head forward posture
You may be interested in this except of an article written by Martha Peterson of Essential Somatics (It's who I did my training with). With millions of people using computers all day, this can affect all ages. The Flower is a wonderful Somatic movement that I have used successfully with myself and clients.
Head Forward Posture
When you look at yourself sideways in the mirror, does your head seem to jut forward relative to your spine? Have you been told that you have hyperkyphosis? These signs suggest that you could be dealing with Head Forward Posture. This condition that'sis more common than you might think, so let's discuss what Head Forward Posture is and provide some tips on how to release out of it.
The human head is heavy - around 5kg (11lbs)! When the curves of the spine are balanced, this weight is evenly distributed, allowing the head to rest comfortably on top of the spine without any extra muscular effort. However, when the head shifts forward out of alignment with the spine, this puts extra stress on your muscles to maintain this posture.
If you move your head in front of your spine and keep your face pointing forward (you need to see where you’re going!) you’ll notice a few changes: the back of your neck shortens slightly, your shoulders round, and your chest sinks and tightens. This causes the mid-back to round more than usual. This is known as hyperkyphosis, an excess of the normal kyphotic curve, also referred to as Upper Cross Syndrome.
If Head Forward Posture becomes your “new normal,” you might start to notice a build-up of tension in the neck and shoulders, tightness in the jaw, throat, and chest, pain in the mid-back, and more frequent headaches. This posture can also lead to functional disorders such as temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD), muscle pain, tension headaches, and restricted movement in the shoulders and rib cage.
So what can you do about it?
If you try to force your head and shoulders back in line with your spine, it’s going to require a lot of effort. You’ll be fighting fire with fire—in this case, tension with tension—and it’s not going to get you anywhere in the end.
Let’s look at this differently: Instead of forcing your head and shoulders back into place, focus on releasing tension in the front of your body (Red light Reflex). After all, it’s this tension that’s pulling your shoulder and head forward and nothing will change until you address it. This is the most effective and comfortable way to restore alignment and balance for the long term.
We recommend learning the Flower, a wonderful Somatic Movement that can help you begin to undo Forward Head Posture. In this movement, you will be gently exaggerating the Red Light Reflex and then slowly and gradually releasing it.