Choosing Not to Move by Will

Understanding AXIS from the Head Set and Its Neural Logic

In AXIS, every session begins with the Head Set before any other set.
This is a choice grounded in how the nervous system is organized.

The Head Set is not simply a way to “fix” the neck or head.
It is positioned as an entry set that creates the learning conditions for AXIS as a whole.

In the three sets that follow – the Pelvis Set, Ankle Set, and Shoulder Set – I consistently invite you to keep bringing back the awareness that was opened in the Head Set. In that sense, the Head Set really is the foundation of the entire AXIS process.

In this article, I will walk through why the Head Set is the entry point, seen through the lens of neural control.

Why Does AXIS Start with the Head?

In the Head Set, we mainly work with:

• Fine eye movements
• Tongue position and movement
• Approaches to the suboccipital muscles

These are all very small, subtle movements. And each of them belongs to an area that:

• Has direct neural connections to the brainstem
• Is closely related to the vestibular system
• Plays a role in the early stages of postural control

Eye movements are directly connected to the brainstem via the oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves.

Tongue movement is related to the hypoglossal and trigeminal nerves, and is linked with tension patterns in the deep neck muscles.

Head position, through vestibular input, affects how the whole body orients itself in space and organizes posture.

By working with this area first, we can access the postural control system of the whole body
before we start “operating” large muscles directly.

The Voluntary Motor System and the Automatic Regulation System

Movement in the body is supported by two major systems:

• the voluntary motor system, and
• the automatic regulation system.

⚫︎Voluntary Motor System

Command center: motor cortex and related cortical areas

• Movements we do by intention: “I’m going to move like this”
• A region where postural and movement habits are stored
• Patterns that tend to become relatively fixed over time

This is where the history of how you’ve used your body is stored.

⚫︎Automatic Regulation System

Command center: brainstem, cerebellum, and vestibular system

• Adjusts posture, balance, and breathing without conscious effort
• Integrates visual input, vestibular input, and deep somatic sensation
• Continuously makes fine adjustments in response to the environment

Here, what is active is not a fixed “data set”, but a flexible adjustment process that is always updating itself.

It is a system that is constantly generating “now”.

For many people today, the voluntary motor system is the one they are most used to.
We are used to giving commands to the body like:

• “Stand up straight!”
• “Pull this in!”

AXIS is interested in working with the balance between these two systems, and the Head Set is designed to primarily access the latter, the automatic regulation system.

Why “Intend First, Then Hand Over”?

AXIS does not say “don’t use intention at all”.

Rather, the approach is:

Use intention as an entry point,
and then hand over the leadership to the automatic regulation system.

In real practice, finding a good balance or good mix between these two is very important.
And in reality, this does require some experience and craftsmanship.
It’s not necessarily something you can do perfectly the moment you understand it in theory.

But having a clear understanding of what is happening can make the process much easier,
so I’d like to explain it a little more.

When the voluntary motor system dominates too strongly,
the body keeps replaying past movement patterns.
Many people will recognize this as the feeling of “my body gets stiff when I try hard.”

When the automatic regulation system is more active,
the body begins to respond to gravity, space, and internal state in this very moment.
This is often felt as “less resistance in the body” or “things starting to soften and adjust on their own.”

In AXIS, intention is used only as a starting cue,
and the actual process of adjustment is encouraged to be handled by the brainstem, cerebellum, and vestibular system.

To me, this resonates with what osteopathy calls the Primary Respiratory Mechanism.
In this sense, the whole body begins to respond to the primary motion of breathing,
and the body starts to move as a coordinated whole without having to be driven by conscious intention.

When these micro-adjustments and subtle couplings are happening continuously,
the body is less likely to become rigid,
fluidity can circulate,
and you have a body that can stay responsive and cooperative with changing external conditions.

I would describe this as a supple, adaptable state.

Why Modern Movement Practice Tends to Lean on the Voluntary System

In many movement instructions, we often hear:

• “Move correctly.”
• “Hold your posture.”
• “Engage your core.”

All of these are based on the voluntary motor system.

As a result, we often see phenomena like:

• The more you try, the stiffer your movement becomes
• The more you “pay attention,” the duller your sensation becomes
• The more you try to “fix” your posture, the shallower your breathing becomes

The issue here is not that “intention is bad”,
but that the balance and mix between the systems is off.

The voluntary motor system ends up monopolizing the command,
and the automatic regulation system sinks into the background.

AXIS is designed to gently restore a more functional balance between the two.

How AXIS Defines “Axis”

At this point, it may be helpful to clarify what I mean by “axis” in AXIS.

In AXIS, “axis” is not a solid, fixed shape.

What I call axis in SenseBody is:

The capacity of the body
to continuously respond to gravity and the environment.

It is not a fixed alignment that you hold,
but a regulating ability that is constantly being updated.

It is a dynamic state in which inside and outside are in ongoing communication,
and the body keeps responding.

The Head Set is placed as the entry that activates this regulating ability.

What Keeps Changing and What Tends to Remain

The changes that occur through AXIS practice can be thought of in two layers:

1. Changes in neural regulation (more reversible)
2. Changes in body tissues and structure (more lasting)

The nervous system changes through “use-dependent” strengthening and weakening of circuits.

In other words:

• Old patterns don’t simply vanish,
  but they can become less frequently used.
• New patterns are added as available options,
  and when they are used repeatedly, they are gradually strengthened.

The automatic regulation system also tends to weaken when it is not actively used.
This corresponds to point (1): changes in neural regulation.

On the other hand, changes in deep muscles, ligaments, and structures in the feet, etc.,
tend to leave more lasting traces.
This corresponds to point (2): changes in body structure.

AXIS is not trying to create a single, permanent, fixed state.

It is better understood as:

A practice that develops the ability
to keep automatically adjusting to a continually new “now”.

Through the practice,
my hope is that you gradually come to sense when this automatic regulation is actually happening.

From Session Back into Daily Life

XIS is not meant to stay inside the session only.

All everyday movements are supported by the work of the automatic regulation system:

• Standing
• Walking
• Sitting
• Looking
• Breathing

The aim is not to “intentionally make” a posture,
but to begin noticing that posture is constantly arising and adapting.

The Head Set is the entry point that makes this kind of experience possible.

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“Stability within motion. A body that stands with gravity, not against it.”

— SenseBody: Aligned with Gravity, Alive in Motion

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