October 21, 2026
What this quote means to me
Have you ever checked your blind spot and found your neck only turns about halfway?
Most of us spend the day looking straight ahead: at the screen, at the road, at the phone in our hands. Your head stays still, your shoulders creep up, and by evening your neck feels like a door painted shut.
Hua Tuo was a physician in China about 1,800 years ago. He's best known for creating the Five Animal Frolics, one of the oldest Qi Gong forms still practiced today. He taught his students that the body needs to move: moving our limbs helps us digest food and keeps the blood flowing freely. He compared it to a door hinge, one that keeps opening and closing never rusts.
Then he described the practitioners who came before him. They "turned their head backward like an owl."
I love that detail. The owl movement we practiced in Monday's class dates back at least that far. People have been easing those same stiff necks for a very long time.
Your neck and shoulders are among the busiest hinges in your body, and they sit right next to something important. At the base of your neck, near your collarbones, your lymph returns to your bloodstream. It's where the whole system drains.
Your lymph has no pump; it moves as the surrounding muscles squeeze and release. When your head and shoulders stay in one position all day, there's very little movement around the drain. Gently turning your head engages the muscles around your neck, helping things move again.
A hinge usually needs only a little movement.
A practice inspired by this quote
Owl Turns Its Head
This one comes from Monday’s class but you can practice along with me in the video above.
Sit or stand tall and let your shoulders drop away from your ears.
Take a slow breath in. As you breathe out, gently turn your head to look over your right shoulder, allowing your eyes to lead the way like an owl looking behind it.
Pause for a breath and feel the stretch along the side of your neck.
On your next inhale, come back to center. Then turn to the left.
Repeat 5 times on each side, turning only as far as feels comfortable.
When to use it: After time at a screen, after a long drive, or whenever your shoulders start creeping toward your ears.
Afterward, notice your neck and the area around your collarbones. You might feel warmth, an easier turn, or very little at first.
Open and close that hinge a few times this week and notice what you feel.
Lee