When the nervous system learns alignment, posture stops “reverting.”
We often think we move through muscular effort, yet in truth, our posture, breathing, and movement patterns are governed by neural choices.
SenseBody Axis is a program designed to help the nervous system relearn its natural axis through four key segments — the head, pelvis, ankles, and shoulders.
In posture re-education, beginning “from the head downward” has a clear neurophysiological rationale.
This article explains that order — and how SenseBody approaches the way the nervous system learns.
The neurophysiological rationale for “starting with the head”
Gentle movements and breathing changes that release tension around the head are thought to influence the autonomic nervous system at the level of the brainstem.
This can help quiet defensive patterns that stiffen the body and restore a calmer, more perceptive state — one in which you can listen to your body while staying alert and grounded.
In SenseBody Axis, this first phase — “aligning from the head” — aims to create a calm foundation where parasympathetic activity can emerge more easily.
Postural control follows a hierarchy of information flow:
head → eyes → vestibular system → trunk → lower limbs.
Proprioceptive sensors in the head and neck (such as otolith organs and neck muscle spindles) form the highest-level inputs for balance in standing.
By first restoring head alignment, the subsequent motor learning in the pelvis and feet proceeds more smoothly and coherently.
Why the “pelvis → ankle” sequence is essential
Sacroiliac joint and weight distribution
The sacroiliac (SI) joint is often thought of as nearly immobile except during childbirth, but in reality, it has minute mobility — only a few millimeters — driven by breathing and deep muscular tension.
This subtle motion allows the body to receive weight fluidly under gravity.
When the SI joint loses mobility, load distribution tends to stiffen, and the refined sensory information from the head and spine may no longer transmit effectively to the lower limbs.
The pelvic set acts as an integration layer, linking upper sensory inputs (from the head and cervical region) with lower motor outputs (from the ankles and feet) that sustain posture and movement.
In this way, it plays a central role in supporting neural re-education through neuroplasticity.
The individual importance of the ankle set
In people with long-term movement habits or past injuries, rotational restrictions in the lower legs or hips can dull the sensitivity of the ankle receptors — particularly in the talocrural and subtalar joints.
I’ve experienced this myself after years of intense ballet training during adolescence.
When these sensors lose precision, standing reflexes become distorted, and reflexive actions such as pushing the groundor stabilizing balance lose accuracy.
Although individual needs vary, re-educating ankle proprioception is indispensable as the final adjustment layer for achieving an aligned axis.
Why the shoulder set is “optional”
When the head, sacroiliac joint, and ankles are neurally integrated and the line of gravity passes through efficiently, the shoulder girdle tends to realign naturally through the torque of the upper thoracic region (T1–T4).
In detail:
- Neck proprioception and vestibular input detect the head’s orientation relative to gravity, establishing a spatial reference for the whole posture.
- The sacroiliac joint acts as a hub where gravitational and ground-reaction vectors intersect. Micro-movements of the SI joint, balanced by the iliopsoas, multifidus, and pelvic-floor muscles, stabilize transmission between spine and legs.
- Foot pressure and talar micro-motion form the distal output of postural reflexes. Once these stabilize, the body naturally finds its vertical axis.
- Consequently, the shoulder girdle realigns itself. Tone in the upper trapezius, scalenes, and pectoralis minor decreases, so the shoulders no longer “hang down” but simply cease to lift unnecessarily.
Thus, in many cases, the upper limbs reorganize automatically through the adjustments of the head, pelvis, and ankles.
However, there are exceptions: for individuals whose breathing muscles (scalenes, pectoralis minor) are overly active, or who tend toward shallow, stress-related breathing, the shoulder set can help re-synchronize the respiratory system and vagal pathways.
Learn → Practice → Stabilize
In SenseBody Axis, participants learn the four sets step-by-step over eight weeks, then continue home practice for about three months — the period in which neural plasticity begins to consolidate.
There is no need to rush.
Neural learning takes time to settle quietly.
Through repetition and mindful attention, new motor patterns are selected and eventually become the body’s new normal.
When that happens, the body stands effortlessly, breathing deepens,
and a light, unforced axis runs through the whole self.
That is what SenseBody Axis calls alignment from the nervous system.
“Stability within motion. A body that stands with gravity, not against it.”
— SenseBody: Aligned with Gravity, Alive in Motion