Free movement of the neck and shoulders are intertwined with one another, and restriction/pain in one of these areas will markedly affect the other. The muscles of the neck reach all the way down to the middle of the thoracic spine, and the full musculature of the shoulder girdle extends from the back of the skull all the way to the pelvic rim. Together they are made up of 100 or so muscles.
It is not the holding pattern of any one or two muscles that creates limitations and discomfort, but a restricted and uncoordinated synergy between all of them. This does not have to do with a “tight” muscle, but with a general lack of free movement among extensive groups of muscles.
Deane Juhan’s movement re-education explorations (derived from the work of Dr. Milton Trager) will segue into Saraswati Clere’s leadership toward an easeful approach to your development of the asanas.
