This is one of our devoted clients, Fern. She is finding length through the throat and neck so that she can properly align her head and spine.
Today, she had an awareness breakthrough with the help of the foam blocks and my verbal cue to “lift the front of her throat into the back of her neck”.
In addition to the Pilates equipment, we find that simple props, used adaptively, accelerate learning. As Fern put it, the feeling had to sink into her personal “memory foam”.
From there, she discovered a way to lift her chest without straining or overusing her neck.The upper back extensors that are turned on in this exercise are the same muscles that contribute to good posture and proper shoulder mechanics.
You should have seen how elegant and tall she looked when she rose to her feet. Go Fern!