Improving Your Neck Placement: a New Technique
I’ve taught stretchlying on the side for decades. So it’s a (welcome) surprise to discover a way of arranging the neck that is both more effective in adding additional neck length and more relaxing for the neck muscles.
It takes good form to be able to get rest on a surface this hard.
In July, reindeer herders in Samiland corral their reindeer to mark the ears of the unbranded calves. This involves stretches of waiting, some of it done reclining on the side, as above.
To date, I’ve taught students to grasp a clump of hair at the base of the skull and pull backward and upward so as to elongate the neck and slide the head back along the pillow into a healthier configuration.
Grasping the hair to guide the back of the head up and back.
My head is supported by a pillow and my forearm acting as a second pillow.
A new technique for lengthening the neck in stretchlying on the side
When I sleep on my side, I usually sleep on just one pillow and place my forearm under the pillow to add a second layer of thickness. Recently I discovered that I could use that forearm to manipulate my head position and enhance the stretch of the back of my neck. By slightly extending my forearm, I was able to elongate my neck further. Using my arm beneath the pillow, I was easily able to manipulate the pillow to move my head where I wanted it to go — rotated forward and glided back. This without tensing a single muscle in my neck and getting a better result — more fine-tuned and with a stronger stretch if that’s what I want (I do). The head’s journey back was very smooth — the pillow provides a soft, cushioned interface, and almost creates the illusion someone is doing the maneuver to you.
A supportive family supported by J-spines!
Forearm and pillow supporting an elongated neck. Enjoying a happy moment on the day of the public television program shoot.
Have you discovered extra techniques that improve your neck’s posture journey? Please do share your discoveries so everyone can benefit!
Pillows I was born with that
Pillows I was born with that are always with me, made to fit:
I sleep only on my arms without a pillow. (I'm fatty enough to have cushiony arms) But sometimes I use a small blanket between my arm and head for extra padding, comfort or warmth. I find that not only does my arm-pillow provide an place for my ear to go and does not cover my nose, but it also seems to be just the right height to keep my neck in alignment with my back. I can use either arm, with elbow pointing toward my front or my back, or use both arms depending on my position. With two arms I can lay with my face toward the mattress and there is space for my nose and air! You can't do that with a pillow. As I get older, I feel that this nightly stretch of my shoulders keeps the flexibility of my shoulders. (I'm 59) There is no pressure on the shoulder that it toward the mattress because my armpit is what is facing the mattress, not bony point of my shoulder. It seems like my arm or arms were just made to be a pillow. Plus, I wash my two arm-pillows every time I shower so no dust mites!
(I will have to fool around more with adjusting my neck by stretching or opening my shoulders more, and bringing my head forward or back with the arm I am laying on.)
If you could have someone
If you could have someone take a picture, I'd love to see how you do that!
Besides the often compromised
Besides the often compromised neck position I, together with several physiotherapists, chiropractors etc. have found that sleeping on one's side causes chronic shoulder/arm pain, especially as one gets older. It happened to me. The weight on the arm throughout the night seems to be too much for shoulder and arm.
I have therefore trained myself to sleep on my back in a modified posture, with a long, open neck, one or both knees bent to side, like almost in a half-side lying position, but shoulders relaxed, back, down and wide on the mattress. I wedge a pillow under my one hip or waist. It took me a while, but now I sleep better in this position than on the side. My shoulders are not sore any more, my neck does not feel stiff, my back feels releaxed and lengthened. If I try lie on my side, my shoulder and arm get painful again very quickly.
What are your thoughts on this problem, Esther?