Body Alignment 虚领顶颈

Thanks SLChan for sharing this great information in his facebook. 

One of the Taichi Principles emphasizes body alignment which is well explained in this photo: "neck is held straight with ease" "tuck in the chin and feel as the crown is suspended from the top", "The head should be erect and upright in order for the shen 神 (spirit) to reach the headtop“

For every inch that the head moves forward in posture, it increases the weight of the head on the neck by 10 pounds!
Poor neck posture leads to a Forward Head Position which is one of the most common causes of neck, head and shoulder tension and pain. This can be a result of injuries like sprains and strains of the neck leading to weak neck muscles, poor sleeping positions and the illustrated examples of driving stress, computer neck, couch neck and readers neck along with improper breathing habits.
The extra pressure on the neck from altered posture flattens the normal curve of the cervical spine resulting in abnormal strain of muscles, ligaments, bones and joints of the neck causing the joints to deteriorate faster than normal resulting in degenerative joint disease or neck arthritis as indicated in an article published in the Spine Journal, recognized internationally as the leading journal in its field and the leading subspecialty journal for the treatment of spinal disorders, 1986;6:591-694.















The source of information is from: MaxLifeChiropractic
太极拳十要之一：虚领顶颈。 顶颈者，头容正直，神贯于顶也。不俯不仰，不左右歪斜，下巴微内收，犹如头上顶着一碗水或者有绳子提着，亦称“顶头县”或“百会朝天”。不可用力，用力则项僵，气血不能流通，须有虚灵自然之意。
图片显示头越向前俯，颈项就须承受越大的力， 渐续的有十磅或更多。
一些不良的姿势如开车的压力，长时间面对电脑，俯卧，俯着看书，肩颈劳损或受伤都会造成颈项肌肉退化或衰弱，间接的造成图片显示的不良姿势。更严重的后果就是连带的影响到脊椎，引发更大的问题。
太极练习时所强调的“虚领顶颈”应该应用在每天的生活习惯上。