Heavy Head?

Did you know that the average adult human head weighs anywhere from 8-12 pounds? That’s a lot of weight to hold that (I suspect) many of us don’t pay much attention to as we move through life. Think about it: pick up a 10 lb. bag of rice or flour next time you are in the supermarket to get a visceral appreciation of the work that our spines do for us!

In Nia we draw from the Alexander Technique to bring our awareness to ‘movement from the top,’ retraining our bodies to lose unhealthy postural habits that are easy to develop over time in our screen-heavy culture. Trained Alexander Technique practitioners are highly skilled at observing the position of the head and its influence on the rest of the body. [Learn more at www.alexandertechnique.com]

Often slight adjustments to body posture can make a big difference for professionals who hold their bodies in certain ways: musicians, actors and …. well, all of us!

In Nia class I draw on the influence of the Alexander Technique by cueing to sense the head in space. I may say, “let your head be like a buoy on the water” or “sense lightness from the top” or “allow the crown of your head to lengthen up”. You could also use the image of a feather rising from the back of the skull to inspire the desired lightness. 

A select list of Nia moves that enhance somatic awareness of the head include, but are not limited to:

-Head and eye movements: https://youtu.be/oN90hO75KXU

-Classic and Reverse Spinal roll: https://youtu.be/lzLWCgxTP94

-Spinal Undulation: https://youtu.be/Wu4Sf4bm7Io

-Any punch, kick, or block when using the head and eyes to look at your target

See all the 52 Moves on my playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOYd3IRVHFeGc5edXk8El6ESEvVCSByiN

When you next have an opportunity to people watch, I encourage you to notice: how are folks moving their bodies in relation to their heads? Do they lead with their heads jutting out slightly in front? What do you notice? 

Now consider your own movement: stand upright with soft knees and feet comfortably apart. Play with shifting the weight of your head forward in space until you reach that ‘enough’ where you feel the edge of your stability. Come back to what you perceive as center. Do the same thing towards the back. Return to center. Notice what you notice as you bring the weight of your head to the left and then to the right. 

Once you’ve explored this, take this awareness with you on the go! As you walk through space, can you maintain the ‘centered’ feel of your head?

Do you feel more centered with your chin slightly lowered or slightly up? Where is your chin when you look out at an imaginary horizon? That may give you a sense of your body’s center. 

Though they house our brain, our heads are not often thought of! I invite you to check in with your head throughout the day, and lighten up! Head rolls, shifting your eyes away from the screen and looking to earth, and to sky, and out to the horizon a few times is a nice way to break up the monotony of habitual posture. Try gently looking behind you, to all the corners of the ceiling. Of course, you are always welcome to join me for Nia class on Zoom!