Basically there are 5 important neurons in this mesencephalon which are important when it comes to Sympathetic dominance: But like anything if we understand why we are doing something, we are more likely to follow through with it and be more consistent if we are clear about the purpose and the end goal of our actions. Generally, we ask our patients to start by laying on a posture pole two times per day for 5 minutes at a time. Once they can lay on the posture pole for 5 minutes without pain or any feelings of discomfort, they can then progress by increasing the time they lay on the posture pole. The ideal amount of time to work up to is 15 minutes. If someone is in a chronic state of sympathetic wind up, they will have shoulders like concrete and may experience tight, aching calf muscles. This is all the action of the red nuclei.

How to use a posture pole: Lay on your posture pole from head down the spine to your pelvis. Bend up your knees with your feet on the floor, and arms in the ‘cactus’ position – arms at 90 degree angle to your body with elbows bent as 90 degrees (you may not be able to achieve this with your arms/hands touching the ground. If so, bring your elbows down towards your body until they do touch the ground). Relax here for up to 15 minutes, although to begin with try it for 1-2 minutes, get up and see how you feel. If you are sore, stop. If not, keep going. The point of the posture pole is to not only correct posture, but also to de-stress. While you are laying on the posture pole, it’s important to try and switch off – use of phones and other devices are not advised during this exercise.

Today our focus is on explaining the workings of the posture pole and this takes us on a more in-depth look at number 2, the red nucleus. This is why we prescribe posture poles and other types of exercises to help improve poor posture. What is a posture pole? Once you start doing this every day, 15 minutes won’t seem as daunting and unachievable. You may even start looking forward to your daily 15 minutes of posture resetting relaxation.

minutes of laying down with no interruptions might be easy for some people, but for people with busy minds it can be quite difficult. While the Central Nervous System is something we have some conscious control over, like when and how to move etc. The autonomic nervous system is in charge of all the things you don’t have to think about – like hormones, digesting your food, your heart beating, lungs breathing, sweating to cool down and many other crucial functions. The correct way to lay on a posture pole is by having your arms stretched out with your palms facing up, having your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. The posture pole must go length ways down your spine and must support your head and tail bone – this is very important!Our Nervous System is made up of 3 major parts; The Central Nervous System, Peripheral and Autonomic Nervous Systems. The Central Nervous System is comprised of our brain and spinal cord. The Peripheral Nervous System is all the nerves that come off the brain and spinal cord and go to all the tissues and organs of your body. While the Autonomic Nervous System is largely automatic, we can actually have an impact on it. We can restore it to parasympathetic mode. The way our muscles are distributed on our body is different on the top and bottom half of our body if we draw a line horizontally across the body at the level of the shoulder blades (about the midpoint of the spinal column)