Many days in my office, people come in for neck pain. The psychological part of the neck is guilt. You know – a little kid reaches into the cookie jar and steels a cookie and the mother asks if he took that cookie. And the boy puts his hand on his neck and says, “No, it wasn’t me.”
That is a response called mentation. Every part of your body has a different emotional response called a mentation. Other examples include shoulders which have to do with responsibility like Atlas holding up the world. Our thighs have to do with support. The knees have to do with fear of change. Our feet have to do with our projects… and the toes the details of those projects. Every different part of the body has a psychological response that goes with it.
Neck pain is one thing that people come see me for all the time. I’d like to teach you some exercises, so that you’re able to release your own neck pain. And if you need me, because you can’t get that kink out, come to my office. Call us at 305-407-0120 to make an appointment.
Acupuncture works incredibly to open up the flow of energy and release those stuck muscles. Sometimes it’s in the shoulder. Sometimes it’s in the back. But, we can get rid of that in about an hour.
When I was deciding between becoming a chiropractor or an acupuncturist, my neck started hurting. It was so strong, I was getting headaches. I went to see an acupuncturist and within one treatment, it was gone – after seeing a chiropractor for months trying to get rid of it. Acupuncture is one of the best things you can do for neck pain.
Here is an exercise that will help with your neck pain.
When we meditate for a long time, occasionally we get pains and stiffness in different parts of the body. Neck stiffness is one of them.
There is always a good side and a bad side which causes distress and uncertainty in the body. When we are meditating for a long period of time, we start to notice an uncomfortable feeling. It could be from your mind bringing up past stressful situations, or the mind could be more active in general. They call this monkey mind, because it jumps from one situation to another – running old movies of your past.
Using our breath, we can prioritize our attention. I’ve used this exercise in many meditation retreats to free my body and mind of pain and discomfort
- Turn your head to one side and then the other.
- Tilt your head to the left and then to the right.
- Notice if one side is easier to move than the other, check your range of motion and determine if one side is more painful.
- Now move your neck in the direction that doesn’t hurt which should have a better range of motion.
- Do not move in the direction of the pain. Move to the side that feels better.
- Exhale through your mouth as you move in the direction that is the easiest. Inhale using a sniffing breath through your nose when you get to the end of the movement.
- After repeating the breathing and movement several times, recheck the painful side. If it still hurts, repeat the exercise with more emphasis on your breath.
Wishing you the best in your health, wealth and happiness.
