From Neck Hell to Neck Heaven with Yoga and the Franklin Method

I was a professional figure skater/performer until I was 35, and every day I spun really fast with my head tilted back. I never understood why my neck was always tight and often hurt. I loved skating and performing so much that I could ignore the pain.

Until I couldn’t.   

After nine years of skating in ice shows around the world, I discovered yoga. I didn’t understand why at the time, but sometimes my neck felt better and at other times it was worse.

Twenty-five years ago, I became a yoga teacher. Soon after, I set the intention to understand the body. I wanted to make sense of the opposing information coming at me on poses and the body. My search led to many modalities and practices, including somatics, Pilates, and finally Franklin Method Imagery.

In the Franklin Method, we picture our own anatomy through embodiment. This practice completely changed my neck, shoulders, and hips; picturing my own anatomy caused my neck tension to melt and my neck pain to disappear. My passion now is giving people a picture of their own anatomy as it applies to yoga, so they too can live without tension and pain.

Get a taste of embodiment with these two short videos. The first one was a game changer for me after all the years of spinning. I often see students able to release habitual jaw clenching after watching this video. Loosening up the jaw helps the neck tremendously. The second video appears at first glance to be for the shoulders, but the neck release is the real gift.

Christa Rypins teaches workshops on the Franklin Method and yoga for Kripalu's Annual Yoga Teachers Conference.

Christa Rypins brings 15 years as a professional ice skater to her healing work. She combines the Franklin Method with yoga, Pilates, and meditation. She has taught at Kripalu for 23 years and runs the Intelligent Body Movement Studio in Murphys, California. Christa developed the online training Yoga Anatomy Magic and the weekly Facebook Live meditation class My Body, My Freedom. Her passion is assisting people to awaken to the truth within themselves. This truth is magic.