One of the most common challenges in Pilates, particularly during flexion-based exercises, is preventing clients from straining their necks by looking up towards the ceiling. When clients bring their head into flexion during movements such as the roll-up, or while lying on their backs, there's often a tendency to lift the chin. This upward gaze creates strain in the front neck muscles and compresses the vertebrae at the back of the neck, leading to discomfort. Over time, this habit can create unhealthy imbalances in the neck muscles.
To avoid this, it’s essential to guide your clients towards maintaining a balanced neck position, where the muscles at the front and back of the neck are working in a healthy balance. Here’s how you can help them achieve that in their Pilates practice:
1. The Role of Eye Direction in Neck Positioning in Pilates
Where the eyes go, the head tends to follow. This simple principle can be key to helping clients maintain good neck alignment. When moving into flexion, such as in a roll-up or the hundred, direct your clients’ gaze downwards rather than upwards. For example, when lying on their backs, instruct them to look towards their thighs or knees rather than the ceiling as they flex up. This will encourage the neck to stay in a lengthened, neutral position, avoiding the temptation to extend the neck or compress it unnecessarily.
2. Teaching Gaze Awareness in Key Movements
Roll-up/roll-down: In these classic Pilates exercises, remind clients to avoid craning their necks by keeping their gaze downwards towards their feet. As they initiate the roll-up, their gaze should follow the movement, focusing on their thighs and feet rather than lifting towards the ceiling. This helps keep the cervical spine in line with the rest of the spine as it flexes.
The Hundred: In the hundred, clients often struggle to maintain proper neck alignment, especially when they feel the urge to lift the head too high. Encourage them to think about keeping length in the back of their neck, imagining they are gently holding a soft peach between their chin and chest. This cue helps prevent excessive flexion and strain in the neck.
Roll down from standing: When moving from standing to a roll-down position, direct clients to keep their gaze on the floor in front of them, allowing the neck to follow naturally into flexion. By focusing the eyes, you help maintain proper alignment throughout the movement.
3. Assisting Clients with a Towel or Yoga Mat
A useful assist to help clients maintain proper alignment in flexion-based movements is by using a towel or a yoga mat. Place it on the floor under the client’s head and neck. As they prepare to flex up, gently hold the ends of the towel and pull it long, encouraging their head to lift in flexion while staying fully supported. This will allow the neck to stay in a healthy position without compressing or extending. Once they’re in the correct alignment, instruct them to engage their centre muscles to hold the position.
This tactile feedback helps clients feel the right position and takes the strain off the neck, allowing them to focus on engaging the core muscles.
4. Cueing to Avoid Neck Imbalance
It’s important to highlight the need for balance in the neck muscles. Whether the movement involves flexion or extension, you want to avoid extreme positions in either direction. Cue clients to focus on length in the front and back of the neck, and to engage both sets of muscles in a healthy balance. This is particularly important when working with extension exercises, as looking up excessively can compress the neck, just as flexing too deeply can create unnecessary strain.
5. Using Sensory Feedback
If you want to challenge clients further, have them perform certain exercises with their eyes closed. This will help them become more aware of the sensation in their neck muscles, ensuring they are not overly tensing or compressing the neck. Encourage them to feel for the length in the back of their neck and avoid pulling the chin in too tightly or allowing it to rise up.
6. Balancing Neck Muscles for Better Posture
Ultimately, the goal is to create a balance between the front and back neck muscles to support a healthy posture. Over time, guiding clients towards avoiding extremes in either flexion or extension will help them maintain better neck health both in their Pilates practice and daily life. Whether they are rolling up from the floor, performing the hundred, or rolling down from standing, it’s essential to maintain this balance to prevent unnecessary strain and discomfort.
By focusing on eye direction, promoting length in the neck, and providing assists with a towel or yoga mat, you can help your clients maintain proper alignment, reducing strain and making the exercises more comfortable and effective. As Pilates teachers, we should always aim to guide our clients toward a more balanced and aligned movement experience, and proper neck alignment is key to achieving that.
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