Hyperextension

Submitted by Christine on June 21, 2016 - 6:46pm
Body: 

I’m not sure why some women have such difficulty with hyperextension when trying to master WW posture.

It is true that you cannot hyperextend your spine if you keep your shoulders down (not back), upper back flat and broad, and head and neck pulled up through the back by pulling your chin in and down.

Try it…make as big a lumbar curvature as possible by pushing your bottom way out the back. Now go through the above steps and you will see your lumbar spine cannot stay hyperextended.

Now…lift your chest as high as you can by sticking your bum out and pulling your shoulder blades together. Go through the steps again and you will see it is impossible to lift your chest too much.
Your ribs can only stick out if your shoulders are held back. There is a coupling here that is completely self-evident.

If your attempts at WW posture are giving you a backache - beyond the muscle soreness that accompanies the first days or weeks of the work - then something is amiss and you need to sort it out. It is no mystery that none of our regulars have back problems.

I never have to remember to relax my abdominal wall or to breathe naturally. That is so ingrained at this point that it is completely sub-conscious. What I do have to remember to remember throughout my waking day is to pull my head and neck up through the back, and push my shoulders down. Because the spine is coupled to the rib cage, my ribs immediately drop into their natural position as well.

There was a time when people never had to think about their physical alignment. They lived and moved in ways that created the natural human form. However, we *do* have to bring it into conscious awareness because we now know how important natural alignment is to the health of the body.

I bet even that little African granny sitting on the ground bending over her basketry and staying slightly bent when she stands up has prolapse issues. No one is around (yet) to suggest she could reverse her symptoms if she would lift her shoulder girdle and pull up through the back of her head and neck.

I give thanks every day for WW posture and the profound healing and strengthening it continually provides. Some women get it immediately, some need more coaching, and others never will. Such is life.

I wish all of you well!

Christine

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