I hide in my fear. If you can send a message of thanks and acknowledgement to the muscles of your neck, if you can send them pure love, they will relax. The trick is learning how to send that message. It can be done. I don' t think it matters how locked your neck muscles are.
Friends are great mirrors.
Listen to how they view you. Huge Wingspans I took a great half-day hike on this trip. Up a mountain. A twisty trail that leads to a steep dirt road that loops around a peak, ending at the summit. I round a corner.