Computer Use Cramping Your Spine? Here’s the Easy Way to Strong Healthy Posture

Simple, painless, & gentle technique, can be done anywhere, any time. It's the best I've found to improve posture.

The easy Sky Hook technique comes from a combination of Alexander Technique, The Feldenkrais Method, and Yoga. It can be done when we’re sitting, standing, walking, driving, and other activities. Easy and painless, and you can start right now if you like.

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This series of posts was created for people who use computers for long hours - from a chronic pain & rehab health professional - more about my work in Post 1.

My first four posts in this series are about how to improve your computer desk posture & computer chair & screen set-up: Post 1 Post 2 Post 3 Post 4. In those, I've shown comparisons of healthy postures versus cramped and asymmetrical postures, which leads on to today’s post.

POST 5: Easing To Long Tall Posture

Many of our spines get worn down by daily life. When your spine has its natural length, it’s strong and the vertebrae work as a strong unit (the spinal unit), as it’s designed to work. When your spine is bent, each of the vertebrae has to work against gravity on its own, and gravity is a huge increasing force over time, against a small single vertebra.

When the head cranes forward, its weight is no longer supported by the muscles of the spine, the way the system is designed. An adult’s heads weighs 12-15 pounds. But this is only when it’s positioned correctly at the top of the spine and not leaning forward or to the side. When it’s out of alignment, the combination of weight and gravity create a multiplied force, straining all of the muscles of the back, shoulders and neck.

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SKY HOOK IS EASY!

You will feel your muscles softening and relaxing and your body will feel lighter.

When you’re standing: begin by checking if your knees are locked back. If you find them locked, soften them forward slightly to unlock them. This is very important.

Feel your feet on the floor, and take long slow deep breaths while you relax.

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Imagine you have a soft, flexible light magnet floating across your shoulders, attached to a string, going up the back of your neck, to the back of your head at the top. This light magnet is lifting you like a hook to the sky.

You will notice your spine lengthening and straightening. People can get 5cm taller or more in a few seconds!

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Remember to imagine the hook is at the BACK of your head. Don’t let your chin lift up.

Your shoulders will drop down and back. You DO NOT need to push them back or down (military or ballet posture is not good for your muscles). I have many clients who get into muscle problems from trying to push their shoulders back and down into what they think they ‘should’ be doing. Just let your shoulders relax and fall, concentrating on the string that lifts your head and lets you float softly into the long strong lightness. Relax and enjoy the softening and letting go.

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This is a good 1.5 minute youtube that describes some keys on posture. I would add to this the reminder that you don’t need to push or roll your shoulders into place. Imagining Sky Hook will let them fall and roll back into place.

SKY HOOK WHILE SITTING

Feel your sitting bones on the chair and make sure you’re in the “tail-behind” sitting position.

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More about the “tail behind” posture is discussed in the TEDx talk that @jamesc posted a few weeks ago:

There are many other good youtube videos on Alexander Technique.

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Remember to do Sky Hook while driving:

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If you want to take posture improvement to the next levels, I suggest yoga and Alexander Technique. They are truly life-changing.

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Post a note to remind yourself of Sky Hook on the fridge, the car, near the computer, or bathroom mirror- wherever you might see it. Tell your friends and family about Sky Hook and you can remind each other.

I have a couple of these photos around to remind me – nature’s best Sky Hooky Creatures

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The next posts will be about relaxing jaw tension to target headaches, neck, and jaw pain.

I look forward to your comments :)

All images are my own except those cited.