Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1515580
88 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k m a rc h /a p r i l 2 0 24 Savvy Self-Care I t's been said, "Your best posture is your next posture." This is particularly significant for us fascia whisperers who constantly use our bodies to provide the perfect touch and ideal connection. Common foibles to a therapist's well-being (and career span) are excessive repetitive movements or recurring holding patterns. These obstacles to well- being are vanquished when we take a few moments to consciously check in with our body, then offer pattern interruptions to fine-tune our body intelligence, find our alignment, and prevent trouble before it arises. Pain in the neck? Forward-head position? Poor posture? If you'd like to ameliorate these burdens, or better yet, avoid them entirely, tr y the following postural reset: 1. Notice and feel yourself breathing. 2. Lift your chin. 3. Keep your chin raised as you lift your chest (specifi cally the manubrium of the sternum) to the sky. 4. With the sternum raised and your heart open, draw your chin back toward your throat. (Repeat steps 2–4 until you notice a shift in your alignment.) 5. Appreciate your easy efforts as you notice the engagement in your anterior neck (these muscles are notoriously weak and shortened) and the length you just created in your cervical vertebrae. W hen you change your body, you change your mind. The neck is sandwiched bet ween the head and chest and symbolically can be seen as the intermediar y connecting the mind with the heart, navigating the energetic currents of thoughts with feelings. A re your head and heart on the same page, or does it feel like a tug-of-war? The game- changing move of listening and responding to our body's signals and requests allows us to experience our thoughts and emotions as allies toward greater physical and metaphysical alignment. Instead of waiting for our bodies to suffer, consider check ing in preemptively to prevent the rounded shoulders and neck aches commonly associated with maneuvering and molding around multiple bodies. Tr y a postural reset before, after, or even during a session, or recommend it to clients who are look ing for ever yday adjustments to generate greater ease and alignment. Chin up, chest up, chin back can change your life! Heath and Nicole Reed are co-founders of Living Metta (living "loving kindness"), a continuing education company committed to sharing feel-good therapies to give and receive. They also host CE healing retreats in Thailand. Discover more at livingmetta.com. Ditch Neck Pain and Reset Your Posture By Heath and Nicole Reed WATCH VIDEO "NECK POSTURAL RESET: CHIN UP, CHEST UP, CHIN BACK"