Long Spine utilizing arm + leg straps
Where is your Head At? …Where the Head Goes the Spine Follows!
My last two Pilates training hits in Arizona with Pilates on Tour and Alive + Revive training event in New York City, brought to light head placement and the importance of it!
Where is your head (placement) at?
In a neutral spine, it sits directly atop of your spine, or it should, so that the weight of it travels through the center of your joints.
When you’re on your back in a supine position
When supine, the tip of your nose is in line with your occipitals (the boney condials at the base of your skull). If it is not, you are either hyper-extending or flexing in your neck.
“Walking” functional reciprocal opposite arm + leg
When you’re on your front in a prone position
Flip yourself over into a plank and your head placement should be in line with your spine and most of us need to draw our chin inwards towards the back of our throats to avoid a head sheer where your head hangs down and the pressure to your neck extensors increases, travelling downwards to collapsed shoulders and upper trap impingement.
Cara Reeser, a mentor I saw in NYC for her 3 hour plank workshop said “if your head is not in line with your spine, your plank is doomed.
In movement of flexion, extension, rotation and lateral flexion
In an ab prep, your head rolls forward, up over your heart towards. In fact, pulling the crown of your head in towards your heart creates spinal flexion. And in opposition, the crown of your head towards the ceiling creates spinal extension. Turn your head side to side and your spine twists. Dropping your head shoulder to shoulder creates lateral flexion of the spine.
reverse single arm hug a tree twist with Konnector arm straps
Pain in the Neck!
The weight your neck feels if your head is out of alignment to the spine
In a standing spinal roll-down, the 10-12 pounds that your head weighs gives us nice neck traction, but otherwise, we do need to be aware of where are head is at to ensure we are supporting our neck versus causing undo tension with either a head sheer where the head sits further forward than our spine, as the weight or tension your neck feels is triple that of it’s actual weight!
Where the head goes, the spine follows
The Bottom-line is to keep your head in-line with your spine!
In certain exercises, such as inversions or short spine, planks and the rowing series, keeping the length in your neck requires a neutral spinal alignment and engagement in our neck extensors in your cervical spine (the base of your skull to C-7) or your risk of impingement in your neck goes up.
These latest two sets of trainings increased my own awareness of head placement and how the spine follows the head in Pilates movement. Think “pulling the chin to the back of your throat” to achieve neck extensor activation for support of the head, neck and shoulders!
Proprioceptively, just being aware of where your head is at in space, and ensuring it is supported in line with your spine, is key to freedom of movement without neck pain.
Reverse lateral flexion with Konnector arm straps
Final word
Spinal alignment with head placement keeps the length in your neck, the weight of your head travels through the center of your joints avoiding neck or shoulder impingement causing pain, and your spine will follow your head position creating all the Pilates movement patterns we want to practice!
Pas de chat with Konnector mid back arms + legs in straps