How to improve neck & head mobility

What to do when your head just feels stuck on top of your neck?

Do you also sometimes find that your head feels as if there is no movement at all between the occiput, C1 and C2?

Just watch today’s video and you will see how stuck my head is on top of my neck.

And you will also see my go-to exercise or sequence to try to get some movement back into this area. First by focusing on the occiput, C1 and C2 and then connect the movement into the neck. Both happens with the fingers as I try to coax some release into the sub-occipitals and neck myofascia.

The key here is to use gentle fingers and slow down. The sub-occipitals are a small muscle group. Furthermore, the area is a sensitive one in the first place, so you don’t need a lot of pressure to stimulate it.

What is the exercise about?

• This exercise is about releasing tension in the neck and improve mobility between the head and neck.

What do I like about it?

• It gives you a feeling of placing your head properly back on top of your neck.
• You use a very simple movements – flexion-extension, rotation, lateral flexion  –  to create awareness of where to move from.
• You have a proprioceptive aspect because you guide the movement with your fingers. This stimulates the communication between the brain and body and there is therefore more clarity about where the movement happens.
• You have the release aspect because you are brushing your myofascial system. The warm fingers add another dimension – that of adding “heat” to release tension.
• This sequence is calming because you slow down.

What prop do you need?

The best prop of them all – your fingers and hands … ;o)

Where to place the prop

On the sub-occipitals.

Which course/workshop is the exercise from?

• English title: “Achieving efficient movement – how to combine pilates with myofascial release”
• Danish title “Pilates and Fascia – sådan kombinerer du pilatesøvelser med fascia release” – new course date 6 June 2021

And here is the video …

Video length: 4:57 minutes