Just as eating healthy is equally about what not to eat as it is what to eat, so is posture correction and back pain recovery equally about what exercises not to do as it is about what exercises to do. Because of that, last week I gave you a bunch of exercises never to do, instead of giving you an exercise to do.
This week, let’s get back to exercises to do, with a little exercise I learned from a Neuro Muscular Transmitter therapist; the chin tuck.
Now, I know this is “Yoga for Posture, and chin tucks aren’t really a yoga exercise. Okay, they aren’t at all a yoga exercise, but an exercise not being yoga hasn’t stopped me in the past, and it’s not going to stop me now. If it’s good for your back and posture, I’ll recommend it, if it’s bad for your back and posture, I’ll tell you to stop, yoga or not.
Chin Tucks
Begin by taking an upright, neutral spine posture. This can be done sitting or standing, which doesn’t matter. For comfort, I like to do this sitting in an ergonomic desk chair, because that helps keep my spine in neutral position allowing me to focus more on the exercise.
- Sit/stand in neutral spine alignment
- Eyes forward, chin level
- Shoulders back
- Core engaged
Yes, there is a lot to do in the set up. Haven’t I told you that you need to learn the footwork?
Now:
- Pull your chin straight in toward your spine
- Hold for 5 seconds
- Repeat 3 to 5 times
Do not:
- Pull your chin in too hard
- If there is any pain, back off
- Seriously, don’t hurt yourself
- Hold too long
Jim (my NMT therapist) suggested this to me because I suffered serious tech neck, and a flattened cervical (neck) spine. He wanted me doing this daily to help re-curve my neck and to reduce my tech neck.
If you’re not into yoga, and don’t want to do Baby Cobra, this is an excellent alternative.
