The Persistent Pain in Your Neck

Not your Mother-In-Law or your partner’s best friend.

Now, this time it was a direct neck complaint from a flute player in class today. She explained how her neck often gets tired after playing a lot.

Tired as in stiff - and can’t find a way to relieve it.

You can guess when people have that feeling – you will see them constantly stretching their muscles, moving head side to side and pulling back their arms. They are trying to push away a persistent, annoying, deep, inner pain and they never succeed at it.

Until today’s class. Read on to find out why...

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The culprits for this kind of pain are the deep intrinsic muscles of your spine. 

At BodyChance, we jokingly called the ‘the being muscles.’

This name comes from the fact that these deep muscles – i.e. muscles hugging close to your bone – have a postural function of maintaining uprightness i.e. holding you together when you walk so you don’t collapse like a heap on the floor.

And your brand of ‘uprightness’ is unique to you.

Yes folks, Chancer is saying that personality is hovering down the sides of your very own vertebral column. It is your ‘being’ on show, hence we call them the ‘being muscles.’

What can you do when they get stiff?

Wrong question.

What do you stop doing? 

You have to find out.

In the case of the flutist, it didn’t take a genius to see that her playing involved a small but significant forward lean of her 5 kilogram head + neck towards her flute to form an embouchure. 

Is this necessary?

I pointed out that her arms are more suitable to raise up the flute, rather than her head/spine falling forward and down towards the flute.

Take your choice: sore neck or better playing?

She decided to ask her arms to bring the flute up and play. This happened:

- her neck stop bothering her
- she could breathe more easily
- her tonging was no longer difficult

We then did a little detour of the intrinsic muscles of the spine, and she quickly realised they were busy holding her head forward in all kinds of activities: 

– following music sheets on the piano
- reading a book on the train
- just plain walking along the street

No wonder they were complaining!

At the very end she even told me she had a favourite position for my hands to guide her – one hand on the top of her head, the other hand on her back.

Haha! - the deep intrinsic muscles of her upper spine sat between my two hands!

I know all about them and it will help you if you know about them too. 

That’s why this month I have a special offer for those curious about Alexander's Discovery applied to anatomical function. It’s good for anyone with an interest in teaching, playing/performing or seeking a comprehensive postural overview (aka functional anatomy).

BodyThinking Online is also a course for my Pro graduates – but it is not only for them. Anyone who wants to know more about their design – and how to use it – will benefit from this course. 

It’s available at 50% off, plus a ridiculously generous array of bonuses that are part of my Xmas spirt:

- Greg Holdaway’s Supersize BodyThinking: a three day course added to your new online library at BodyChance. Greg is an Alexander academic, and brings his clear-thinking knowledge to show you how these ideas can supercharge your teaching and keep your students glued to you!

- 3 live coaching sessions with Chancer: in Jan/Feb/March. Your chance to get support in applying these ideas to benefit your Self and students. These sessions will be recorded and added to your new online library at BodyChance. 

- A video of my one day workshop teaching BodyThinking Online to the public. Gather new ways to explore materials and present Alexander's Discovery in original ways. Full of ideas, games and activities for using in your teaching and learning.

- A series of 5 pre-recorded coaching sessions: issues summarized in each video so you can scroll to what will help you fastest. 

Let’s face it – you may never to watch all this. 

Better that you think this way – it is your reference service. It is your “I’m getting stuck I need stimulation” tool. It is your “she has an thumb issue – what does BodyThinking Online say about thumbs?” and do on.

A teaching resource like no other available in the Alexander world.

All it takes is $140 to gain instant access, and 4 more payments after that.

To read more about the Online Course, and to purchase it when you’re ready, go to this link:

https://bodychancejp.mykajabi.com/store/7b7CWPmZ