Do/Don't Do - Taking It Slow 2 - Spine In, Spine Out, No Conflict
Do/Don't Do - Taking It Slow - 2 - Spine In, Spine Out, No Conflict
“Learning must be slow and varied in effort until the parasitic efforts are weeded out: then we have little difficulty in acting fast, and powerfully.”
Allowing Movement, Not Resisting Movement
Based on “Liberating your Neck and Jaw - 3 Connecting Your Spine” by David Zemach Berson
Every vertebra in the spine has a unique, supportive relationship with those above and below it. The spine as a whole has a relationship with the pelvis below, the skull above, and the tongue as its tippy top.
The spine takes up much more space than you may think. The facets - the little tails out to the sides - both hold the neighboring vertebrae in place, or slide against one another for safe rotation, bending and twistingt.
We can optimize those relationships for easy, natural movement - if we (take the time to) explore the organic relationships, notice when we jam ourselves up, and reset for coordination.
The point is to notice when, if, when, we are fighting ourselves - and STOP. Into this we tune.
Lying on one side, then the other, or sitting with ribs against the back of a chair, we will work our way up and down the spine, allowing one vertebra at a time to release outward.
Notice: the vertebrae move away from each other where you focus, but others in the chain take up the slack and cuddle up. The heavy head and pelvis limit the middle vertebrae’s freedom of movement - something to be aware of! Blocks are we finding? Blind spots? Good!
The lesson develops with letting the spine curl forward into an arched back - contrasts to see. Many variations of head and eyes and tongue to add complexity to the simplicity.
Science Nerd Candy Bowl: These references come from the “Liberating Your Neck, Jaw and Tongue” series, but they are worth a review. I watch at 2x with the captions on just to get the mental image.
Spine or Vertebral column | Spine bones joints | Human Spine Anatomy 3D animation | Elearnin – full explanation of spine anatomy (4:40)
Spinal Motion Segment: C2-C5 Animation – (veritas health - short video)
Spinal Motion Segment: C5-C6 (Veritas Health)
Lumbar Spine Anatomy Video (Vertias Health) ets in the way.
Side lying lesson - head and knee support can be nice
Set Up:
Lying on the side, with support under your head so that your chin and breastbone are on the same plane. People with back sensitivities might want to place a roll between the legs to simulate easy standing.
OR seated on a flat-bottom chair with a back, knees level with hips, leaning your side ribs against the back of the chair
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Deeply Relaxed with a supple and supported spine; Tuned into the subtle differences of vertebral action up and down the spine; Aware of which combinations of spinal/head/eyes/tongue movements are cohesive, and which block things up; Slightly abashed that your habits bollux things up now and then; Spaced out - you went deep.
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Effortless spine - Sisu the Water Dragon is a really good swimmer