In the age of mobile phones and computers, it’s very noticeable that posture has sagged somewhat… not so good for the individual, but great for osteopaths and physiotherapists, and, come to think of it, quite good for tai chi and qigong teachers.
I used to think that the art of learning deportment was a bit of a joke, something to do with being upright in society as well as being upright in body, so I didn’t give it much time. My view has changed; I think I now understand the mechanics behind the ‘book on the head’ method of teaching an upright posture, and I don’t think it’s quite as ridiculous as it seems.
I had understood that this book balancing act was merely about keeping your head upright, but there’s more to it, in fact quite a lot more, and it’s about positioning your neck correctly. Of course, this might be coals to Newcastle for some of you, but it’s really about the way that you think about doing it, rather than pure mechanics.
Support rather than balance If you put a fairly heavy hardback book on your head, you are doing more than
balancing it in position, you are ‘supporting’ it. The difference is crucial; a book balanced on the head squashes the neck, whereas a book supported by the head has a lifting aspect to it, or at least, a non-crushing aspect. The idea behind ‘support’ is that you are not trying to lift the book further off the ground than it already is, you are leaving it in position and the main point is that you are therefore equalising gravity’s downward force.
The result Even if you try this without a book and imagine a heavy book on your head, you will feel
an adjustment to your cervical vertebrae. 1) You might feel the cervical vertebrae not only undoing, but also moving the head further backwards. 2) Furthermore, you may also notice that the upper thoracic vertebrae, down to between your shoulder blades, also reposition themselves. 3) The chest gently opens, the ribs separate slightly further when resting. 4) The diaphragm and abdomen are also released, and there is a greater capacity within the lungs when breathing, which means that you breathe fewer times per minute. …. There is more (change of heart rate, release of the solar plexus, ability to de-stress, a feeling of the back ‘connecting’ – notice how the skin on your back relaxes, less compression within the lower organs, an improvement in one’s ability to ‘ground’ oneself, etc.).
Crown of the head suspended… In tai chi and qigong, this is the equivalent to ‘the crown suspended by a silk thread’, but thinking it a little differently so you are ‘supporting’ rather than suspending or lifting.
For the full effect… Try it in your swimsuit to complete the picture.
___________________________________________________ James Drewe teaches Tai Chi and Qigong in both London and in Kent and online. Details of weekly classes both live and online can be found on the website, and there are classes for 2-person Tai Chi on one Saturday a month. You can also learn both tai chi & qigong through a monthly subscription, and there are also many free videos on YouTube.
CONTACT: http://www.taiji.co.uk https://www.qigonghealth.co.uk Email: taijiandqigong@gmail.com Phone: 07836-710281 ___________________________________________________
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