Five Necks - One Freedom

A Holistic Body Map from the Japanese Language to the Alexander Technique

During a conversation with my Japanese friend Yuko, I discovered something that profoundly changed the way I think and work.

In Japanese, the word kubi — commonly translated as “neck” — does not refer solely to the anatomical neck, but extends its meaning to the wrists and ankles.

This revelation opened an entirely new dimension for me. From that moment on, when I say,

“Let my neck be free,” -

The phrase carries a deeper resonance. It speaks not only of the neck itself, but of five interconnected centres of movement and release — five kubi — that together shape the body’s freedom.

In the Japanese language, there’s a beautiful linguistic thread: kubi (neck) appears within the words tekubi (wrist) and ashikubi (ankle). This simple yet profound connection offers us a poetic body map — one with five “necks”:

the neck itself, two wrists, and two ankles. Each serves as a living hinge, mediating between stability and movement, support and expression.

From an Alexander Technique perspective, we often begin with the freedom of the neck — allowing the head to balance easily on the spine so the whole body can reorganise. 

But what happens when we extend this same principle to the wrists and ankles?

We begin to sense how the release at one end of the chain reverberates through the whole.

The neck supports the head; the wrists articulate the hands; the ankles carry the rhythm of the feet. Each can hold tension or be invited into ease.

So, when you think of “freeing the neck,” you might also bring gentle attention to your wrists and ankles — the other kubi of the body.

Feel how softening one affects the others, how a ripple of release travels through your entire system. Over time, this integrated awareness cultivates a sense of unity, balance, and grace in all your movements.

In essence:“Let the five necks be free.”

Allow them to breathe, to respond, to awaken — and discover a new layer of freedom that resonates through your whole being.