by Cate McNider (originally published here)
Neck free: Some of my students, from hearing me say the directions, have been asking me what it means.
It’s nebulous for sure, but the statement basically means to not involve the neck in any action—let it be free to be itself, the upper part of the spine that supports the poised head. And the first pathway of the spinal cord from the brain, to the rest of the body, so it's very important.
The idea of letting the head release up and away from the spine, or forward and up, means the neck can decompress from the many layers of muscles in the back of the head: suboccipitals through the superficial muscle of the trapezius. The density is about two inches deep, and a lot (bad) habits are stored there—tension from anxiety, fear and bad use.
Through my years in the healing arts, I’ve noticed a persistent desire for those back-of-the-neck muscles to pull in and down, which I counter by allowing my head to go forward and up. I’ve seen that when I allow my neck to ‘be free,’ uncompressed by the head pressing down, that the rest of the spine is allowed to lengthen upwards and the back widens.
All this starts with the neck ‘being free.’ FM Alexander determined that direction comes first: You prevent the narrower pathway to the brain from being interfered with, and allow the head to release forward and up. Free is not a direct action; it’s more an awareness of not moving. Many people instinctively do something with the neck: tighten it, reach it forward, or pull it back and down. So a ‘free neck’ means consciously not doing anything with it, rather letting it ‘be free.’ This allows the whole spine to lengthen with that direction given: “I allow the spine to lengthen and the back to widen.”
Try it right now. Say it out loud or to yourself: “I allow my neck to be free to allow my head to go forward and up, to allow my spine to lengthen and my back to widen, to allow my legs to release away from the torso and the shoulders to widen.”
Now try: “I allow my spine to lengthen and my back to widen, to allow my head to go forward and up, to allow my legs to release away from the torso and the shoulders to widen.”
Do you find any difference? Does one message give you more lengthening than the other? If ‘neck free’ doesn’t do anything for you, go for choice #2. The neck is the upper part of the spine, so starting with that goes right to the core of Alexander Technique: lengthening of the spine.
It's advisable when you're beginning learning a technique to follow the creator's specifications, to discover that their years of study has a repeatable effect, then experiment. So, after a time of making the statement, "I allow my neck to be free", play around trying different arrangements at different times. It also might vary depending on where you are in the process of working with yourself, and what layers of habits you're getting down to, but most importantly, continue to allow the change, and be curious to experiment.
That’s what FM Alexander did for nine years in front of a three-way mirror, and that’s how he arrived at the three principles of awareness, inhibition and direction. He discovered that in order to get around his habit of his neck muscles pulling his head back and down when he was about to say a line of Shakespeare, he had to direct it to be ‘free’ first. Then the head going forward and up, then the back, then the legs and finishing with the shoulders.
I’m grateful he took the time to discover all that he did (I wouldn’t have had the patience to spend nine years in front of a three-way mirror). It has helped me solve my spinal problems, and the practice continues to deepen for me now into the realms of ‘invisible habits.’ I’ve been determined to straighten my scoliosis over the 46 last years, so by his yardstick of nine years, I guess I’ve been pretty determined too. I’ve employed many different techniques over the years, and Alexander Technique helped me uncover the habits that constrict a wholeness of bodymind.
So, whether you instruct your nervous system to ‘allow the neck to be free, to allow the head to go forward and up’ or ‘allow the spine to lengthen, to allow the head to go forward and up,’ it will respond. Let it happen. Saying the directions, is you getting out of the way to allow the freedom to happen. It takes time, but the rewards are worth it, and you realize your neck is free.
Cate McNider has been working with the bodymind and spirit for 29 years. Through every stage of her healing and working with others through different modalities, she now finds the Alexander Technique, most actively helps others address pain and stress. She is giving online classes during this time of 'social distancing'. President of The Listening Body® has spent three decades in the Healing Arts — spanning Massage Therapy, Reiki, Embodied Anatomy, Yoga, Body-Mind Centering®, Contact Improvisation, Deep Memory Process® and more — and has further sensitized her instrument through the process of Alexander Technique. Her AT training represents the culmination of a lifetime of work and study and a springboard for future creations. Cate is also a painter and published. www.catemcnider.com and www.bodymind.training.