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48. The Crown Chakra, Cervical Vertebra and Chin.          4/12/04

In presenting the ABC's of alignment we have covered A. the arch and B. the breath of this triad in previous articles. This discussion gives the C of the 3 keys or ABC's of alignment.

When positioning the body to mirror alignment, observing how the head is placed in line with the rest of the body is an important key to feeling the structure of the upper body moving into alignment. This is one of the first pointing out instructions in introducing alignment to the body because it brings the muscles, skeletal structure and the diaphragm in to a position where full or upper body breathing appears most efficient. I have found this to be an excellent key to keep in mind as one is working to open up the internal spaces of the body with breathing as well as having the spine in its proper relationship for movement.

Once felt and understood we can play with the many positions of the head and neck to see how it influences the structure of the body. Rather then having one fixed position of the head there can be a whole range of positions that the head and neck can be in and we can choose to position the head in a way that is most compatible with bringing awareness to the body while maintaining our alignment.

Lets examine some pictures of this key to better understand what is being presented here.

 In the picture on the left we see the position  of the head and chin in what is considered a normal position. We can see a drop of  the collar bone and  a rounding forward of the shoulders and the neck.

 In the picture on the right the chin is brought in closer to the neck and  the collar bone. The collar bone is raised while the  back of the neck appears straighter. The crown of the head or high point of the body is at the top back area of the head where the crown chakra exists. Thus it becomes the high point of the body in this position.

 The long muscle  (sternocleidomastoid  muscle) that is attached to the mastoid process behind the ear and to the sternum of the chest can be observed clearly in above right picture. This muscle actually causes the rib cage to lift more when the position in this picture is taken, which also allows  the breath to flow into the upper lungs with less effort. This position when sustained will allow the natural in and out pattern of diaphragmatic breathing to occur with out a dropping of the upper body with each breath that is taken.

In working with this feeling it may be helpful to place the hand lightly against the chin for a bit while breathing to help keep the head, neck and upper body in place. You may then be able to feel the breath has more of an in and out motion and the upper rib cage stays in place.

Buy repeatedly going from this position on the right to the position in the picture on the upper left you can feel how this effects the position of the upper body. Exploring the full range of motion and positions the chin and head can take can give a fuller feeling for using this key to feel what is a straighter spine a more lifted rib cage and what is called diaphragmatic breathing.

When working with breathing for any period of time this key can help open up spaces in the whole upper body, whether laying down, sitting, standing or walking. When using some of the alignment sessions for releasing the upper body the position of the head and neck gravitate or release to this position where the head is more over the shoulders and the neck is straighter.

Interestingly, in the Samurai tradition many samurai wore a leather strap that wrapped around the body and sat at the collar bone. When going into battle this strap was placed in the mouth to hold the chin down in this position. We may feel how this would bring the attention to the body and in some way keep it there. For doing mindful breathing this position also brings our attention to the body and the present moment.

An experience I had with a young man of twenty one, may illustrate the importance of having this understanding or key. He came to me because he was having a problem with mild seizures, which was diagnosed as a form of epilepsy. When I looked at his body he had his chin way up and jutting out while his neck was severely rounded in a (( curve. His posture had his head out in front of the body which is something we can observe in many older people, his rib cage was dropped and the shoulder blades where pulled together in back.

Correcting this position was really a matter of educating this young fellow with some alignment keys and having him work for the remainder of the session with the keys well in place. At some point in the session I asked him how he managed to get into such a severe position with the structure of the body? he looked at me as if this was a strange question and said he did not really know. As soon as he finished saying this he flashed on a memory of around age of eleven and twelve years of age. His Mom would have him stand against the wall for a half hour on a regular basis so that he would have a straight back and 'better posture'. In order to accomplish this he would bring his shoulders back and pull his shoulder blades together to have them touch the wall. Holding this position on the body created problems for the body rather fast, since he was still young when he came to see me. His body responded easily to the instructions and by the end of the session of about two hours he had a new look along with the tools to continue working with his own body.

Thus concludes the C of the ABC's of alignment. It is possible to work with these keys to alignment of the body for investigating how the application of alignment can influence our appreciation for all things physical.

 “perhaps no culture has ever possessed as much publicly available knowledge as we do today regarding the transformative capacities of human nature."
            Michael Murphy—The Future of the Body

An especial thanks to Sir. Scott Williams in the pictures above

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