embryology: the head and the heart
As life begins in the womb, the heart forms in the head of the embryonic disc and then migrates downward during the folding process into the anatomical position we experience today. We often hear that the head and the heart want to be connected but what does that really mean beyond a thought or an idea? How do you know that your mind and emotions function in unison? The neck, throat, and mouth will signal harmony.
Tension patterns, structure, and tissue are a physical lens for looking at the body. Tightness from the heart center, running up the neck to the back of the head is the oldest and toughest part of the body to release. My teachers claimed that it was birth patterning- tissue formations set from the prenatal, perinatal, or birthing process. Alleviating pressure from the cervical spine(neck) helps our throats engage to balance the bridge between mind and body. CST and myofascial release work with restrictions so that fascia melts and we experience fluidity and balance in this highly vulnerable area. When body parts are in alignment, we experience less or no stiffness in the jaw, more function in the throat, and softness in the neck. This provides access to the front of the body and the core. We don’t carry all of our weight on our shoulders and neck when anchoring from the abs. The front body shares with the back body.
Your world can become supportive, not something to bear.
While this can be a helpful approach to neck pain or feeling structurally integrated, I’d like to offer a different method for knowing ourselves. I view the mouth and throat as the beginnings of the nurturing canal where the head connects to the chest and stomach via the swallow reflex. As adults, when we process something psycho-emotional, it can follow the track of the nurturing canal from our faces down to our pelvic floors where it dissolves. Gaining more awareness of the mouth, tongue, and throat- which are highly correlated to feeding- helps us develop the ability to self-nurture as adults. Appropriate habits encourage the throat to engage so things flow down the entire chain from the head through the heart center to the pelvis. Thought moves downward to become emotion and dissipates as energy. A functioning pelvic floor is how we stay solid. You are in yourself and with yourself thoroughly. Our relationship to the pelvic floor can be tied to the cervical spine and throat. Once this is developed, awareness of your legs becomes intimately linked to the embodiment of the upper half. We want to be able to care for ourselves no matter which developmental stage asks for help. Listen to your parts, they have very old messages to relay.
The heart starts on the head of the embryo as a reminder of your necessity to experience life in a harmonious way. It begins as a crown on a cellular level and asks for heightened attention and devotion so it functions together with the mind. When neck pain dissolves, we engage more through the front, signaling a bridge between thought and feeling. We can sense ourselves fully from mouth to belly.
