body and shoulder area; make sure to

relax your neck and head. <br><br>When taking your head

back in Upward Dog, Utkatasana and Virabhadrasana I,

take care not to constrict your neck. In Warrior I, it

may also help not to press your hands together when

reaching up with your arms; keep arms parallel instead,

look in front of you and not up to your thumbs, so not

to constrict the neck. <br><br>Avoid strain. Do not

tense when doing the postures. Tension causes strain,

which blocks energy.<br><br>(By the way, a big fan of

Björk's music is posting here. Recently, I also read 2

novels by your writer Einar Karason - great. Have a nice

time up there in Iceland.)

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much shining skull for a good

advice. I whant to ask you also about if you are hurting

in the neck, shouldn't you still be doing the plow

and the shoulder stand ? <br><br>Did you know that

Björk was nominated for the Oscar for one of her song

in "Dancer in the dark". She is also great in that

movie. I also recommend a movie by Friðrik Þór

Friðriksson "Angels of the univers" by Einar Kárason. It is

so nice to know that someone outside of Iceland is

reading Icelandic novels.<br><br>Thanks again :-)

[Guest guest]

If your neck is injured - which I hope is not

your case - you shouldn't do Shoulder Stand & Halasana

at all, or only under the supervision of a qualified

teacher who knows how to deal with this kind of

problem.<br><br>But if your neck is not injured and you just feel

tension, it may be advisable to stay in Shoulder Stand &

Halasana only for a short period, and to come out of the

postures as soon as the pressure in the neck becomes too

strong. Take care to enter the poses slowly, don't

strain. If the tension persits, then it may be better to

leave out the inverted postures altogether, and to

finish your practice session with the Padmasana

sequence. Concentrate on doing Downward Dog and forward

bends instead, until the tension in the neck

disappears.<br><br>(Of Einar Karason's novels I have read only "Devil's

Isle" & "The Isle of Gold" so far: it's the saga of a

highly colourful family who lives in Reykjavik in the

fifties - very funny. I like Karason's style and sense of

humour. Both books were published here in Germany in

hardcover editions and in excellent translations. I know

that "Devil's Isle" has recently been made into a film

too, but I haven't seen it - I think the book is

better.<br><br>I saw Björk last year on German television when she

got the prize of the Film Festival in Cannes as 'best

female actress' in Lars von Triers "Dancer in the Dark".

She is an exceptional artist.)<br><br>Good luck.