I’ve always been pretty obsessed with my spine. It’s the coolest thing I own! And I’ve always thought of my neck and head as part of my spine, and how to keep them aligned with the whole spine. In gymnastics this is vital. Everything must be aligned for those skills to work, and avoid breaking your neck! In dance the same thing applies but it’s also an issue of how the body looks, the “line”. But I’ve always focused on good neck and head alignment. And Pilates is very much in line with this. But a lot of other fitness seems to ignore the issue.
I see people looking at their alignment, which almost always involves looking down or over to a mirror and causes the head and neck to misalign. That’s fine for a brief moment but doing it over and over and the neck and head don’t maintain proper alignment which affects the whole body. Looking into a mirror constantly to “check your form” also keeps you from staying present in your body’s sensations and building your awareness of your body space aka proprioception. And what you look like isn’t what exercise is for, it’s how your body feels and moves and works that’s really important. A mirror can be a tool but when it becomes a crutch it really detracts from your benefits.
We are facing a real crisis for neck health, which affects our spinal health and nervous system greatly. “Text neck” is a real thing. Bending over a computer or phone creates real problems for the whole spine that go beyond aesthetics and “bad posture”. Bending the head forward repeatedly weakens the neck and also affects the spinal cord, which can narrow and impinge the nerves to the arms. And using your arms is pretty important!
Pilates includes exercises that strengthen the neck and the muscles of the back, including deep spinal muscles. And the position of the head and neck is a big focus in all movements, helping you maintain good alignment through your whole spine as you go through your day and activities.
Even if you don’t do Pilates you can still add the awareness of keeping your head and neck in alignment as you exercise. Even just walking with awareness of alignment is extremely beneficial. If your workouts continually leave your neck tight or painful you might want to reconsider if it’s really something you want to continue. A “tight” body isn’t necessarily a functional one.
Laying on the floor is a great way to let the spine align and relax. Standing with your feet and back flat to the wall is a good way to find a “stacked up” alignment, you might find that your head doesn’t naturally meet the wall, it’s forward. You can gently draw your head back towards to wall, being aware of keeping the neck long in the back and the front, keeping your chin from lifting or dropping. You might not get your head all the way to the wall, it shouldn’t be strained and you should be able to talk and swallow easily. This exercise is great to do daily and with practice you’ll get better at knowing how to keep your neck and head aligned with your spine.
And having a well aligned spine is far more important for functional fitness and longevity than a “6 pack” or “tight powerhouse”!
Solara Pilates 