Why the head and neck position is important and what effect this has on our posture.

Posture is not a static state and an ideal posture is that which requires the least muscular effort to arrange the body for efficient and effective performance. No squeezing, tightening or tucking, these movements oppose normal effortless movement.

So why look at the head and neck…. Our balance system is an integrated set up using our vision, our sensory feedback of where we are in space (proprioception) from our bodies and our vestibular system all feeding back to the brain. Part of this system is the vestibulospinal reflex and it is very sensitive to head position.

Neck posture is automatically implicated to head position, in particular the upper neck. Taking the neck into a backwards position or driving the head / chin forwards is a very familiar position, adopted when sitting at computer screens, which has a negative effect on our postural control.

When our head is free to move rather than being held in a fixed position on the neck, our balance and postural control works so much better.

So let’s have a play and see what you find…..

Firstly look straight ahead and keep your eyes level, let your head glide forward on your body into that forward head posture, not the most comfortable position I suspect you might find.

However all too often people have been told to tuck their chin in and draw the head backwards, try this, but this places direct pressure through your spine and reverses the natural curve and it takes muscular effort on the  muscles at the front of your neck. This is not moving to a normal, effortless posture.

Instead visualise your head as a lightly oiled ball sitting on a cup. Place your hands on the sides of your head and rotate your head forwards and backwards with your fingers as if the ball is moving on the cup.

Feel how the neck opens up as you rotate your head downwards on the cup, opening up the back of your neck.

Then try moving your head in a backwards direction and feel how is closes and extends the neck. Then bring your head back to neutral with your ball centred on the cup!

You can move your head in any direction using this visualisation – but the frictionless ball can move with ease.  Using the visualisation feel how your eyes stay level when moving your head position on the top of your neck. This opens up the potential of repositioning your head and upper neck directly over your body.

However rather now than using your hands let’s try a different cue…

Imagine having a helium balloon to the top and back surface of your head. Place your finger on that spot and visualise helium as it rises softly lifting your head. Notice the upward motion whilst still giving you the freedom to rotate your head, yet if you turn your balloon off the head slides down and forwards as it rotates backwards, closing the upper neck. The balloon acts like a gyroscope, allowing you to take the weight out of the spinal structures. This allows your vestibular system to respond better giving you better postural control.

Collapsing under gravity

 Expanding with the help of the helium balloon

As your head is very heavy floating up your head just a little can engage the rest of the body and enable decompression throughout the spine, feeling the opening effect though your shoulders, the lifting effect on your tummy, then switching it off and feeling that collapse again.

Enjoy working with your head / neck posture with effortless letting go.

Blog by Jane Morris. If you'd like to book an appointment today, please contact us.