The first cervical vertebra is truly unique in design and function. It is the cap stone of the spine that governs structural balance and alignment of all the vertebra below, including the sacrum and pelvis. It is shaped to fit like a puzzle piece below the occiput and above the Axis. It should be snug and stable and swivel freely above the second cervical vertebra, the axis. It maintains the crucial function of stabilizing and cradling the skull. This is vital to how the weight of the cranium is distributed down the spinal column and how the sacrum and pelvis maintain alignment. The atlas also guards the opening to the skull. With a misaligned atlas, there is a reduction in the volume of this opening and the vertebral canal.

As a result, the spinal cord, cranial nerves and the brain stem are all exposed to continuous pressure. The greater the pressure the more dysfunction in all major systems in the body. Vertebral and carotid arteries are also constricted slowly depriving the brain. Emotionally, a misaligned atlas causes a feeling of instability and vulnerability. The body senses the imbalance and compensates by tightening up muscles, first in the neck, then along the entire spine, eventually skewing the spine and torso. With structural misalignment, energy simply does not flow freely. There is a disconnection and separation happening, which reflects how open and receptive they are to the world.