“Bring your chin to your chest.”
“Lengthen the back of your neck.”
“Support your neck.”
It’s one of the most recognizable Pilates cues. It’s also one of the most misunderstood. In the last few years, there has been more conversation around this cue, and honestly, I think that conversation is valuable. Anytime we question our language as teachers, we have an opportunity to become better educators.
Because the truth is this:
The words we use are not the movement. The cue is not the goal. The cue is simply the pathway we use to help someone create the movement we are looking for. And this is where the cue “bring your chin to your chest” gets complicated.
Because if I am being very technical…
I don’t actually care where your chin is in space. There. I said it.
The chin itself is not the thing I am trying to change. I am not looking for someone to aggressively pull their chin down, flatten their neck, or create unnecessary tension in the front of their throat. That was never the intention. What I am looking for is what happens to the entire cervical spine as we move. I am looking for length. I am looking for support. I am looking for organization. When we curl up in Pilates, we are creating spinal flexion. But that does not mean we are collapsing. This is the same idea we teach with the C-curve. We are not trying to remove the natural curves of the spine. We are not trying to make the body into a perfectly straight line. The spine is designed with curves. Those curves are part of its structure and function. Our goal is not to erase them. Our goal is to move with awareness and support.
When we curl the upper body, we want to think about lengthening through the back of the neck. The same way we think about creating length through the lower back when we create our abdominal curl. The neck is not separate from the rest of the spine. It is part of the whole system. But Why Not Just Say “Lengthen the Back of Your Neck?”
This is where teaching gets really interesting. As instructors, we often learn more anatomy, more biomechanics, and more precise language. And that is a good thing. But sometimes the language that makes the most sense to us does not immediately make sense to the person in front of us.
“Lengthen the back of your neck.”
Beautiful cue. Accurate cue. But if someone is brand new to Pilates and they are lying on their back trying to perform a hundred, that phrase may not create an actual physical change.
They may think:
“Okay… how?”
Where do I feel that?
What does that look like?
What does that mean?
This is why cues matter. Not because the words are magic. Because the right words can help someone understand their own body. Bringing the chin slightly toward the chest is something most people can see, feel, and understand. It is an external action that helps create an internal organization. It gives the body a direction. And often, that is what someone needs. A starting point.
The Goal Is Not the Double Chin!
Over the years, I have heard so many different versions of this cue.
“Make a double chin.”
“Imagine you are holding an egg under your chin.”
“Hold a tangerine.”
“Create space behind your neck.”
"Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth"
"Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth"
“Squeeze your throat.” (That last one is not my favorite.)
The funny thing is, many of these cues can work. Not because the chin is the goal. Because they create an experience that helps someone find the sensation we are looking for. A double chin can create cervical length. An imaginary object can prevent the head from jutting forward. A visual can help someone understand a physical concept. The cue is simply the tool. The goal is the movement.
Neck Tension in Pilates Is Real
Let’s talk about the thing so many people experience:
“My neck always hurts during Pilates.”
This is incredibly common. And it can be so frustrating. Because you came to Pilates to strengthen your body, improve posture, and feel better. Not to spend the entire workout fighting your neck.
The good news?
Neck tension is usually something we can work with. It is not always about having a “stronger neck.”
It is often about organization.
It is often about organization.
Where is the head?
Where are the shoulders?
What are the ribs doing?
Is the person trying to create movement from the neck instead of the abdominals?
Are they holding tension because they do not yet trust the support underneath them?
There is rarely one single answer. And there is rarely one single cue that fixes everyone. That is why teaching movement requires observation. The cue is only effective when it is connected to the person in front of you.
Teaching Is Not About Showing People What They Don’t Know
One of my biggest beliefs as an educator is this:
People are not coming into a Pilates class because they already understand anatomy. They are coming because they want to learn. They want to feel better. They want to move better. They want someone to guide them. A teacher’s job is not to make someone feel embarrassed for not knowing something. It is my job to know more. Not because I am better. Not because I am smarter. But because this is what I have dedicated my life to studying. I have studied movement. I have studied the body. I have watched bodies move since I was a dancer. I have spent years learning how to help people connect to their own bodies. That knowledge is not meant to create distance. It is meant to create results.
The Best Cue Is the One That Creates Change
At the end of the day, a cue is successful when it helps someone move better. Not when it sounds the most scientific. Not when it proves the teacher knows anatomy. Not when it is the most technically perfect sentence.
The best cue is the one that creates understanding.
The best cue is the one that creates understanding.
“Bring your chin to your chest” is not the finish line.
It is a doorway. It is a way of saying:
“Find length through your spine.”
“Find length through your spine.”
“Support your neck.”
“Organize your head with your body.”
“Let your upper back help you.”
The more experienced we become as teachers, the more we understand that movement is not about forcing the body into a shape. It is about creating awareness. It is about giving people tools. And sometimes the simplest cue creates the biggest change.
So yes…
Bring your chin to your chest.
But remember why. Not because your chin is the problem. Because your spine deserves support, your neck deserves length, and your body deserves the opportunity to move well.
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