Stress Affects Posture
Our stress affects posture. During the course of our lives our sensory motor systems respond to daily stress and trauma through specific muscular reflexes. These are reflexes which we can’t voluntarily relax. These contractions become unconscious to a point most of us don’t even recognize, nor remember, how to move about freely. Resulting in poor posture, pain, loss of range of motion, and tension.
Involuntary Reflexes that Affect Posture
The three reflexes Hanna coined are Red Light Reflex, Green Light Reflex, and Trauma Reflex.
Stress affects posture through the red light reflex. The red light reflex is a fearful, withdrawal posture. Commonly seen as a forward head, rounded shoulders, rounded back, and tucked tailbone. This causes a chronic contraction of the abdominal muscles and pectoral muscles. Over time this leads to back pain and many other health issues.
Stress affects posture through the green light reflex. The green light reflex is the opposite of red light and is an assertive response. It is seen with toes turning outward, open hips, an increased lower back arch, broad chest, and a chin that tilts upward. This causes a chronic contraction of the back of the body. Green light reflex shows up in the hamstrings, glutes, back muscles, and neck.
Lastly, the trauma reflex is a cringing response at the sight of surgery or injury. Often seen as a shortening in one side of the body, a tilt of the head, a shortened leg, one shoulder higher or one arm hanging longer than the other. A great example of the trauma reflex is someone with scoliosis, a curvature of the spinal column. We can be born with scoliosis or get a curvature of the spine from trauma; both emotional and physical. We can also get scoliosis from a career that keeps our body curved throughout the day.
Many of us will notice some combination of all three reflexes in our own bodies.
Somatic Yoga Therapy Re-Training
When our body’s repeat the same movement or posture repeatedly the nervous system begins to make that movement or posture automatic, even if it’s not balanced or correct. As the muscular pattern becomes learned, called muscle memory, the brain creates a feedback loop that say this is the new normal.
It is unfortunate that this automatic learning process makes it easy to develop bad or rather damaging habits. The state of the body’s “forgetting” what is “normal” is called motor sensory amnesia or sensory motor amnesia. It is a memory loss of how certain muscle groups should act or feel and a forgetting of how to control them and creating a chronic contraction of muscles that are no longer able to relax.
The good thing is, that if we can change our brain to get us in this situation, we have the power to change our brains to retrain new and healthier patterns! Somatic yoga therapy has the power to affect our sensory motor systems by giving it new information. The postures are done slowly and mindfully moving into and out of the involuntary reflex. This slow movement allows motor neurons to create new pathways in the brain. This re-training of the brain, teaches the body to relax the involuntary contraction by paying attention to the de-contraction. There is rest after each posture to allow for a soma scan or body-mind integration of how our body feels after the movement. If it feels more aligned, less in pain, or has different sensations.
How Can I Help Re-Train Your Stress Response?
The most affordable option is to try my pre-recorded videos. When you scroll down to the bottom of this page you’ll find something for each of these stress responses. Check them out here. You may need some help deciding what type of reflex response(s) you are having in your body. For this I recommend an assessment for one on one care. Check out how to book an appointment here. This can be done virtually. In addition, I offer a free 15 minute phone consult to see if private sessions are the way to go and that somatic yoga therapy is a good fit for you.
