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Sessions 7: Getting Our Heads On Straight
Now that we have built a solid foundation and floor, placed strong framing and erected sturdy walls, we are ready for the roof. We can place the crown upon our sound body, we can get our heads on straight. In session 7 we will be working the neck and head primarily, "topping off" our work thus far. Hopefully this session, as with all of them, will be very freeing, however, this session may include some "unorthodox" areas.
For starters, we will be working the hyoid region on the anterior, or front portion of the throat. The hyoid bone is the only bone in the body not connected to another bone by ligaments. The hyoid is "free floating" on the front center of the throat, just above the adam's apple on men, and is a hold over from our previous days as fish. It is a primary factor in swallowing, and is supported by several muscles that attach to it. While working the anterior portion of the throat, care and awareness are employed in full to avoid injuring the trachea.
We will also be working inside the mouth during this session, on the pterygoid muscles. These are primary chewing muscles, and often times are responsible for uneven jaw movement due to one sided chewing, stress or other trauma. We will be working the pterygoids from both the inside of the mouth and the outside. We also work the connective tissue of the gum line and briefly use the tongue to affect the cervical spine. While this may seem invasive or strange at first, it is only a small, tho important, part of this session, and a very memorable experience to say the least.
Lastly, we will be working inside the nostrils to open the breathing apperature found therein. A friend of mine used to be fond of the saying, "you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends nose." Apparently there is an exception to every rule. In truth, we're not picking noses, and the client will be encouraged to wiggle their jaw or make a rabbit nose during this portion, thus doing most of the real work.