When doing any abdominal work it is a common occurrence to crunch the chin directly to the chest. This puts compression on the upper cervical vertebrae in the spine. We want to lengthen the spaces between the bones of our spine as much as possible. If you see a client doing this, while they have their hands at the base of their neck, I place my hands underneath theirs and tell them to think of lying on a pillow. This will allow them to relax and release any tension. Then I gently guide them to lengthen back towards me and then lift up. This will keep their chin from crunching down to the chest, and it will get the abdominal muscles to work even harder. ]]>
