“Sit up straight.” “Don’t slouch.” “Stand tall.” How many times did we hear those phrases from well- meaning parents and teachers? What they didn’t know was that conscious efforts to hold a straight posture are futile! Poor posture reflects deeply rooted stress patterns, stored traumas, and a defensive stance toward being in the world.
Our posture is a physical manifestation of our inner state of being. Our view of the world and our mental, emotional and spiritual state are reflected in our general expression, including our posture. The good news is that through our posture we can identify opportunities and get direction for healing life-long stress patterns.
Stress patterns and traumas are a result of life experiences that were overwhelming for us at the time, and that we have never fully integrated. Whether it’s physical, emotional or chemical stress, if it’s too much for us, our nervous system “pops a circuit breaker” and we take on a defensive posture to protect ourselves. The stresses then get stored in our bodies becoming “stored trauma,” which we carry until we have the ability and support to release them. Stored trauma has three predictable effects: physical degeneration and aging, self-defeating patterns, and self-limiting beliefs. One of the physical consequences is postural problems. For example, one of the most common postural deviations is a forward head tilt, which 90% of us living in this culture exhibit. If our head is just one inch forward of its natural balanced position, it increases the strain on our shoulder and neck muscles more than 10 times, and our low back more than 30 times. This can lead to such common ailments as: headaches, neck and back pain, arthritis, migraines, etc. It causes even more far-reaching effects on the heart and lungs by compressing the chest cavity.
Network Care helps by releasing the roots of poor posture and the over-tensed neck muscles naturally relax allowing our head to have freedom of movement in relationship to our spine. This freedom of movement results as the head re-learns to balance lightly on top of the spine. This allows all the other mechanisms and reflexes throughout our body to work as nature intended – our spine becomes longer, our neck becomes freer and all our joints and muscles function with a minimum of excess tension. All of this leads to a greater sense of ease, comfort and freedom in our bodies and in our lives, healthier and more active lifestyles, improved relationships, increased energy and a profound sense of well-being.
