Deconstructing DOwn Dog Part 8 or 10 Head and Neck Position

I hear many things in classes on how to hold your head in flexion based movements. The most common and the most over used exercise is the crunch.
I hear ppl say “make sure there is a fist distance between the chin and chest; keep your eyes on the ceiling”
You actually can’t do that. The moment your eyes stay fixated on the ceiling your body must follow where the eyes are looking. You widen the gap between the chin and chest; over activate the suboccipitals and start doing this chicken head/neck movement. This btw is what hurts the neck.
When the back of your neck start to do the work of the neck flexors in addition to what they are suppose to be doing you will create pain and dysfunction. It hurts b/c it’s a mechanical disadvantage for the extensors to do the work of the neck flexors. You will also give yourself headaches, more neck tension along with encouraging a forward head posture which the shoulders and the thoracic spine will also have to become more dysfunctional.
My classes can probably recite for you now how I cue head and neck position
1. Mouth closed; tongue on the roof of the mouth. This is the physiological rest position of the tongue.
2. The mouth is closed to provide an anchor for these muscles so they can stabilize the cervical spine against the weight of your head. If your mouth is open the intrinsic core neck muscles have no anchor.
3. Eye position is not right above you on the ceiling. It is more forward where the ceiling and the wall meet. Your eyes do not stay glued there. They move down the wall was you crunch up. This allows you maintain the fist distance between the chin and chest. The eyes go back up the wall to that crease as you go lower back down.
Why am I cuing a crunch on the down dog post for head and neck position? There are more ppl finding themselves in a flexion based or crunch movement than in down dog. You must learn what this position is for all sorts of position. Most ppl really do not have well developed kinesthetic awareness. They need help and sometimes it’s the instructors that needs help as well learning that as well. We all need help!
Pulling your head back; Placing your ears over your shoulders will help you to develop strength for the intrinsic core neck musculature. It’s a lot of work being in down dog