Letting Go! A Video Sequence For Shoulders And Neck

From where I sit in Southern Quebec, it’s clear that this week is about letting go. In nature, of course, that is happening gracefully, organically, and precisely as it should be. In my own very human life, however, letting go isn’t always that natural or easy.

I sometimes wonder why my mind and body clearly prefer holding on to unproductive thoughts and limiting patterns rather than releasing into the joy and freedom that come when I’m willing to let it all fall away? Maybe a better question is: How can I facilitate releasing what’s ready to be let go of?

By softening physical tension, yoga invites us to first notice, and then surrender, habitual patterns of movement in asana in favor of greater ease and integration.

On the level of the mind, our practices help us develop the self-awareness to recognize the layers of resistance and habits we’ve built up so we can gradually begin to free ourselves from them.

Whether it’s how to better align our hands in Downward Dog or taking a fresh look at a situation we’ve felt stuck in, letting go allows us to see new possibility in familiar places.

The neck and shoulders are places where we might tend to hold on and feel stuck. Here’s a refreshing short practice of gentle stretches that can be done as a warm-up or on it's own. Grab your strap and begin the beneficial, but not always easy, process of letting go.