Undulation Exercises

Good Health Ideas

2011-11-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

My grandmother frequently says, “I am so grateful for my good health. Without my health, where would I be?” Good health is certainly a blessing and it can be a gift. Several friends of mine are releasing new products just in time for the holiday season. You might find one or more of them to be a good fit for someone on your gift giving list.

SmartCore Training is a 70-minute DVD by Staffan Englelid, PT, PhD, CFT. This video is the best group of core exercise I have ever seen. The DVD progresses from basic core strengthening through intermediate core techniques that make the core active in everyday activities to cutting edge exercises needed by athletes. How many times have you known someone (maybe even yourself) to hurt her back as she was leaning forward and twisting? Mastering Staffan’s intermediate exercises would prevent most of these injuries. I think this is especially appropriate for Pilates and yoga practitioners as well as physical therapists, personal trainers and anyone with chronic back pain. It sells for $39.95 through Championship Productions.

Fascial Fitness is a 58-minute and 20-page booklet combination produced by Robert Schleip, PhD, a fascia expert and structural integration practitioner from Germany. He has been working with fitness experts to create movements to rehabilitate and condition the fascial network throughout the body. The movements are like undulations, but bigger and adapted to more traditional stretches and exercises. This is like giving yourself a myofascial release in your own living room. Fascial Fitness is available through Fascia DVDs for $44.95.

The 10 Minute Rejuvenation Plan outlines a 5-exercise routine that was developed by Buddhist monks. As it was originally explained in a book published in the 1930’s the exercises are difficult and could cause injury. Carolinda Witt has ingeniously broken down the exercises into manageable steps with wise safety precautions. The book sells for $14.22 at Amazon. A companion DVD is rare, but useful, too.

Mary Bond’s healthy posture DVD, Heal Your Posture: A 7 Week Workshop will be available soon, but maybe not in time for Christmas. Mary is the author of The New Rules of Posture and a fantastic movement educator. She has a gift for making esoteric principles of alignment easy to understand and use. You can see clips from the DVD and request to be notified when it is ready at her website.

While I’m plugging products, I should mention my new program, Undulation Break, which reminds people to undulate with 22 videos and a smart timer to set to your schedule. Although I originally designed it for people who spend multiple hours at the computer (ergonomic experts recommend taking a short break every 20 minutes), I’ve found it useful for anyone who needs a reminder to undulate. It is just $24.95 and you can try it for free.

Walking: Roll Through The Feet (Exercise of the Month)

2011-11-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

Last night as I was driving in Seattle, light rain glistened off the pavement and the street lights sparked. I saw a man jogging with a stocking cap, rain jacket and bare feet. On one hand, I’m a proponent of barefoot walking so we pleased to see that 49 degrees and light rain didn’t deter this man from getting his exercise. “Way to go!” I thought and then, “Ouch!” Barefoot jogging on concrete is too harsh. I would recommend walking barefoot in the summer and in flexible shoes in the winter, which leads us to the:

Exercise of the Month: Rolling Through the Feet

1. Start in standing alignment, with your feet and knees pointing forward. Keep this alignment as you walk, avoiding letting your knees fall in and/or your feet to point out too much.
2. Set your foot down, heel first then roll through your foot trying to feel the little bones in the middle of your foot. Your arch will bounce back rather than collapse if you distribute your weight across your foot. This is like setting down a beautiful footprint from heel to toes.
3. As you lift your foot, peel it off the floor with a little push from all five toes as they leave the ground. Use all of your toes evenly.
4. Let the speed of your walk increase. You can keep this flexibility in your feet even when you walk faster and even when you are wearing shoes.

Karin Edwards Wager, a colleague from Portland, OR, has written a great article on how to choose shoes. Her advice will make it easier for you to walk with ease.

A Message from My Shoulder

2011-11-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

My left shoulder blade has a twinge this morning. I keep exploring this sensation, moving my shoulder up, down and in circles. I’m attempting to make it better, or worse, but it nags without change. My mind, of course, wants to know: “How did this happen? What did you, body, do wrong?” When my shoulders hurt, it is usually because they’ve been too helpful. In this instance, my shoulders tried to help my hips.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a fabulous yoga practice that focused on grounding and hip opening. Hip opening has little to do with shoulders, but whenever my body attempts something challenging, my shoulders always try to help by lifting or straining. It reminds me of myself as a child, the eldest sister, who needed to perfect my younger sisters’ actions. “Here, do it this way.” “No, no, no, you better let me do it.” My shoulders apparently haven’t given up this annoying habit.

At least I am conscious of this pattern so I can try to change it. I’m usually aware of my shoulders’ tendency and tell them, “Relax, the rest of my body can handle it.” This incident is a reminder to stay aware. It also makes me wonder where else in my life am I being overbearing in the guise of being overly helpful.

In the meantime, I’ll spend the next half hour on a self-designed, shoulder-strain-relieving yoga practice and then a few minutes with a tennis ball to release the remaining trigger points. Meanwhile I will consider how I can learn to let things be.

I’ve been here before with my shoulders and I will be again. Mind-body learning is a life-long process that starts with a body sensation that leads to awareness through exploration and contemplation that becomes an opportunity for growth and change.

Fascia that is Only Skin Deep

2011-10-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Structural integration (Rolfing, Hellerwork, KMI, SOMA) is known for being deep. Depth is what attracts most clients. “I really want you to get in there,” one client tells me. “I’m glad this isn’t one of those petting massages,’ says another. The process of affecting the body’s fascial network is profound, but sometimes it is only skin deep.

I took a workshop from Liz Silverman Stewart this past weekend – Tracking the Recipe; Sessions 1-3 Review. Liz knows our proclivity to go deep and she encouraged us to work instead with the most superficial layer in the first session.

Unlike deeper, more complex, fascial layers that split, divide, dive and twist, the superficial layer is a single continuous sheet, like an internal wetsuit. Gil Hedley, a master anatomist, has dissected this layer, which you can see at his website. (Don’t look if seeing dissections grosses you out. Do look if you want to see many images of fascinating fascia.) If the superficial layer is not flat or free, it binds to underlying structures and limits movement. Releasing the adipose layer opens a window to the deeper layers in the following sessions.

Release of the superficial layer can be intense like deep work, especially when the entire layer is engaged, or at least much of the layer. That is what I practiced during the workshop. I also received a session in this manner and can feel the space it created for my whole body to move more freely, as though I changed out of clothes that were too tight in places. I can feel the glide of my adipose layer sliding easily beneath my skin giving my movement a sumptuous quality. My forward bends feel delicious from my hips to shoulders and even into the back of my arms.

Releasing the superficial layer is one way that structural integrators help our clients become more comfortable in their skin. (The fascia graphic is from the Hellerwork Client Handbook.)

Sound the Trombones for Undulation Break

2011-10-13T13:35:00.001-07:00

I’d like to sound the trumpets, please. I have exciting news. Actually, it is more appropriate to sound a trombone so the notes slide from one to another as fluidly as an undulation. I’ve been silent on this blog for the past few months as I’ve worked on another project, which has now come to fruition. Undulation Break, a software program that prompts people to take short exercise breaks from their computers, was released this week.

Since I published Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation, people have asked me for undulation videos. Undulation Break includes 22 videos and the user can choose how often each one comes up on the computer. In addition, I created a video to explain how it works, which is available on YouTube.

I used to work at a desk all day and I used to have chronic neck pain and headaches. An answer to this problem is to interrupt the stillness of what I call screen-eye lock. It takes movement to transform stiffness and tension into renewed productivity. Undulations are my favorite movement as they allow the body to get what it needs rather than responding to the mind’s dictates. Even though I don’t work at a desk all day anymore, I still enjoy the undulations on my computer for the times when the screen attracts my eyeballs like a magnet and my computer posture resorts to a slump.

In addition to the videos, Undulation Break also includes 16 different music tracks, 20 reminders for fluid movement and a small library of help and hints for good posture and ergonomics. I hope you’ll try Undulation Break. You can download it and use it for 5 days for free at http://www.paratec.com/sbform/v65_ub_downloadform.htm.

The program is based on a stretching program created by Para Technologies. It was designed to prevent repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and eye strain.

Now that I’ve finished with my video career and this commercial, I can return to writing. You can expect more regular posts with book reviews (Stretch to Win by Ann and Chris Frederick is coming up) and exercises in the weeks to come.

CD Review: Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief

2011-07-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Although the purpose of meditation is not to relieve pain, it often does. I suppose you could call this a beneficial side effect. In Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief: Guided Practices for Reclaiming Your Body and Your Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn shares meditation practices that were developed at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Clinic. Over 30 years of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of medication for many conditions such as blood pressure, stress and pain relief.

This CD set includes two discs. In the first, Kabat-Zinn explains how and why meditation works and gives a soothing pep talk for those ready to try this for the first time. He outlines the seven principles that underlie mindfulness:
1. “As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong.”
2. The power of the present moment is a resource that is often overlooked.
3. The present moment isn’t always to our liking. That’s true whether you have chronic pain or not. Most of us spend a lot of energy distracting ourselves from the present.
4. The common two ways to deal with the present are to turn away from it through escape activities or to obsess on it and feel victimized.
5. A third way is to open to and befriend current experience to the degree you choose.
6. Whatever is happening, have kindness and compassion toward oneself. And suspend judgment, which contracts the mind and body and compounds pain and suffering.
7. The purpose is to not make anything go away or fix something. It is simply to find a respite through non-doing so life’s natural propensity for change and healing can take its course.

If you’re already familiar with the history and effectiveness of mindfulness practices, you might be tempted to skip to the second disc and that’s OK, but the first one is quite interesting.

The second disc includes several meditations of varying lengths, starting with a simple, short breathing meditation and one 18 minute practice. Even if you’re not the type to sit still with hands folded in your lap for any length of time, I think the way it is presented is a good start for anyone who is coping with chronic pain.

In The Pain Chronicles, Melanie Thernstrom tells of Franz Mesner who was able to tranquilize patients with his voice, which coined the term “mesmerize.” Jon Kabat-Zinn’s voice has this quality. Just by listening to the CDs, without even doing the meditations, I dropped into the calm, soothing nature of his voice and let go of a layer of stress.

Exercise of the Month: Hamstring Stretch

2011-07-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone I know, myself included, complains of tight hamstrings. It’s no surprise since we sit so much, spending hours with knees bent. To stretch, most people try to touch their toes, but that’s not the most effective way to lengthen the hamstrings. This group of muscles (the hamstrings are actually four muscles on the back of each thigh) requires careful attention to alignment to release the entire compartment.

Try this stretch and notice where you feel sensation. If you feel burning, back off. It doesn’t take much pressure to lengthen and align this muscle group.

Preparation:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
Keep equal weight in your left hip and right hip.
Bring the left knee into your chest and keep it in line with your left ear. Don’t let your knee fall to the outside or you’ll avoid stretching part of the hamstrings.
Wrap a yoga strap or belt around the left foot and hold the ends in both hands.

Stretch #1
1. Keep your knee in line (I know I’m repeating myself here, but it’s important.) and straighten the knee so your heel presses up to the ceiling.
2. Stop where you feel the first sensation. Hold the stretch and direct your breath into the back of your thigh.
3. See if you can find the amount of pressure that allows the muscle to relax. This is less than how much we usually put into a stretch.
4. Repeat on with the right leg. Then try the following variation to release different places in your thigh.

Stretch #2
1. Again keep your knee in line with your ear on the same side and keep your knee as close to your chest as you can.
2. Straighten your knee without moving it away from your chest. This usually gets deeper into the muscle compartment. Direct your breath to where you feel the stretch.
3. Repeat with the other leg.

By the way, the model for this exercise is my friend and fellow writer, Rebecca Ross of The Composed Domain.

The Wide Road or the Tightrope

2011-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a range of two little or too much exercise. For the average person, one weekend of gardening can cause a back ache. Or it might take a couple weeks without moderate or vigorous physical activity for weakness to turn into stiffness and achiness. Most people do fine with regular exercise here and there with not too much at any one time.

I liken this to a wide road with shallow shoulders. When we exercise the right amount we stay on the road. If we verge to the side of overexertion and strain a muscle, we stray off the pavement and get bogged down in the gravel. It takes some work, maybe seeing a health care provider or doing some stretches or extra time in the hot tub, to get back on the road. Sometimes we get too busy with work to walk, do yoga, lift weights, whatever our usual exercise routine is, so our muscles lose strength, our cardiovascular system loses steam, our organs lose vitality. This is the other side of the road. We’re heading for the ditch of lethargy, aches and pains.

The better our physical condition, the wider the road and the easier the shoulder. With inattention or injury, the road narrows, the banks steepen, the ditches turn to ravines. For people with chronic pain, the road has dwindled to the thickness of a tightrope strung high. This isn’t a glamorous high wire circus act; this is a trembling person, already off balance by pain, who doesn’t want to fall.

Managing the tightrope can be a full-time job. Every activity must be considered as potentially being too much or too little. Vacuuming the house might send one tumbling off the rope into a free fall to the net below, so that an arduous journey is required to climb the ladder back to the rope. Each person’s ladder is a unique combination of treatments. Finding the personal combination of therapy is as relevant as discovering what throws one off balance and into the net.

The other side of the tightrope – inactivity – is just as dangerous. Chronic pain creates and exacerbates weakness. Every day some exercise is required or else one risks falling off the other side of the wire with a similar climb up to the rope of equilibrium.

My teacher, Donna Bajelis, taught me the analogy of the tightrope. My clients, especially those with chronic pain, find it useful to keep on track with activity. They use continual self-care to lower the rope to ground-level, widen it to a balance beam and eventually recreate a broad road. Everyone can broaden their path with regular exercise. If you’re on a tightrope, work toward a balance beam. If you’re on a beam, work toward a narrow path. If you’re on a path, create a road for yourself. If your road is already broad, what will it take to make it an eight lane highway?

Coming Soon: An Undulation Software Program

2011-07-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Appropriate Proprioception

2011-06-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Notice where your body is in space. Without looking, estimate how far apart your feet are, the curve of your low back, and the relationship between your cranium and tailbone. This is proprioception: the ability to sense where your body is. We’re learning that proprioceptive ability has important implications for health.

First of all, proprioception is essential for balance. As we get older, our balance often diminishes. This is partly due to muscle weakness (see the article on the Single Leg Stance), but another factor is the ability for the body to sense where each part of itself is in relationship to the ground and up.

Proprioception is also a factor in pain perception. Proprioceptive nerve endings sense the body’s location. Nociceptive nerve endings sense pain. Scientists are finding an inverse relationship between proprioception and nociception. When proprioceptive nerves are not functioning optimally, the nociceptive nerves become more active and pain is perceived more easily. It’s worthwhile to improve your proprioceptive abilities; if you’re in pain, it’s essential.

There are several ways to improve your proprioceptive abilities. The field of rehabilitation uses balance exercises; wobble boards have been found to be very effective. Bodywork is another option, especially bodywork like structural integration where the client stays aware and involved while the practitioner is manipulating tissue. Yoga and Pilates are also helpful, since attention is maintained on how parts of the body relate to each other during the exercises. Undulations also have the same effect. Since undulations focus on the relationship between one vertebra to another, it is helpful to improve proprioception in that area.

If you have signs that your proprioception is waning, you might want to use multiple techniques to improve it. We don’t necessarily need enough awareness to do gymnastics, but we all need appropriate proprioception to walk (which includes standing on one leg with each step), balance and accurately perceive pain.

Exercise of the Month: Easy Sway Variation

2011-06-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

If you're sitting at the computer for any length of time, I encourage you to take a quick break and try this variation of the Easy Sway. By adding this simple arm variation, you'll help reverse the tightness through the chest that accompanies sitting at a desk.

The Permanent Pain Cure: Book Review

2011-05-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

With so many books on the market that promise to relieve pain, it's easy to dismiss them as providing more hype than answers. As the author of one of these books, I know that each one offers advice that works for some people. The Permanent Pain Cure by Ming Chew, PT makes a big claim, but his approach is more comprehensive than most and is worth a try.

The first thing I like about this book is that it focuses on fascia, which plays a large role in most muscle and joint pain. The Ming Method is unique in how it addresses fascia health through a 3 step process. As Chew states:

"The bottom line is you're as young as your fascia. Or to put it another way, the quality of your fascia determines the age of your body . . . fascial hygiene is just as important as dental hygiene."

Amen! He has my full attention with wisdom like that and I'm impressed with the program he outlines. Here is a summary of The Ming Method.

1) Before adding exercises or stretches, it's important for your fascia to be as healthy as possible to avoid injury. Chew recommends 2 1/2 quarts of water a day plus some supplements that he's found to be beneficial for fascia. Many of his patients achieve a reduction in pain with this first step plus the added benefit of younger looking skin.

2) There are two types of stretches included in the book: spinal stretches that decompress the spine and fascial stretches. I found the spinal stretches to be quite unique. They work down the spine from neck to tail. Although difficult at first, I can really tell a difference from them. The fascia stretches are more familiar to me, but I like Chew's instructions for whole body involvement to tether the entire fascial chain.

3) The strength section is the least unique in the book, but I would trust Chew's exercises (he's a former bodybuilder and martial artists) as the right complement to his exceptional program.

Are You Hydrated?

2011-05-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Water is essential for healthy living. Every cell and organ in the body needs water, so it’s important to have enough especially if you feel stiff and tight in your muscles. Despite the controversy about how much liquid is enough to stay hydrated, there is an easy way to tell if you need to drink more water. Simply use the “snap test” on your hand to see how fast your skin returns to its normal shape. If it takes longer than a second then fill your water glass and start drinking. I can use this test throughout the day to gauge my H2O intake.

Fresh Food for a Healthy You

2011-05-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

This blog usually focuses on how movement (or lack of it) affects your life, but today I am verging from my usual refrain of “You are what you DO” to the more familiar phrase, “You are what you eat.” Muscle action, connective tissue health, metabolism and feelings of well-being all depend on a complex series of chemical reactions. The chemicals the body gets to work with – good or bad – all come from our food so what you eat affects how well you move as well as how good you look.

My opinion is that food grown from healthy soil and eaten when fresh has the best composition of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other ingredients we don’t understand yet which are needed for a healthy body and mind. Food grown with chemical fertilizers or pest control has less nutritional value. New research is proving this is true. To assure my supply of fresh, nutritious vegetables I join a CSA each year.

CSA stands for community supported agriculture and it is a way for people to purchase direct from farmers each week through the growing season. I support the Sol to Seed Farm in Carnation. In return I receive a box of vegetables from June through October that I know are grown sustainably and are good for me. I’ve learned to like new vegetables. Sol to Seed’s arugula is absolutely fantastic and they introduced me to kohlrabi, now one of my favorites. Even the familiar lettuce and kale and beans and potatoes are welcome, not to mention the joy of fresh tomatoes in August and always a pumpkin in October. When I pick up my box each Wednesday, I have a week’s supply of good food and usually a couple of recipes to help me figure out what to do with all of it.

Over a dozen farms offer a CSA in King County. Puget Sound Fresh provides a directory of farms throughout the region. Small farms and large farms are included, many offer programs year round. If you’re not in the Seattle area, just do a search for community supported agriculture and you’ll find a rich resource of cost-effective nutrition near you.

Exercise of the Month: Jaw Massage

2011-05-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

It would be nice if we could build self-care like a massage or fascial into our lives on a weekly basis. Most of us don’t have the time or money to go for a spa treatment every seven days even though everyone could use the relaxation. This month’s exercise is adapted from Align for Life written by Dan Bienenfeld, which includes many exercises that complement a structural integration series, but they are also great for everyone. Try this to relax your face especially if you’ve been working at the computer for a while.

Jaw Massage
1. Put your hands on the sides of your face with your fingers just below your cheek bones. Firmly press in, then up and to the sides to draw your mouth into a big smile. Release and let your face relax.

2. Hold your chin with your fingers above the jaw bone and thumbs below. Press firmly and slowly, tracing the jaw bone all the way to your ears.

3. Find the space between the top of your jaw bone and below your cheek bones with your finger tips. Massage in circles as you slowly let your jaw drop.

Book Review: Move Into Life

2011-04-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Many people ask me about the differences between Hellerwork Structural Integration and The Feldenkrais Method. My short answer is that structural integration approaches a change of movement patterns by addressing the body’s connective tissue, which then affects the rest of the body including the nervous system. The Feldenkrais approach seeks to reeducate the brain and nervous system for improved movement patterns that affect the rest of the body. Several new books use the Feldenkrais approach and one of the best is Move Into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality written by Anat Baniel.

It’s easy to see why people find it difficult to differentiate the modalities without having experienced them. Baniel’s nine essentials are oh-so-compatible with structural integration and especially with undulation. Here’s a brief summary of the essentials for vitality, but I encourage you to explore more for yourself.

Attention – Awareness is the first step in any change (please see my previous blog post) and Baniel explains why. Awareness increases brain activity, which makes new patterns possible.
The Learning Switch – Fight or flight and freezing caused by stress have turned off the learning switch for many of us. Regaining beginner’s mind can turn it back on.

Subtlety – We’ve been conditioned to force being the path to accomplishment, but it blocks the intelligence of intuition. Subtlety is needed to find all movement between the extremes.
Variation – Up to this point in the book, I’ve been nodding my head in agreement, but here is where I start to say out loud, “Yes, YES.” Variation in movement increases brain synapses, decreases rigidity and allows for dramatic transformation.
Slow – When we move fast, there is no room for new experiences, railroading us into unproductive patterns. Moving slowly is counterintuitive, but better for harder tasks.
Enthusiasm – Although it seems as though enthusiasm is something that comes from without, Baniel asserts that it is a skill we develop from within. In Hellerwork, we call this inspiration and maintain that it is fundamental to wellness.
Flexible Goals – We’re back to undulation here. Baniel suggests that we try three different ways to accomplish a goal. “Getting off course” is often just what we need to expand our capabilities.
Imagination and Dreams – Brain patterns are equivalent when imagining and doing things in real life. Playfulness creates a more flexible brain. It’s strange that we use less imagination and have fewer dreams when we get older, when we need them the most.
Awareness – This feels like an extension and deepening of the first essential, attention. After adding subtlety, variation, enthusiasm, flexibility and imagination, the reader is able to be more aware, bringing all nine essentials together.

Baniel includes a couple of useful movement exercises in each chapter and dozens of examples that make the reading easy. If you get this book, please let me know how it affected you.

Change for the Better -- In 3 Steps

2011-04-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Change happens to us. Sometimes change happens through us. Occasionally, we stop in the midst of change and direct it for our own purposes. Many of my clients are frustrated with changes that are happening to them. While most people hope the cause of their affliction will stop, life doesn't always work that way. What does work is to follow a process for transformation. I recently learned that this process has a name, Maslow's Four Stages of Learning.

Everyone stands dozens of times a day with little or no awareness of their posture. When we do an assessment in a structural integration session, most people are surprised to find that their toes and knees don't face forward, their pelvis is not level and, most commonly, the hips are forward of the ankles so the low back sways to counterbalance. That is an opportunity to move from the first stage of learning, Unconscious Incompetence, to the second, Conscious Incompetence.

Being aware of the problem is the first step toward having control over change and leads naturally to the third step. Conscious Competence is the ability, with awareness and concentration, to put a new skill into place, such as lining up feet and knees, dropping the pelvis to level, and bringing the hips back and chest forward. People are pleased to gain tools that give them some control over their symptoms, such as standing or sitting in alignment, using the core to protect the low back, or adding fluid movements to counteract repetitive motions. But these new behaviors take time to develop and the body-mind reverts easily to the unconscious pattern that created the problem in the first place. A client told me of a conversation overhead in her physical therapist's office of another patient who was discussing his shoulder problem. He was frustrated when he frequently fell back into old movement patterns that exacerbated his shoulder injury. This is true for everyone in this stage.

After the elation of the first couple of sessions, most clients want to know, "When will my new posture become automatic?" It takes much practice in the Conscious Competence phase to get to the fourth, Unconscious Competence. Repetition is necessary and reminders are helpful, one reason why I give the little movement homework handouts at the end of most sessions. For myself, I also use sticky notes, like "Sit Bones" on the computer or "Balance" on the bathroom mirror.

Most powerful of all is to demonstrate and explain the new skill to someone else. I implore clients to teach their children how to sit in alignment, to help their kids and to strengthen their own kids and to strengthen their own competence. Eventually, one will notice that they are in alignment without any effort - a cause for celebration! Then it happens more often. The old patterns return sometimes and that's OK, because we have the tools to bring about change for the better.

Article #200

2011-03-26T12:52:00.001-07:00

Since I started this blog in July 2007, I have posted 199 articles. This is number 200. My goal has been to offer doable ideas for staying healthy with a focus on modern-day physical fitness. Doable means being able to incorporate them into your everyday life and beneficial for anyone regardless of the physical condition. The complex nature of the body and its connection to the mind and spirit makes this a limitless subject. I try to sort through the ideas and offer them in short, entertaining segments.

There are recurring themes in this blog, ideas that bear repeating, such as:

Stay within your personal abilities to avoid injury
The cultural “push your limits” belief often results in strained muscles and ineffective compensation patterns. I love Nike’s slogan “Just Do It.” But that doesn’t mean that you have to do a marathon or lift all the weights in the gym. Just do whatever you do regularly do and you’ll naturally progress.

Add variety to your routine
This is especially important if you spend most of your day in repetitive tasks, like driving or computing or bodywork. Of course, I believe undulation is a silver bullet, a way to easily undo the strain of stillness and overuse. A client suggested that I include an “Exercise of the Month,” which I’ve done since July 2009. From undulations to relaxations to core strengthening, each month offers a quick and easy way to add variety to your fitness.

Mind, body and spirit are connected
Your attitude toward your body makes a difference in how much pleasure or pain you experience. Playfulness and compassion are better companions than rigid obligations and punishment. Trudging through exercise or work, although sometimes necessary, creates patterns of tension that can be harmful in the long run. Joyful activities create ease and are just as effective at increasing strength.

I hope that the ideas I present will help you live more comfortably in your body. I invite you to offer suggestions for future articles or share techniques that have worked for you.

Single Leg Stance - Exercise of the Month

2011-03-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Staying strong enough to stand on one leg sounds easy, but the hip stabilizers on most adults (who sit most of the day) are too weak to do this without compensation. The answer is to stand on one leg in alignment every day. Build it into your routine, like when brushing your teeth or waiting for the computer to start up.

Stand tall and transfer your weight from both feet to one, without shifting your hip more than an inch to that side. I recommend holding onto a chair, counter or wall to start. Watch for and eliminate any of the following compensations.

Do not let your hip sway far to the side. Keep your side and rear muscles engaged so your hip does not jut to the side. Also, do not lift or drop one side of the pelvis as shown below. Your core muscles are required to keep your pelvis level.

If you can maintain balance on one leg without lifting or shifting your pelvis, let go with your hand and maintain the single leg stance building up to a minute or more. If you can’t maintain the balance without holding on, gradually reduce the number of fingers that touch the base of support.

By the way, the beautiful model in the photos is Tori, my new assistant. She is enthusiastic about structural integration, very pleasant and capable, and, obviously, a good sport.

Weak Hips Lead to Back Pain

2011-03-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Many people – especially women – have an embarrassing secret. Most don’t know this about themselves until the situation is desperate, until the consequences are dire, until it is almost too late to correct the problem. The secret is this. Their hips are not strong enough to carry their body weight.

It seems like an overnight phenomenon: a sudden, unexplained occurrence of back pain. But the conditions have been building, unnoticed for years. After age 35, our muscles turn to fat at the rate of about 1% a year in a process called sarcopenia. As we get older, we also tend to add pounds. The muscles that stabilize the hips get weaker and weaker, the body adds unconscious compensations, until eventually the back muscles that have been substituting finally give up. The only solution is to rebuild the strength of the hip stabilizers, usually starting from square one, a long and tedious process.

I encourage you to prevent this problem in your own body. Appreciate a strong, well-endowed touché. Start early and exercise often to build your bum. (In other words, it might be better if your rear was bigger.)

One of the easiest ways to learn if you have developed destructive compensation patterns is to observe yourself in a single leg stance. This exercise also builds balanced strength around the hips. I’ll give step-by-step instructions for a Single Leg Stance, as the Exercise of the Month, in my next blog post. You’ll also get to meet my new assistant, Tori, who will model correct single-leg posture and demonstrate ineffective patterns. Stay tuned.

Low-Tech, Do-It-Yourself Massage

2011-02-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

When it's been extra stressful or extra cold, after heavy exercise or a day of non-stop yard work, sometimes your back just wants a massage. While no appointment massage centers are popping up all over and it's nice to be pampered, you can give yourself a massage.

Step One: Take two tennis or racquet balls, put them in a nylon stocking with a knot between them and another knot to hold them in.
Step Two: Lie down on the tennis balls under your upper back just inside the tops of your shoulder blades with each tennis ball on either side of your spine. Bend your knees so your feet are on the floor. Place a pillow under your neck if needed.
Step Three: Gently roll so the balls slowly slide down your back only as far as your midback. Do not roll the balls under your low back.
Step Four: Roll off the ball carefully and repeat as needed.

If you don't have tennis balls, you can get a similar effect with the Back Massage undulation, but this takes more core muscles.
1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor.
2. Press your tailbone to the floor then release.
3. Press your right hip to the floor then release. Then press your left hip to the floor and release.
4. Progress up your back about two inches at a time; press one side down and then the other, resting in between.
5. When you get to the top of your shoulder blades, go back to get any spots that feel missed.

Undulation for Asymmetry

2011-02-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

No one is completely symmetrical. Because we are right-handed (or left-handed), because our organs are slightly off-center, because we develop movement habits that favor one side, most people find it easier to rotate one way than the other. The following undulation is taught by Ilona Lord. Follow Ilona's easy movements to create more balance around your spine.

Nine Things I Learned From The Pain Chronicles

2011-02-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

Pain is the body’s way of grabbing the mind’s attention and demanding action. For short-term situations, this relationship works well. But when pain lasts for weeks, months or even years, the ability to take action is overwhelmed and confused by the failure of remedy after remedy. The Pain Chronicles by Melanie Thernstrom is beautifully written and explains the latest analgesic research in everything from medicines to genetic disposition to brain scans. It offers invaluable options for anyone who struggles with chronic pain.

The following summarizes the most insightful and newsworthy topics from the book. I invite you to join me for a book club discussion of The Pain Chronicles on Wednesday, February 23rd from 5:00 to 6:45 at the King County Library Administrative Service Center.

1.
Damage to pain circuitry results in greater pain. While acute pain is a protection sign, ongoing distress can create a new disorder in the body’s pain-modulating system. Nerves that have been transmitting ongoing pain messages can amplify the signal, shouting when only a whisper is needed. Also, damaged sensory nerves may not repair optimally and then fire haphazardly. The longer pain lasts, the more likely the pain-modulating system will be damaged – including aging of the brain.

2.
Pain relief improves healing. In other words, toughing it out through an injury doesn’t improve your chances for recovery. The most dramatic example is when anesthesia was first introduced for surgery. Patients who had took advantage of the advance (or more accurately, patients whose surgeons offered this alternative) tripled their chances of surviving the surgery.

3.
The power of the mind to mitigate pain has been potent enough to mimic anesthesia for patients. Franz Mesmer, a German physician in the middle 1800s, successfully hypnotized over a hundred patients to feel no pain during surgery. (This is where the word mesmerize comes from.) Acupuncture is sometimes used for anesthesia in China and its success can be attributed to patients’ belief as well as its effect on the energetic channels. Like the placebo, mind control over pain requires the patient’s desire to be healed and belief in the person administering the treatment.

4.
The relationship between the client/patient and her provider has as much to do with the possibility for recovery as the treatment. Patients who believe that their provider is personally invested and will do everything to help them are more likely to believe in and follow the treatment, which increases its chances of success. Likewise, having a partner who is supportive aids the chances of healing, while a partner who is dismissive gets in the way.

5.
One of the many difference between male and female brains affects how their brains mitigate pain. Receptors on brain cells determine how well opioids such as codeine and morphine work. Men respond better to medicines that target mu receptors. Women respond better to medicines that target kappa receptors. Most opioids currently on the market target mu receptors.

6.
Side effects of the War on Drugs create an underuse of the most effective pain-relief medications. Physicians are concerned about prescribing opioid medicines, which leaves some people under-treated. Patients are concerned about becoming addicted, which reduces their compliance and diminishes the pain relief. There is a difference between being physically dependent on a drug (which occurs for everyone with opioids) and being addicted (which occurs only for a small percentage of people who take these drugs). Also, while concern over opioid use is rampant, long-term use of anti-inflammatories and acetometaphine can actually produce more harm to the body, as they damage the stomach and liver.

7.
Serotonin is an important hormone that regulates both mood and pain, facilitating the brain’s ability to modulate sensation. Chronic pain consumes serotonin like a sponge soaks up water. Not surprisingly, depression is a common consequence of chronic pain. Research shows that depression is the result of pain much more often than depression causes pain, and the level of depression correlates to the degree of pain.

8.
A common treatment for fibromyalgia could be helpful for many more people. Gentle stretching in a warm shower for 20 minutes at a time, twice a day, can relieve tension and small muscles aches. Like pain that gathers cumulatively, this treatment diminishes tension gradually.

9.
A theme arose over and over again through The Pain Chronicles and although I already had witnessed it in my practice Thernstrom explained why it is so. Two people can have the same illness, the same pain, but experience a different level of suffering. One factor is brain chemistry. Dopamine, a chemical that is associated with feelings of love, diminishes pain. A study showed that people in love were less bothered by the same stimuli than their not-in-love counterparts. Also, frequency of pain is associated with the emotional state of the patient.

The most destructive pain undermines the person’s sense of self. Catastrophizing thoughts (“I’ve always been in pain; This will never stop; This pain keeps me from living my life.”) actually increases activity in the pain-sensing part of the brain. Arthur Kleinman, a medical anthropologist, suggests an alternative that has been shown to decrease activity in the pain brain. Creating . . . “an illness narrative that will make sense of and give value to the experience.”

How You Can Hurt Yourself in Bed

2011-01-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

A mysterious ache crept into my neck and head as I slept. The pain lasted three days and nights, travelled down my arm, and impaired my right hand. How could something as innocuous as sleep summon a horrible headache and weak wrist? Or was another bedtime activity the cause?

Upon reflection, I realize that Paul Theroux is to blame. I’ve been reading Ghost Train to the Eastern Star each night, lying on my back with an extra pillow propped under my head and one under my knees. The compelling story and mellifluous writing have kept me up late many nights in a position that strained my upper spine. (I realize that the extra pillow is really to blame, not Theroux.)

Injuries are quite common when we get lost in our head (or in a book or watching TV), only peripherally aware of our bodies. The answer is to use the best possible ergonomics when involved in risky activities like reading in bed or working at a computer. I’ve piled up more pillows to create a back rest so I now read more upright. It also keeps me from reading for too long.

Pillows can cause neck pain when we’re fast asleep, too. A pillow that is too tall overstretches muscles and ligaments. A pillow that is too flat causes the muscles on the up-side of the neck to contract for hours. The answer is to adjust the pillow height to match your neck, and the sleeping on your right side might require a different pillow than sleeping on your left or on your back. My pillow has a different height on each side. The hard part is remembering to turn it when I roll over at night.

If you wake up with a headache or neck pain, evaluate your pillows and bedtime activities. A little investigation will help you troubleshoot the problem. Hopefully the solution will occur to you a little faster than it did to me.

Exercise of the Month: Arm Circles

2011-01-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

The body needs a variety of exercise to stay healthy. Strength training for the muscles and cardio for the heart and lungs are the most popular. Your body needs range of motion exercises as well to keep your joints and connective tissue flexible. This month’s featured exercise is for your shoulders.

Arm Circles
Caution: Watch the tendency to turn this into a strength or bigger-is-better exercise. The purpose is to move within your absolutely and completely pain-free, symptom-free range.

1. Start with your right arm. Moving your hand away from and then a little behind your torso, make easy circles with your arm, pivoting at the shoulder joint.

2. Slowly make the circles bigger, gradually growing to as far in front, over
the shoulder, and behind you as you can with absolutely no pain, twinges or tingling in your hand, arm, shoulder, or neck.

3. If your shoulder clunks, slow down and change the motion to avoid the noise. I think it helps to rotate the arm as you circle it, so your thumb points up as your arm moves up, thumb points back as your arm moves back, and thumb points down as it circles to your side.

4. Repeat with the other arm.

This is first and foremost an awareness exercise, learning to stay in your injury-free range. It also improves motion within the joint and the condition of your rotator cuff. Think of it like distributing oil through a hinge, each round getting a little smoother. The intention is to do just enough “reps” to loosen the range of motion a little, so the next time (maybe the next day?) you try it, the circles will be a little larger. If your shoulder tightens, you’ve done too many or the circles were too big.

Reader's Favorites

2010-12-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

I often wonder if what I write in my blog is making an impact on anyone or if it is just a means for me to transfer information out of my head and practice my writing skills. So I took a poll of my blog subscribers and asked for their favorite articles. I'm glad to have received a response! Here are the top five.

Doing Dishes Can Be Hard on Your Health
A tongue in cheek look at how common household chores can cause unsuspected injuries.

Standing Alignment, Exercise of the Month
Those of us who teach standing alignment, like my belly dance teacher Aleili, can feel like a broken record repeating and repeating the hows and whys of standing tall. However, standing alignment is the base of all movement.

A New Twist on Everyday Exercise: Fun!
This post features a video from TheFunTheory.com that shows how people choose exercise when it's pleasurable, like the piano stairs installed in this subway.

Fascia Refresher
Fascia is near and dear to my heart. How good to know that more people are finding it fascia-nating.

5 Ways to Stop a Pain Cycle
This article was the most researched and informative article of 2010. It is required reading for my clients with chronic pain.

I have to admit that my list of favorite articles is quite long. In looking back through the year, I realize that I like what I write about and am glad others do, too. I already have a slate of articles planned for 2011, but if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

2010 Blog Posts

2010-12-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Slow Down to Do More

2010-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

My to-do list is 21 items long today. When I think about my list, my breath quickens and body tenses like a jittery racehorse aiming for the finish line. I can spend an entire day – nay, sometimes a week – in this mode. But I’ve learned to notice the warning signs: shoulders lifted toward the ears, breath too shallow to notice, body too held to relax, disconnection from my surroundings. When I am aware, I can quickly transform to a more calm state by changing the focus to my internal environment.

First I notice my breath. Without any attempt to change it, I just notice where it is constricted. For a moment, I don’t have to DO anything since breath expands with simple attention. To enhance the effect, I take several full, deep breaths, immersing myself in the act of drawing in energy and releasing unwanted tension from every part, every cell in my body. I follow the swell of inhale from ribcage to toes and the discharge of negativity as it flows up and out through my nose.

Then I tune into the many other internal rhythms. Heartbeat, digestion, craniosacral, lymph flow. Slowing down to sense the subtle – even when I can’t feel it, even when I just imagine the rhythm of cerebrospinal fluid pulsing around the brain and spinal cord, even when my brain is crying that this is nonsense, we have work to do – I get in touch with my internal resources and less attached to the tension in my external muscles. I lose rigidity and gain sway.

Refreshed, I see the to-do list with new eyes. It is no longer an endurance race fueled by nerves and a whip. I am in the flow of accomplishment, handling tasks with finesse and ease. When I lose the flow, I simply need to slow down and rediscover it inside myself.

Exercise of the Month: Legs Up the Wall Pose

2010-12-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Our bodies are naturally in-tune with the seasons; during winter we need to give ourselves the opportunity to store energy like a tulip bulb, absorb nutrients like an acorn, and be less active during the day like the sun. Try Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani in Sanskrit) when you feel like you need a 20 minute nap, but only have 5 minutes or when you need a 2 hour nap, but only have 20 minutes. It is also a great way to wind down from a hectic day to give yourself more restful sleep.

The only tricky part is how to get into this. Sit next to the wall as close as you can with one side of your body touching from hip to shoulder. Swing your legs up as you turn and bring your upper body and head to the floor.

There are several variations that you can try to find the one most comfortable for you.
1) The easiest, but not necessarily the best, is to simply lie down with your hips directly on the floor and touching the wall. Use a rolled up blanket or pillow to support your neck if needed.
2) If this pulls on your hamstrings (remember the idea isn't to stretch, but to relax), then you are better off with "Legs on a Chair Pose," otherwise known as the Constructive Rest Position. It's not a coincidence that I chose that for the Exercise of the Month last December.
3) Although it's a little more work to set up and get into, the full version of Viparita Karani involves lying with the low back on a folded blanket or bolster so the hips are raised. This allows the chest and vertebrae of the low back to open more fully.
4) Rest with your arms at your sides, palms up if that is comfortable for your neck and back.
5) If you put a yoga strap or belt around your thighs, you can let go of more tension in your legs and hips. This is also a necessity for anyone with sacrum issues.
6) As shown above, a sandbag balanced on the feet provides extra grounding and relaxation. It's hard to put it there yourself though and usually requires a helping hand.

To come out of this pose, bring your knees to your chest and take a few breaths before rolling over (carefully) on to your side.

Gutsy Health Moves

2010-12-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

This article is excerpted from my Keeping in Touch Newsletter.
As beneficial and effective as it is, Hellerwork Structural Integration cannot resolve every type of musculoskeletal pain. Even though the holistic approach of Hellerwork encompasses the relationship of body, mind and spirit, the source of dysfunction can be more systemic. Several clients have had breakthroughs in their pain by turning their attention to their guts. This is the story of their successes.

A healthy diet is imperative for anyone with pain or injury. Lack of Vitamins B and C and folic acid perpetuate trigger points, but these are not the only vitamins needed. One client had nagging upper back and shoulder pain. Hellerwork helped, but the pain returned with activity. A physical exam in August revealed that she was severely deficient in Vitamin D, even after spending every summer day outside wearing shorts and tank tops in the year we had record-breaking sunny days. After a week of Vitamin D supplements, she was pain free. Another client’s pain diminished after receiving Vitamin B12 injections.

Minerals play an important role, too. Magnesium and potassium supplements relieve muscle cramping and soreness. But if digestion is poor, nutrients aren’t absorbed by the body. That’s one reason I give clients a combination of Epsom and Dead Sea salts; in a bath, they penetrate the skin directly into muscles and connective tissue.

Enzymes can also be taken as supplements with good results. Digestive enzymes help the small intestine break down food so the large intestine can better absorb the sustaining elements and expel waste. Enzymes are also essential for muscle action. One client gained control over her muscle soreness after trying an enzyme combination product recommended by a friend.

A complex chemical balance is required for optimal physical function and improper inputs can create havoc. Food sensitivities cause the intestines to leak digestive waste, which accumulates in the body and burdens muscles and organs. Reactions to food are completely individual. I have difficulty with soy, dairy and gluten. A colleague achieves optimal athletic performance when she avoids all starches. A client has muscle pain if she eats broccoli or potatoes. (Believe it or not, she is as sad about not eating broccoli as I am about not eating bread.)

Many dietary factors affect muscular health. Processed foods lack antioxidants needed for cell regeneration. Food sensitivities put digestive waste into the blood stream and outside the muscles. Vitamin deficiencies deplete general energy levels, upset chemical balance, and deprive muscle cells of vital nutrients. How do you know what strategy works best for you? I recommend consulting with a professional who specializes in digestive issues to create a plan based on your symptoms. We are fortunate to have many qualified, naturopathic doctors, nutritionists, and even chiropractors who have extra training in nutritional healing available locally.

Book Review – Mudras: Ancient Gestures to Ease Modern Stress

2010-11-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

When I am particularly impatient or stressed, I touch the tips of my thumbs and middle fingers together in a circle and relax my other fingers. While navigating a voice mail menu maze, standing in line at the Issaquah post office, or stuck in a traffic jam, this hand gesture (also called a mudra) keeps me from lashing out and facilitates the deep breaths I need for calm. Emily Fuller Williams’ new book, Mudras: Ancient Gestures to Ease Modern Stress is an easy-to-use guide for mudras that release, relax, restore, recharge, reframe thinking, and refresh the mind.

Hand gestures are often used to enhance a state of being. “Hang loose” comes naturally when in Hawaii just as making a fist does when angry. And, they are powerful and fast-acting. While a clenched hand can intensify irritation, you can use the same idea to create a more peaceful state of mind for yourself. The author suggests holding the mudra for three minutes, but I find a shift in just a minute.

Of the 20 individual mudras included in this book, my current favorite is to release chaos by pulling on my ear lobes. While it doesn’t magically clean up the disorder around me, it does help me to see a clear path through the clutter. Others gestures in the book show how to release jaw tension, chase away sadness, and increase confidence.

You can buy a copy direct from the publisher, Parenting Press.

Move Past Self-Consciousness

2010-10-28T10:57:00.001-07:00

In one of my favorite episodes of Friends, Phoebe embarasses Rachel by running with wild abandon, arms and legs flailing with joy.

Rachel is too self-conscious to be stared at and avoids Phoebe, until one day she decides to try it herself. "This feels great. I feel so free so graceful," Rachel concludes.

There are so many things that are good for us that we don't do, because we are too self-conscious. Simply stretching at work or undulating on a bus would make a world of difference in our physical comfort. Think of it this way. If more of us were willing to enjoy the free movement of childhood on a regular basis, it wouldn't be so weird.

Pacing

2010-10-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I ran the Salmon Days 5K Fun Run sponsored by the Rotary Club of Issaquah. Jogging, a personal challenge for me, has been a lesson in many areas. Most importantly, it is teaching me to pace myself, which I need more and more as I get older.

I took three short walking breaks, but ran most of the way. In my definition, the word “run” encompasses the wide range of movement that is faster than speed walking. I run/jog on the slow end of the spectrum. Others are swifter. For example, just a few minutes after the 5K started the 10K winners were sprinting toward the finish line.

If I had been able to jog the entire way, I would have met both my goals: 1) keep one, consistent pace, and 2) to finish in 32:00. Instead my time was 33.27. Still, not too bad, all things considered. My jogging partner, Kristy, was able to go the entire distance. Congratulations, Kristy!

This has been a long lesson in pacing. I first entered the Salmon Days Run in 2007 and walked half and jogged half. The following year, I was sure I could avoid walking. Nope. Not the next year or this year either. As I plan for the 2011 run, I figure I have a few pacing options.

1. Increase my jogging practice from once a week to twice a week.
2. Keep jogging through the cold, rainy winter months. (I usually start in April or May.) An idea: if I entered another 5K in June, I’d have incentive to keep training.
3. Jog slower from the start of the “race.”
4. Accept walking for part as my destiny.

Post Script. My friends who know how much I hate to jog always ask why I do it. Partly, it’s because aerobics are my weakest fitness link so I know I need it. Also, jogging is free and flexible, no gym membership or class time to keep. Mostly though, it is because I advise my clients to do things that they hate to do, like stretching or undulating or exercising at all. I try to not be a hypocrite.

Exercise of the Month: Bridge Pose or Pelvic Lift

2010-09-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Your core and your low back depend on a close relationship. Use a Pelvic Lift (also called Half Bridge) to traction your low back (which feels great!) and train your core to protect your spine.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, with a few inches between your knees and feet so they are lined up with your hip sockets.
Press your feet into the floor. Refer to the Engage Your Core Through Your Feet exercise to be sure that you are using the entire span of each foot.
As your footprints deepen into the floor, move your knees away from your face.
The focus is on pressing down and away so the lift comes as a natural result. Do not contract your buttocks to press up from below.
Hover or continue to lift up vertebra by vertebra into full bridge.
Come down slowly and consciously with the continued emphasis on pressing down into your feet, moving your knees away from from your torso, and keeping your tailbone lifted toward the ceiling until the very last moment when your weight is back on the ground.

Book Review: Align for Life

2010-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

A structural integration (SI) series is a profound experience, like a journey to a fascinating locale. When taking a trip, it’s useful to have a guide who can help you explore and understand the territory. For anyone who is going through, has been through, or is thinking about a SI series, Align for Life by Dan Bienenfeld is a trusted companion that will enrich your experience.

The first 45 pages of this book provide an overview of the series, giving preparation for your expedition into self-discovery. Then there is a session-by-session elucidation of the alignment issues, movement lessons, and emotional awareness.

It’s impossible to include every promising movement lesson in a 75 or 90-minute session. Align for Life provides the depth of multiple movement lessons and the bonus of self bodywork techniques that further empower the client to independently get results. I am reminded of something significant every time I open this book. For example, I just remembered to release my own pecs (that’s pectoralis majors) in six breaths.

Our relationship to our bodies is as entwined as our fascial network. It may be difficult to investigate the many facets of interconnection during a session, but this book is a resource for self-exploration. Here’s an example from the section on session two.
Try out the following perspectives so that you feel the sensations and how
your structure shifts.
Walking on egg shells
Standing in fear
Standing alone
Standing up for myself

Sometimes my clients say, “I want to take you home with me.” I’m sure they don’t want another mouth to feed, but what they would like is a reminder to stay “in line.” Dan Bienenfeld is a human movement and potential expert. I highly recommend that you take his book home with you. You’ll be empowered to be integrated and aligned for life.

Flip Flop Fiasco

2010-08-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

It's August and finally warm in Seattle. Flip flops are out in numbers, ruining feet left and right. Much to the chagrin of my clients, I can't help but give a lecture whenever I see flip flops. (I do restrain myself in public and try to turn a blind eye to the foot destruction walking by me.)

People look at me in disbelief, down at their presumably-innocent flip flops then back at me as if I'm joking or crazy. What could be the harm in those so comfortable, flexible plastic pads? Give me a minute to tell you how flimsy footwear not only is bad for your feet, but also for your breathing, your hips, and general state of tension.

If a shoe is not held on your foot by a strap around the heel, your foot or toes must grip so the sole continues along the ground with your foot. "I don't feel any gripping," most people tell me. That's because your feet are so used to that level of tension, it seems normal. After my feet were released in a Structural Integration session, I could feel how much muscular effort it took to hold on flimsy shoes.

Flip flops symbolize laid-back relaxation. Ironically, wearing them creates the opposite effect in your body. Gripping feet and toes cause tension in the pelvic floor, which signals the body to stay on alert and creates shallow breathing. An inflexible foot limits movement in the hip above and adds pressure in the hip joint.

It's too bad that we just can't run around barefoot. That's what's best. Flip flops feel the closest to barefoot, hence their popularity. In reality though, they start a chain reaction of tension that builds up and compromises the entire body.

While I recommend throwing away all flip flops (sorry landfills!), I realize they can be handy to walk to the pool or to keep freshly polished toenails from scuffing. Just don't wear them all day. Or if you do, be prepared to release the tension they cause.

Doing Dishes Can Be Hard on Your Health

2010-08-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Yard work is often the cause of back injuries, but house work can be just as dangerous. Take the dishes for example. There are four different ways you can hurt your back doing dishes. Learn how to prevent these “on the non-paying job” injuries and the subsequent, aggravating pain that seems to come from nowhere.

Dishes Vulnerability #1
When you lean forward with arms in the sink, you’re asking your latissimus dorsi to work when it’s stretched and that makes it weak. If you stay too long in that position, you risk straining the muscle or having your connective tissue harden around it. Take frequent breaks to step away from the sink and undulate for several seconds, especially after lifting heavy pots or anything medium-sized filled with water.

Unloading the dishwasher can be just as dangerous as doing dishes by hand. Even though it’s not as static as standing at a sink, there’s more bending forward involved, especially when taking dishes out of the bottom rack, which poses two risks.

Dishes Vulnerability #2
The ligaments that hold your vertebrae together can stretch only a tiny bit. When the spine bends for extended periods, the ligaments can get microtears, which are extremely painful. The answer is to counterbalance the stretch on the back of the spine with control in the front of the body. When you engage your transverse abdominis (the inner corset as described by New Rules of Posture author Mary Bond), you add strength to the muscles and ligaments around your spine. Learn how to engage your transverse abdominis in this article.

Dishes Vulnerability #3
Just as hazardous as bending forward is standing back up. Many people bend forward at the hips, but arch the low back to return upright. This puts tremendous pressure on the spinal discs. The most functional way is to connect to your feet and use your legs and hip to stand up rather than depending on the back muscles. If you have problems with this, hold onto to your tush when you bend over to remind yourself to engage your glutes.

Dishes Vulnerability #4
Putting dishes away in lower cabinets often requires unique bending and twisting that rivals the most advanced yoga pose. This can cause in a crick in the neck, shoulder or back. The answer is to squat down rather than bending over. It’s also a good idea to use two hands rather than one to keep the body in better alignment.

Protect yourself from the hazards of doing the dishes with careful attention to good body mechanics. Not only will you avoid unexpected and unnecessary injuries, you will develop the habit of using your core every day.

Exercise of the Month: Engage Your Core Through Your Feet

2010-08-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that exercising your core is important, but finding the elusive core isn't easy. How do you know when you're strengthening your core or if you're working on something else? This simple exercise will show you if you are on target or missing the mark.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet comfortably close to your buttocks.
Push down through your feet to push yourself “up,” as if you were getting “taller.”
Push with your heels only and notice how the line of force travels up the back of your legs and hips. This is the chain of muscles that most people use most often, and it's not the core.
Push with the balls of your feet and notice how the line of force travels through the inside of your legs and up the front of your hips and spine. This is getting closer to the core.
Push equally with the balls of your feet and your heels. Notice how much is on the inside and how much is on the outside arches.
Push evenly with your heels and balls with 60% weight on the inside arch, 40% outside.

Now that you've found your core, notice how you can engage it through your feet in many activities. You can use your core in something as simple as sitting in a chair (notice where the weight is in your feet) or in various exercises like Pilates and weight-lifting. This is also the foundation to the Relax & Flow Undulation.

DVD Review - Yoga Link: Core Integration

2010-07-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

To be honest, the reason I purchased Yoga Link: Core Integration a Total Abdominal Awakening wasn’t because I wanted to strengthen my abs. It was because it promised an extra feature of a Spinal Undulation. I was curious about how Jill Miller demonstrates undulation. In the typical fashion of not finding what you are looking for, I went through the entire DVD before I found spinal undulation in the core extra segment. However, I was delighted to see that undulations were included in the practice and thoroughly enjoyed the entire sequence.

If you follow the menu, you’ll start with a breathing primer after the short introduction. Miller’s method of describing yoga breathing and her ability to explain why it is foundational to practice are exceptionally well done. This segment is as valuable for advanced yogis as for beginning students.

Next on the menu is the Core Integration Workshop, in which each asana is explained in detail. If you are new to yoga or don’t feel confident in your core, then it is worthwhile to learn each piece of the practice as Miller leads you through each part of the abdominal core and how it is used in the practice. The instruction is complete including a warm up, the diaphragm and pelvic floor, rectus abdominis and obliques (which are technically not part of the core, but important to get moving so the underlying core can activate), the transverse abdominis, psoas, and total integration.

She teaches a version of Happy Baby in the warm up segment with undulations of arms and legs. I find this a wonderful way to gently activate the core, similar to my Waking Spider, which has now been renamed Blooming Lotus. There are also lovely undulations in the locust sequence.

All of the poses are available to beginners, although several progress to an advanced level. In the leg lifts and side winding sequences, I was not able to do the most advanced poses, although as I continue with practice and strengthen my core, I will eventually be able to complete every one.

Now that I’ve been through the whole DVD, I simply use the Core Integration Practice for a one hour morning practice. I’m pleased to have a yoga practice designed by someone else that includes undulations.

Speaking of the Spinal Undulation, which is the Core Extras, Miller demonstrates a version of Cat and Cow where the movement travels sequentially through the spine. Although I do think undulations are better experienced from internal experience rather than trying to duplicate another person’s movement, in this case I find Miller’s description and demonstration to be a useful aid.

Whether you are interested in strengthening your core, deepening your yoga practice, or adding undulation to yoga, this DVD has something to offer.

Fascia Refresher

2010-07-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

I recently took a workshop to learn how to release the connective tissue around internal organs. The duodenum* was one of the organs we studied. I had never heard of a doo-ah-de-what before. This organ is between the stomach and small intestine and is a major source of my own digestive problems.

Many people are unaware they have fascia, even though it is a source of their aches and pains. We know about muscles, bones, organs and nerves, but aren’t taught about the tissue that holds it all together. As a client you may already know about fascia, but it never hurts to get a fascia-nating refresher.

Fascia wraps every muscle, bone, organ, nerve, and blood vessel and holds the body together. It doesn't just wrap around muscles, but also wraps the fibers within the muscle. It creates a three-dimensional web of support that facilitates — or inhibits — your ability to function and move.

Also called connective tissue, fascia is comprised of a gel-like substance that suspends fibers and cells. Healthy fascia is slippery, like freshly made Jello® so muscles and organs can glide easily, The gel of unhealthy fascia is dense and sticky, like Jello® that’s been in the fridge for a month or even Elmer’s Glue®. To keep the glide in your gel, move fluidly throughout your body every day, especially after being still or tense.

Collagen and elastin fibers give fascia its shape and structure. The fibers line up based on lines of force in the body. Repetitive motion, overuse, and injury cause the fibers to become disorganized, which prevents smooth movement. If your hamstrings are tight, it might not be because they are over-contracted. It might be because they are encased in fibers that line up at cross purposes with the direction the muscle needs to move.

Most people think the answer is to stretch, but that runs the risk of creating micro-tears in the tissue, which get repaired with even less organized scar tissue. If you stretch and it burns, you are creating micro-tears. The best time to stretch is after activities like running, gardening, and biking. The fibers align more easily when muscles are warm. Or participate in activities that stretch while the muscles are being contracted, as in yoga or some martial arts.

The condition of your fascia is important, because it communicates between and coordinates muscular actions. You have more efficiency and ease of motion when the gel is healthy and fibers aligned. By the way, Hellerwork Structural Integration is helpful on both accounts.

*Technically, the duodenum is the first part of the small intestine, which is why I didn’t know it by name. We considered it separately from the small intestine, because it is in a different compartment

Fascinating, Fascia-nating Fascia

2010-06-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

When thinking about health, most people consider their digestion, bones, heart and other muscles. Few consider their fascia, after all most people don't even know what fascia is. Fascia is the organ of structure, the connective substance that holds muscles, bones, organs, and everything in the body together.

Finally fascia is getting its due.

A recent article in Men's Health entitled "Everything You Know About Muscle is Wrong" describes how the inner, interconnected web is as important as muscle to fitness, athletic performance and pain-free living. Fascia creates the bounce and resiliency that we associate with youthful movements. It also can ingrain our ineffective postural habits, which causes strain and stiffness.

So how do you keep your fascia healthy?

In the article, Steve Maxwell, a former Jiu Jitsu world champ and current personal trainer, recommends exercise that uses balance, ROM, being fluid, and elastic recoil. Think of the activities you enjoyed as a child, those that use your whole body and are playful.

Even though we may not be able to jump like we did as children, we can bounce and swing. One of exercises recommended in the article is the exercise of the month, which is highlighted in this blog's previous article.

What do you do to keep your fascia healthy?

Exercise of the Month: Squats

2010-06-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Squats or Chair Pose (utkatasana) in yoga are so good for you, that I recommend doing some every day. Not only do they strengthen and stretch muscles, they are good for your cardiovascular system and also line up your digestive tract.

Here's a variation that helps keep the spring in your step.

CAUTION: Only squat as far as you can without any pain. If you have knee problems, check with your health care provider to see if this is appropriate for you.

Stand with your feet hip width apart or a little wider and your toes pointing straight ahead.
Sit down and back with your spine straight and low back long, Move slowly as you sit back so you can focus on your alignment.
Keep your knees in line with your toes and don't let them go forward of your toes. Concentrate on keeping your hips back more than your knees forward.
As soon as you reach your comfortable deepest squat, press evenly into both feet and stand up quickly.

The more frequently you do squats, the deeper you will be able to go, eventually being able to sit back on your heels.

Body Rolling Book Review

2010-05-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

A new client told me about Body Rolling, she used it when she wanted to work on her own muscles and connective tissue. I had heard of using a foam roller, but this is different and less painful. The Ultimate Body Rolling Workout by Yamuna Zake and Stephanie Golden shows how to roll on a ball to release your back, hamstrings (heavenly!), neck, chest, abdomen, pretty much anywhere you feel tight. More importantly, the author focuses on creating alignment with the routines so you stand taller and straighter.

It uses a soft ball, like the ones you buy at a toy store not fully inflated (the frog ball above was a fun find that I use regularly), or you can purchase specially made balls from the Body Rolling company.

I had been rolling on a ball to work the tight spots out of my arms -- after all I can't see a structural integrator every week -- and the principle is the same. It's also similar to undulation in that your body is moving slowly and developing internal awareness. The difference is that your body weight creates more the resistance against the ball.

Body Rolling requires more flexibility and range of motion that most undulations and it includes the arms and legs, while undulation focuses more on the spine. I think this is a good next-step if you like undulations and want to go deeper. The author also has another book that is more technical and written for bodyworkers and manual therapists.

Spontaneous Motion

2010-05-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

In the opening keynote presentation at the 2010 International Association of Structural Integrator's Symposium, Michael Salveson noted that the body works best when joints are in their neutral position, that is when all forces on the joint are equal. In this video, you can see people demonstrating undulations where they are exploring the movement of their spinal joints and helping create more balanced, neutral positioning and range of motion.

Michael also noted that in the Daoist traditions (Chinese medical arts), the joins is a resevoir of chi (energy). When a joint is weak or injured, it borrows chi (energy) from nearby joints.

The spine has 125 joints. As the central pillar of the body, its range of motion (or lack thereof) determines the ease with which a person can move. Try some of these undulations to create more chi in your spine.

Exercise of the Month: Standing Alignment

2010-05-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

Can standing in good alignment really be considered an exercise? Actually, it's an important habit to develop with daily practice. Good posture isn't just to look good, it balances all joints of the body so you can move with ease and comfort. Additionally, being in line helps you make better decisions.

Research done at the University of Aberdeen as reported in the New York Times article, Abstract Thoughts? The Body Takes Them Literally, notes that people who are thinking about the future lean forward and when recalling the past most people lean back. Being in alignment helps a person be present. Letting go of bad posture habits helps us make better sense of what's going on around us.

So spend a few minutes every day standing with focus on alignment of your hips over your ankles, your ribs over your hips, your cranium over your ribs with your shoulders and arms relaxed. Ground firmly to the earth below you, as though you have deep roots and draw a line of energy up your inside arches and legs, through your spine so the crown of your head subtly lifts toward the heavens. Stay in this space, the present moment, for as long as you can hold your attention here. I practice this when I'm waiting anywhere, such as when my computer is starting or when standing in line at the store or bank.

91-Year Old Yogini

2010-04-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

To what do you aspire? What do you picture yourself doing you are 91?

Tao Porchon-Lynch teaches yoga. She's quite a dancer, too. See for yourself on this CNN video. The savasana she leads her students through is quite beautiful.

These Shoes Were Made for Walking

2010-04-19T07:29:00.000-07:00

Walking can nourish the cardiovascular system, improve brain function, reduce stress, and strengthen muscles large and small. But not if the foundation of the gait, that is your shoes, isn’t up to the task.

Improper shoes create muscle tension and inhibit your stride and its effect throughout the body. How do you choose the right shoe?

Karin Edwards, a Rolfer from Portland, has written an excellent article with four simple tips for choosing shoes. They should be flexible and lightweight so you can feel the ground through the soles, with a neutral heel and wide toe box. For more details on shoes and how to walk once you’ve found the right pair, read the entire article on her website.

Give your feet the freedom of shoes that allow their full potential, then each step can spread from toe to head.

Exercise of the Month: Head Waggle

2010-04-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

You can do this exercise anytime, anywhere to release tension at the back of your neck and head. The head waggle is a side-to-side movement (not a yes or a no, but an interesting maybe) of the head on top of the neck. This video shows you how to do it and some other undulations that will make it easier.

A colleague who lived in India for a while observed this interesting culteral movement and surmises that it is the reason why Indians have more fluid structure than Americans.

A New Twist on Everyday Exercise: Fun!

2010-03-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

Bodies need to move to be healthy. Stillness creates stiffness, which is the root of many dysfunctions and diseases. So how do you build more movement into every day? Try having fun, like the Odenplan, Stockholm train station did.

Bring back the toys!! I vote for a swing set in front of every office building. What gets your vote?

Folders by Heather Denniston, DC

2010-03-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

I ran across this wonderful article in the Lifetime Wellness Chiropractic newsletter written by Heather Denniston, DC. I want to share it with you, since the message is so relevant.

FOLDERS

My husband, Brent, and I recently visited my mother in Canada. During our stay, after some rigorous shopping, I politely offered to drop the two passengers off at the door to my mother's condo complex. I went on to park my vehicle. I located a suitable spot about two blocks away. I parallel parked, which I am proud to say I am exceptionally proficient at, and hopped out, slammed the door, and sprinted back to the condo to rejoin my husband and mother for a late afternoon siesta. Siesta led to dinner, DVD and an early bedtime. The following morning, we packed up and I started on the first of several trips to the car to deposit our bags before departure. Once outside, I was approaching the vehicle thinking about the long trip home when I noticed a police officer parked along side my car. I then noticed an odd substance coming from my exhaust pipe...exhaust. This was one of those moments where you hear an audible click as all synapses collide to an irrefutable conclusion. I understood what had happened. I had left the car on for the last nineteen hours.

Before I had the opportunity to imagine the many possible outcomes of my oversight from the day before I was approached by the twelve year old Kelowna Police officer. He inquired if I was the owner of the vehicle. I replied in the affirmative and then he asked if I was Heather Denniston. (Synapses clicking fervently). How could he know who I was unless he had done an extensive national data base search? He had done an extensive national data base search. He stared at me, actually all over me looking for signs of car jacking, abduction, kidnapping, domestic dispute and I am sure several other unspeakable differential diagnosis he learned during his recent matriculation from cop school that might possibly explain why a car would be left running for an entire night with no driver inside. The officer fired a litany of questions regarding where I was staying, who I was staying with, did I know where I was, what was four times four and who is the prime minister of Canada? (The final fact I am sad to report to my countrymen I did not know.) Despite my failure to answer final jeopardy I apparently passed the examination because the adolescent, after more staring, got in his cop vehicle and drove away. The expression displayed on his face through the windshield of his cruiser was somewhere between bewilderment and disgust. I stood for a long time, my car quietly purring behind me, trying to compute how a sane woman could walk away from a car that is running.

After regaling this story to a very good friend she just looked at me with a knowing look of friendship and she patted my arm and said "folders" I said "pardon me?" she said, "Folders Heather, you have too many open at one time."

As I sat across from her over lattes, listening to her wisdom, one of those foggy questions of deep personal character suddenly become clear. Almost every goofy, absent minded thing I have done in my life, and my family has a long litany of examples they could provide, has to do with too many folders open in my brain resulting in a lack of focus on the present moment.

After my good friend brought the folder problem to my attention I have been making a concerted effort to maintain a present moment consciousness. I realized I might not be alone in trying to overcome this issue so I thought I would put together a small local list of "folder-clearing" options on the Eastside.

1) BREATH: An amazingly overrated physiologic phenomena. I recommend practicing deep breathing techniques in the following breathing-friendly locations in Issaquah.

Resources
1) On top of "Poo-Poo" Point on Tiger Mountain
2) Beaver Lake Trail
3) Eastside Meditation Group

2) STRETCH: Movement has the amazing ability to stimulate your nervous system and dramatically improve focus and brain function. Check out the following best spots to stretch.

Resources:
1) Yoga Barn
2)Village Green Yoga
3) Active Body Pilates
4) Shakti Yoga

3) ORGANIZE: Many of us have too many folders open because we have not organized our external environment. It is essential to establish practices that simplify our immediate surroundings so we don't constantly think we have to be working on everything at one time.

Resources:
1) Debbie Rosemont
2) Robin Stephens
3) Mission: Organization Strategies & Solutions to Clear Your Clutter. Author: Amy Tincher-Durik

4) HELP! If you find yourself unable to control the busyness of business in your head you may need a professional coach/counselor to help you work through all the things you are trying to manage in this season of your life.

Resources:
1) Susan Sterling: (425) 369-8224
2) Diane Burgert: (206) 540-8007
3) Nancy Logan: (425) 646-8932

5) NATURE: Hike, put your bare feet in the grass, garden, swim. Do something that reconnects you with nature. Have you ever noticed that your brain sorts things out much more effectively when you are outside communing?

Resources
1) Foghorn Pacific Northwest HikingAuthors: Scott Leonard & Megan McMorris (Available at Barnes and Noble)
2) Beginners Hiker Club
3) Issaquah Alps Trails Club:

After the juvenile police office drove away with his "I can't wait to tell this back at the station" smirk I made my way back to the condo and sheepishly explained to my mother and husband what had happened. It was odd; they both looked vaguely like the cop before he drove off.

Once Brent and I headed off down the highway, save a quick trip to the gas station to refill my depleted reserves, I spent some time thinking about folder management. I fear I will always be a trite absent minded but I am pleased to say with some of the above mentioned simple solutions there have been no further vehicle endangering incidents.

Heather Denniston DC

Exercise of the Month: The Anti-Crunch

2010-03-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

Crunches create back and neck strain. What’s more, they often create a poochy tummy. (When you are in the middle of a crunch, are your abdominal muscles bulging or sucked in?) To get flat abs, try the anti-crunch.

This is the mid-level version. The more advanced and therapeutic versions are below.

The key to this exercise is to keep your back and hips absolutely still. The legs are simply levers creating more resistance for your abdominal muscles.

1. Lie on your back with your neck and arms relaxed.
2. Bend one knee so the foot is on the floor and raise the other straight leg up toward the ceiling.
3. Don’t let your hips and back move. At all.
4. Lower the raised leg toward the floor, but stop before your hips shift or your heel reaches the floor, whichever comes first.
5. Raise the leg without tilting or shifting your pelvis or low back.
6. Keep breathing and repeat.

Advanced Anti-Crunch

1. Lie on your back with neck and arms relaxed. Breathe easily.
2. Raise both legs toward the ceiling.
3. Lower both straight legs toward the floor as far as you can without tilting, shifting or rotating your pelvis.
4. Raise and lower your legs as you breathe steadily.
5. Stop as soon as you cannot hold your stability.

For the therapeutic version, try the Easy Core Exercise in this article.

How To Melt Your Fuzz Buildup

2010-02-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

We are knowledgeable about our muscles, bones, nerves, organs and even lymph glands, but few people have even heard about connective tissue, also called fascia. This essential part of the body invests all muscles, tendons and ligaments and covers almost everything including organs, nerves, and blood vessels.

This is the matrix that holds us together – sometimes too well creating internal tightness.

Watch this video by structural integrator and anatomy expert Gil Hedley to learn how to keep your connective tissue healthy and stay limber. (Warning: it includes images from cadavers so you can see how fascia gets stuck. Don’t be squeamish.)

Gil’s explanation of sticky fascia as “fuzz” is brilliant. Of course, I am even more delighted to hear him recommend undulation (i.e., wiggling and stretching) as an antidote to stiffness. And, look at his movement! Gil is a fine example of fluidity.

Book Review – T5T: The 10-minute Rejuvenation Plan

2010-02-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wish you had a set of exercises that were so effective that just 10 minutes a day would be enough? That is the promise of the 5 Tibetan Rites, which were originally revealed in The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth. The rites, exercises in other words, were reportedly discovered in a Tibetan monastery where monks enjoyed extraordinarily long life.

However, the exercises as described in The Fountain of Youth were so difficult that it was easy to get injured unless you were already proficient in yoga. Carolinda Witt has broken the exercises down into safe and manageable steps so anyone can learn to do them. She has written T5T: The 10-Minute Rejuvenation Plan.

What makes the exercises so special? Not only is it an overall body workout, “the T5T program harnesses and develops this highly complex system of life energy. The Chinese call this energy Qi (pronounced “chi), the Japanese Ki, and in India it is called prana.”

In addition to the five exercises, I especially enjoy the warm-ups. They help me to relieve stress and loosen my joints. Each exercise has directions for preparation and cautions to avoid injury. The more difficult ones are broken down to be learned over a period of several weeks.

A companion DVD is also available.

I can’t claim that I’m up to the ideal 21 repetitions of the exercises, nor am I consistent yet. However, I am getting experienced enough to do them without referencing the book and feel better when I do.

5 Ways to Stop a Pain Cycle

2010-02-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

“Pain is an experience produced by a body and mind trying to interpret sensation and determine whether a threat is present.”

Neil Pearson, MSc (RHBS) BscPT, BA, BPHE
International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Vol 18 (2008)
“Yoga for People in Pain”

As a warning signal, pain is helpful. It usually indicates injury and encourages change to promote healing and prevent further harm. Unfortunately, pain messages can outlive their useful purpose and take on a life of their own.

Fifty million Americans live with chronic pain and an additional 25 million have acute pain from an illness or injury according to Kathryn Weiner, PhD, the Director of the American Academy of Pain Management. More important than statistics is the fact that hurting prevents people from enjoying life. If not stopped in its early phases, pain can create a cycle that lingers and eventually becomes chronic. Therefore, it’s important to relieve pain as soon as possible.

Pain may be alerting you to one of the following five cycles, which can be resolved.

Pain Cycle Scenario #1 – Inflammation Gone Wild
Inflammation is a natural part of the acute healing process. Blood flow increases to injured areas of the body in order to bring nutrition and carry away damaged cells. When the inflammatory process doesn’t turn off, internal swelling puts pressure on sensitive tissues and creates more pain and prolonged injury.

You can control inflammation naturally with RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Notice the first criterion is rest, which means the body needs a break from all stressful activities. Ice, compression and elevation take time, but it’s worth it to spend 15 minutes icing with the body part elevated three to four times a day.

Diet is also a factor. Marcelle Pick, Ob/Gyn, NP identifies foods that help and hurt in an article about joint pain and inflammation for Women to Women. Hydrogenated oils, saturated fats, and sugar contribute to inflammation. Omega-3 oils and dark, leafy, green vegetables counteract those effects.

If natural remedies aren’t enough, there are always over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and naproxen. Note that acetaminophen does not reduce inflammation. Some people resist taking any pills. However, if you are caught in an inflammatory pain cycle, you will be tempted to take even stronger and more harmful pain relievers unless you get inflammation under control.

If all else fails, cortisone injections can be used to dramatically reduce swelling in a particular area. However, this option is used after others have failed, according to Robert Leach, MD, editor of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Pain Cycle Scenario #2 – Unconscious Repetitive Injury
Sometimes pain tells us that we have a bad habit which causes internal injury. The habits are so ingrained that we aren’t conscious of ourselves or the negative effects. It may start with tension in the neck and shoulders and then send pain into the arms and hands. Poor posture in front of a computer or in a car is often the culprit. Other posture habits create different injuries. Low back pain is commonly the result of sitting back on the pelvis.

This isn't a one-time injury, but instead small injuries that recur faster than the body can heal.

An assessment of your posture and movement patterns can determine if your pain is the result of an ineffective movement pattern. Structural integration practitioners are trained to spot these patterns as are physiatrists and physical therapists who treat the body holistically. Once diagnosed, the challenge is to stop the behaviors that create injury and develop new, better habits for movement. But you can’t even start the process without becoming aware of the harmful patterns.

Pain Cycle Scenario #3 – Cascade of Trigger Points
Tension is a natural reaction to pain. Muscular tension adds strain to already overloaded or weakened muscles, which increases pain. Trigger points are small sections muscles that are stuck in contraction and send pain to the surrounding or a distant area. If trigger points persist, new pain points will develop in surrounding muscles which can become a web of agony that is hard to unravel – not to mention the tension that increases every step of the way.

One solution is to decrease tension with relaxation techniques and reduce stress in the muscles. Progressive relaxation is one of the easiest techniques to try on your own and can be done in as little as 15 minutes. Lie in a quiet place and tune into your breath. Tighten the muscles in your toes as you inhale and as you exhale relax them as much as possible. Work up the muscle groups in your body (calves, thighs, buttocks, etc.) squeezing the muscles on inhale and letting go as much as possible on exhale. By the time you tighten and release your jaw and eyelids, your whole body will be much calmer.

Relieving the entire pattern of trigger points is also necessary, which requires a combination of warming the muscles, pressing the points, and stretching according to Hal Blatman, MD author of Winner’s Guide to Pain Relief. Many times you can do this yourself. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook is also an excellent resource. It’s important, however, to get every point or the pattern can return. Massage therapists who specialize in trigger point therapy can help. The most extreme cases might need trigger point injections (usually injected with an analgesic called lidocaine), which can be administered by a physician or physical therapist.

Pain Cycle Scenario #4 – Pain and Depression or Anxiety
People with chronic pain are at higher risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders according to Harvard Health Publications, and people who are depressed are more sensitive to pain sensations, as the brain pathways that process pain and mood are related. Depression or anxiety and pain can become a vicious cycle as stress increases pain and pain increases stress.

The Mayo Clinic website recommends autogenic relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation and visualization to decrease wear and tear on the body and mind. The progressive relaxation exercise noted above can be used, as well as other activities you find to be restful. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, a form of meditation, has been found to be extremely effective in increasing the ability to relax and the ability for patients to cope with their symptoms including pain.

Exercise produces endorphins which reduce the perception of pain and increases the feeling of well being according to WebMD. Walking is one of the most common and helpful, but any enjoyable exercise such as biking or dancing will help combat a pain and anxiety/depression cycle.

Slow breathing is also effective. Researchers at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona found that study participants who tried to slow the breath rate to half could diminish pain and improve their mood pain as reported in hc2d, a global healthcare news site. One way to slow your breath is to exhale through pursed lips, like a whisper. Another technique is to count the inhale and exhale and increase the count of each (especially the exhale) slowly and incrementally.

Medication is another option if natural remedies aren’t successful enough. Certain pain conditions respond to anti-depressants or a combination of anti-depressants and analgesics. Physicians who are experienced in treating patients with chronic pain, such as physiatrists or rheumatologists, have the best knowledge to determine if this will work for you.

Pain Cycle Scenario #5 – Amplified Pain Messages
Some of the latest research is finding that pain receptors can become oversensitive and produce pain signals out of proportion to the actual condition of the body. In this case, the message is a bit like Peter crying wolf.

Neal Pearson in the article noted in the opening paragraph puts it so well. “The body and nervous system may amplify the signals to get attention. Pain could then intensify without further tissue damage, the experience of pain could spread to new areas, previously non-painful movement might become painful.”

“New Culprits in Chronic Pain” in the November 2009 issue of Scientific American details how the sensing neurons can become overly excited and create pain without a stimulus. In this case the body–mind is misinterpreting sensation, but that doesn’t change the amount of pain felt. In some cases the pain gets worse and worse.

Researchers are developing new medicines to affect the sensing neurons and combat pain in a different way. That doesn’t mean that current natural methods won’t work. Alternative health care like acupuncture and yoga therapy can affect the nervous system to restore a more accurate internal sense of sensation, called proprioception.

Finding the Right Solution
It’s also possible that pain cycles are the result of more than one cause, for example inflammation and depression or unconscious habits and tension. As a result it can take a bit of trial and error to find a combination of approaches that work for your particular situation.

A journal can help you recognize and track your cycles and document what techniques that are most helpful. With practice, you can decode the incomprehensive messages of your pain and find some relief.

Exercise of the Month: Happy Baby Pose

2010-02-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

You can relax your back and open your hips with Happy Baby Pose (ananada balasana).

• Lie on your back and bend your knees into your chest as you exhale.
• Spread your knees and feet as wide as you can, as though you are bringing your knees into your armpits. (As in the photo in the link above.)
• Reach between your knees to grasp your inner arches (or toes or ankles) with your hands.
• Pull gently with your arms to set your hip joints and open your hips as you lengthen your back.
• Breathe easily.

This is a great yoga pose to incorporate undulations, as shown in this video.

Body Fat

2010-01-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

I participated in the Coal Creek Family YMCA's Health Fair last weekend. The most popular booth was the Body Fat Calculation, where a personal trainer used calipers to measure skin thickness in several places to determine the body fat percentage for the curious. We stood in line to have our skin pinched, reveal personal information, and then receive the (usually) unhappy news.

If you'd like to check your own body fat percentage with less embarrassment, there are several available online. My favorite is from HealthStatus.com. You will need a tape measure for your waist, hips, and neck, plus your height and weight. The Body Mass Index calculator uses wrist and forearm measurements instead of the neck. This test isn't as accurate as a caliper test nor the even more trustworthy, expensive, and wet body dunk test, but it is easy to do and private.

According to the American Heart Association, a body fat percentage of 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy. Less than that is underweight (yes, we do need some fat for healthy organ functioning) and 25% or more is overweight. More than overall weight, the amount of weight from fat is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

There is considerable variation between the tests, so you can't take one as the ultimate answer. However, taking the time for a few tests will give you valuable information about your health.

Book Review: Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living

2010-01-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

To be blunt, and a bit simplistic, there are two types of people:
Those who are willing to do what it takes to get out of or prevent pain, and
Those who don’t want to make any changes but want pain to go away.

If you are the type of person who has been looking for changes to keep you pain-free, I recommend Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living by Craig Williamson, MSOT. In this enlightening text Williamson notes that kinesthetic dysfunction (the inability to sense and perceive parts of the body) creates Dysfunctional Movement Patterns (DMPs) that cause internal, repetitive injury.

Unfortunately, most people have many dysfunctional patterns that cause pain, for example sitting in front of a computer with shoulders rounded and head forward, lifting objects by hinging in the low back, straining the neck to stand up, and walking with misaligned knees to name a few. However, this book will help you discover and correct these ineffective tendencies.

“If you want to discover a new way of using your body or performing an activity, you need to break free of your DMPs. You do this by letting go, by feeling your muscles and alignment in new ways, by coordinating your movement in new ways—and by observing what happens.” (p. 49)

I like that Williamson uses easy-to-understand language and comprehensively covers sources of dysfunction, from bad habits to past injury to poor posture to unconscious emotional tightening. The movement explorations in the book help you build your kinesthetic awareness and the exercises help you replace ineffective patterns with effortless, balanced strength and flexibility.

My favorite part of this book is the emphasis on non-forced movement. “In fact, muscular retraining involves moving as easily as possible by avoiding the use of any unnecessary muscles.” (p. 46)

If you’ve suffered from chronic pain and think that the key to pain relief is to try harder and do more, Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living will be a pleasant and effective change of pace. If you live relatively pain-free, the advice in this book will help you stay that way.

Assess Your Health

2010-01-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

It's not surprising that five of the top ten bestsellers in the Health, Mind & Body category at Amazon.com relate to losing weight. The combination of post-holiday feasting and new-New Year resolutions has million of Americans thinking about losing pounds.

I started a de-tox diet on Sunday; we'll see how long I can go without sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol, caffiene, and all chemical additives. My goal is 14 days to give my liver and digestive system an internal make-over.

To help you get started with your health goals, I highly recommend a health assessment. HealthStatus.com offers several free assessment tools that help you determine your general health, cardiac, and diabetes risks and other surveys to measure your overhealth health and fitness. The tools are free, but you will need to create a user login first.

According to WebMD.com, a combination of diet and exercise is the most effective to control weight. In addition, exercise has additional health benefits in terms of reducing blood pressure, improving mental health, and decreasing the risk of osteoporosis.

Why not pick up a new form of exercise this year? My fitness assessment accurately notes that I need more aerobic exercise. So I'll start jogging again soon (and this year wear my MP3 player to make it more fun) and will go swimming and dancing every month.

However you decide to improve your health in 2010, I wish you the best. Please feel free to share your goals if it will help you commit to them.

Exercise of the Month: Hula Hoop

2010-01-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

For the new year try an exercise that you'll enjoy and that has a multitude of benefits. It's aerobic, tones muscles, has an initial invesment of about $5, and can be done anywhere. Grab a hula hoop (you can buy them at any toy store or even Target) and give it a spin.

Don't worry if you can't keep the hoop up for long, like the little girls in this video, you'll still get good exercise just trying. Soon, you'll be like the ladies who can hoop and squat and smile all at the same time.

Additionally, your spine will get nourished with undulations, especially as you master the movement and use deeper, core muscles.

Undulation in Sculpture

2009-12-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

Fluid movement is beautiful whether in a human body or piece of art. The Morning Sun recently ran an article about a local artist with an exhibit called Organic Dance. Photo by Sean Steffan of The Morning Sun.

If you find fluid movement to be awkward in your body, use this sculpture by Pittsburgh artist Jake Steven Fincher as an inspiration to move. Line your body up to mirror the first column in the exhibit and then imitate the second then flow into the third and down the line. It’s no wonder that Fincher calls this piece Undulation. The solid pillars move and it stimulates fluid movement in the viewer as well.

Fincher’s exhibit at the Harry Krug Art Gallery at the Pittsburgh State University through mid-January.

Snap, Crackle & Pop

2009-12-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Does your body make noise when you move? Such as:
--> Crunching when you roll your shoulders.
--> Knees snap and pop on stairs.
--> Back cracks when turning.

There’s no need to freak out over the sound of crunchy muscles. They are, however, a warning to proceed with caution. The noises come from hardness in the body, such as calcification in muscles and fascia or tight ligaments and tendons, where there’s supposed to be suppleness. It’s as though the soft tissues are turning to bone.

To avoid the crunching, many people stop moving. Unfortunately, this makes the situation worse. Nutrition starved muscles stay surrounded in metabolic waste, including calcium that forms into crystals. Ligaments become malnourished since they depend on movement for fresh blood flow. Tendons that stay still become tighter.

An “all or nothing” attitude toward exercise gets us in trouble. Ignoring the sound’s messages is just as damaging as being stopped by them. Here’s an example from my personal experience. My hips used to pop when extending my legs. How interesting, I thought. Will it pop again? Yes. And, again? Yes. After a few times it would start to hurt. This was because the iliopsoas tendon was snapping over the top of the hip joint. Each pop was alerting me to damage.
The answer was to extend my hip in a way that didn’t create a popping sound to stretch the muscle and tendon at the limit without pulling it off track.

The noises from your knees may be telling you that you’re wearing one side of the joint more than the other. Running up and down the stairs without awareness ingrains patterns of misuse. Slow down so you can pay careful attention to your alignment with the knee coming straight over the middle toes. Also try to lean forward a bit at your hips, especially when going down the stairs. Find the alignment to avoid the pains and pops and you’ll create less wear and tear.

Tension around the shoulders is so common that almost everyone has calcification in the tendons and muscles around their shoulder blades. The hardness can melt, however. This is one of the reasons people seek deep-tissue bodywork. Fluid movement such as small shoulder circles can also dissolve the crunchiness. Make circles forward and back and also sideways over your ribs.

When you hear the snap, crackle and pop of petrified tissues watch your alignment and use your movement to restore fluidity.

Exercise of the Month: Constructive Rest Position

2009-12-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

The energy of the natural world encourages us to slow down as winter approaches. Nights grow to maximum length and facilitate more sleep. Slick roads necessitate slower speed to stay safe. Cold weather hampers outside exercise.

The social world encourages us to do more during December. Decorating, sending cards, baking, parties, shopping, trips to the post office, travel, and more are packed into the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

Finding time to rest this month will help you tune in to the natural rhythm of life and give you more energy to enjoy yourself. That’s why this month’s exercise is to practice relaxation with the Constructive Rest Position.

Traditionally, the constructive rest position is done with both feet on the floor with the physical aim to release the iliopsoas muscles. It's used to counterpose psoas strengthing exercise such as Pilates and can be helpful in alleviating low back pain. The photo above shows a variation with is more restful: raising the legs and resting them on a chair.

Steps:
1. Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor or calves on a chair.
2. Place a small towel under your head if needed to keep your neck in line with your spine as shown in this Alexander Technique description.
3. Place your arms in a comfortable position, by your side or on your torso.
4. Quiet your mind and rest for two to twenty minutes.

For me, the Constructive Rest Position is like a power nap without the side effect of waking up groggy. If you’re short on sleep or feeling frazzled, try it and give yourself a boost.

Post-Thanksgiving Exercise: Think Pretzels

2009-11-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

Even with willpower, it's hard to avoid overeating at Thanksgiving. There is just so much good, comfort food on the table. If, like me, you overindulged on turkey, potatoes and pie, and if your blood pressure is starting to rise with all the activities planned for the next month, I have an exercise for you.

Twists stimulate the organs and also enhance the exhale, the relaxing, calming part of the breath. They can be done seated, standing, or lying down, making this a versatile pose to incorporate into your day.

As noted in this Yoga Journal article which shows three easy twists, it is best to elongate the spine the spine before twisting. It is also best to flex the spine afterwards. You can use the Personal Wave or Old Faithful undulations to accomplish both.

In her video, Strength & Spirit, acclaimed yoga teacher Ana Forrest says, "Spiral up, don't grind down." I find that good advice for any movement, especially twists.

Also, focus turning with your exhale, draw in your lower abdominals to support your low back, and initiate the spiral action from the base of your spine working up. Extending your exhale gives you the opportunity to go deeper into the twist and further calm your nervous system.

As noted in the Barber Pole undulation, the slower your movement, the more you will activate the smaller, core muscles around your spine.

Exercise of the Month: Nose Circles

2009-11-05T09:26:00.001-08:00

The British may be known for their stiff upper lips, but Americans may be known by our stiff necks. Tension at the base of the skull, limited range of motion in the neck, and headaches are experienced by many adult Americans – especially if you sit in front of a computer. Here’s a quick and easy exercise to take the pain out of your neck, called Nose Circles.

1. Sit with good posture so your spine is aligned, shoulders are relaxed and head is not forward.
2. Put your palm flat against your nose. Draw a circle with your nose on your hand. The smoother you can make the circles, the more tension you will release.
3. Go the other way.
4. Spiral in and out.
5. When you get the hang of it, you don’t need your hand against your nose. You can just draw the circles in the air.

This contracts and relaxes the suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull so the head can float more freely on top of the spine.

This exercise is excerpted from the newly published, 7 Undulations to Relieve Office Tension, available for free by clicking on the link.

Get Rid of Your Pain in the Neck

2009-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

You are probably creating stiffness and strain in your body right now as you sit at the computer. If you’re like most people, you grip the mouse and your eyes and head drift toward the monitor. You can relieve this muscle tension by taking a minute here and there throughout the day for a special set of exercises that counteract the effects of sitting in front of a computer.

You can do these simple exercises right in your office; some you can do even when you're commuting. Each one can be done in a cubicle and several can be done while sitting---at a desk, in a car, even while stuck in the middle seat on a cross-country flight or on the bus.

Are you ready to tackle the slouch, the sore shoulders, the tingling fingers, the pain in the neck? You can protect yourself from carpal tunnel syndrome and relieve the pain of early arthritis by downloading 7 Undulations to Relieve Office Tension for FREE. Within minutes you can be flexing your spine and shaking out stress.

The exercises will help you to:
1. Reverse the slouch of poor posture,
2. Flush stiffness from your fingers,
3. Add flexibility to your spine,
4. Free your shoulders,
5. Wake up your core muscles,
6. Shake stress out your fingers, and
7. Relieve that all-too-common ache at the base of the skull.

Download your Free copy of 7 Undulations to Relieve Office Tension now.

Don't Wait to Weight Lift

2009-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

In response to the cooler, wetter weather many people are working out inside. It’s good to incorporate weights into your health routine since our bones need weight-bearing exercise to stay strong. I found the following article on the Posture Exercises website and it is published here with the permission of the author.

I particularly appreciate his attention to posture. Whenever you exercise with good alignment you reinforce that in your body.

Here are some free bodybuilding tips for those of you who are going to be doing some weight lifting at the gym. Those of you who are interested in posture exercises that can be done at home (without any additional equipment) should check out the Posture Confidence Program. Those of you interested in a complete body building program should check out Vince DelMonte’s Body Building Program.

Before you read about the specific posture exercises, here are some main bodybuilding training tips to keep in mind:

1. Never break form; if you can’t do any more repetitions, just stop. People breaking form to get more repetitions is the number one reason people get injured. Not only that, when you do an exercise with improper form, it is no longer effective. You are only cheating yourself. Do the full range of the exercise in correct form to ensure you get the most from your workout. This is the most important bodybuilding tip of all of them.

2. As a general rule, whenever you are doing an exercise, try to keep correct posture. With these exercises, it is extra important, since these exercises are the ones focused on developing correct posture. Make sure the rest of your body is in a comfortable position as well (feet flat on the floor, chair at a comfortable height, etc.)

3. When exerting yourself, breathe out. When preparing for the next repetition, breathe in.

4. Don’t rush through the exercises or try to get through them quickly. Do them at a controlled pace, focusing on correct form.

5. The ideal amount of repetitions are between 12 and 15, three sets total. It is especially important that you aren’t trying for more weight than you can handle. Your primary focus should be on keeping correct form, and after a while you will develop muscle memory, and it will become more automatic. Once you become comfortable with the exercises and have developed good muscle memory (at least two months), you will start to get a good feel for what weight level is good for you, and whether you should start going for more weight.

6. This tip is hard to explain, but once you are at the gym and start lifting, you’ll understand what I am saying. A lot of back exercises use your arms as a secondary muscle (specifically, your biceps). The goal is to get the focus on the back muscles, so when you do these exercises, try to pretend your arms are an extension of your back. In other words, flex and focus on your back, while pretending your arms are merely levers to get the job done. This is one of the main mistakes a lot of beginners make, and they end up working out their arms more than their back (although you will develop some nice biceps!).

7. Last but not least of my bodybuilder tips, do a warm-up! Nothing makes less sense than starting to lift weights out of the blue. Do some jumping jacks, run on the treadmill, do some shadow boxing, or other warm-up exercises for at least 10 minutes. Some people are very big on stretching, but there is a lot of controversy over how effective stretching really is, and some even believe it does more harm than good. I’m not going to recommend one over the other (and personally I never stretch), but I will say ALWAYS WARM UP!!!

Those are all my tips on bodybuilding. Keep these in mind when you are doing your posture exercises, and you will be well on your way to correct posture and no more back pain!

For simple posture exercises that can be done at home, definitely check out the Posture Confidence Program or the Perfect Posture Program. Those of you interested in a complete body building routine should check out Vince DelMonte’s Body Building Program.

Exercise of the Month: Tree Tops Undulation

2009-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

As fall sets in and the wind sets the leaves falling from the trees, it is as important as ever to stay grounded. You can improve your footing by practicing good standing posture, but I've chosen a more fun exercise for the month, the Tree Tops Undulation.

Step #1 - Get Grounded

Stand with your feet hip width apart and toes facing straight ahead. Balance your weight evenly over both feet and over your balls, heels, inside and outside arches. Sense into the ground below you. Try to determine what the earth is like 5, feet, 10 feet, 20 feet down. Grow mental roots into the soil.

Step #2 - Sway Your Spine

Imagine that you are a tree and that a gentle breeze is blowing. Sway with the breeze, lift your arms as branches if you like, staying rooted through your feet.

This is an "exercise" you can do anywhere and it's a great way to spend time when you are waiting . . . for the copy machine, for the pot to boil, in line at the store. (Hint, keep your arms down and breezes small when doing this one in public.)

Here is a YouTube video of trees swaying in the breeze with my voice walking you through the instructions.

Scarf it Up

2009-10-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Even though it hasn't dipped into the freezing temperatures yet, it is still the time of year to wear a scarf every morning if you are prone to develop stiffness, soreness or pain in your neck.

Trigger points can be activated by cold, according to several sources. Even the time it takes from walking out the front door until your car warms up is enough to aggravate any latent trigger points in the trapezius or sternocleidomastoid. (Don't be afraid of the long names, they are just muscles in your neck.)

Also, when you are sleeping make sure that your blankets cover your shoulders and around your neck to avoid waking up with a stiff neck or headache.

(Photo from http://www.twinsoup.com/.)

Nourish Your Muscles with a Salt Bath

2009-09-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

When clients leave my office, they usually carry a snack-sized zip lock® bag of salt, with a request from me to take a bath with them. I give the salts away to relieve muscle and connective tissues soreness and to support the body’s chemical balance.

My first introduction to salt baths was when I was in karate. After an intense workout our sensei would suggest (in that commanding way that Senseis make any suggestion) a bath with one to two cups of Epsom salts dissolved in the water. He didn’t know why, but would recommend it for every ache and pain. I sometimes wondered if I should just dunk my head in the bathtub when I had a migraine.

Then I became a Hellerwork practitioner and after a few years in practice (and no more migraines, by the way) I referred a client to another Structural Integrator, who gave her a bag of Epsom salts after the session. My client told me that every place that was in the bath didn’t hurt and every place above the water line was sore. So then I started giving my clients Epsom salts, too.

Clients asked me why they should use the salt baths. It didn’t seem professional to say “I don’t know” or “It’s a good luck charm,” so I did a little research. At first, my queries led me to believe the salts helped flush toxins like lactic acid from the muscles. While that is one small part of what Epsom salts do, they are more important for what they add to the body rather than what they take away.

A friend who is an acupuncturist extolls the virtues of Epsom salts and recommends it to her clients. Doing a little research via the internet, we found the Epsom Salt Industry Council’s website. Epsom Salts are made of magnesium sulfate, MgSO4 and according to the Council, magnesium aids in chemical reactions, especially those of muscles and enzymes, and sulfates flush toxins and improve the absorption of nutrients. The U.S. National Library of Medicine credits magnesium with:

* Contraction and relaxation of muscles
* Function of certain enzymes in the body
* Production and transport of energy
* Production of protein

One day I was very sore after an intense session of yoga and went searching in the bathroom cupboard for Epsom salts. There were none. Oh no. Would sea salt work? After all, swimming in the warm ocean is therapeutic; perhaps because of the salt. However, the main component of sea salt is sodium chloride, not the minerals muscles need. A bit more searching under the sink produced a small bag of hand-mixed bath salts given to me by a client. This ½ cup of salts was better than nothing so I tried it and was amazed. Amazed!

This small bag of salts was much more effective than two cups of Epsom Salts. They were Dead Sea salts. The chemical composition of Dead Sea Salts is more complex than Epsom Salts. According to the Saltworks website, Dead Sea salts, Bokek® brand are comprised of:

Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2) 33.3 %
Potassium Chloride (KCl) 24.3 %
Sodium Chloride (NaCl) 5.5 %
Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) 0.2 %
Bromide (Br-) 0.5 %
Sulphates (SO4) 0.15 %
Insolubles 0.03 %
Water of Crystallization 36.4 %

Perhaps magnesium chloride is more easily absorbed than magnesium sulfate or the addition of potassium and trace of calcium make the difference.

Recently I have new client with fibromyalgia who has been using Epsom salts mixed with fresh ginger. She finds that more effective than plain Dead Sea salts. So now my give-away baggies include a mixture of Dead Sea salts and Epsom salts, for the mineral formula from the Dead Sea and the boost of needed magnesium from Epsom salts.

The Body: An Engineering Marvel

2009-09-11T19:25:00.001-07:00

While my sons were home from college this summer, the TV was often tuned to the History channel especially to watch Modern Marvels and Engineering Disasters. They are equally fascinated with how buildings, bridges, planes, and cars are built and the flaws that destroy them.

Structure determines how well an object can fulfill its function. For example, a building must have certain design features to survive an earthquake. The same is true for our bodies, but our bodies go one step further. The way we move either strengthens or deteriorates our structure, making function and form more related.

Let’s look at some of the anatomical marvels we take for granted and how aligned use enhances, maintains and strengthens structure.

Marvel — The Feet, Legs and Pelvis
The 26 bones of each foot are arranged in three arches, an elegant design that makes it possible for an area less than one square foot to hold up and move hundreds of pounds.

The foot doesn’t just bear weight, it’s movement (or lack thereof) determines functionality throughout the body. A foot that rolls along the ground with each step translates freedom to the hip and massages the sacro-iliac (SI) joints

Good range of motion in the ankle takes pressure off the knees and facilitates hip flexion and extension. Feet and ankles that rest on the ground in alignment transfer a ground reaction force (think of it like an anti-gravity reflex) through the arch of the pelvis to lift the spine and take pressure off the neck and shoulders.

It’s clear that the body is designed to MOVE and move freely. Many of the disasters that damage us come from inhibiting our full movement, such as the following examples.

Shoes — Heels and stiff soles thwart the foot’s ability to roll and limit foot and ankle range of motion so the next joint up, the knee, is overworked. Flip flops and shoes without backs require tension in the plantar fascia to hold them on and create a flat footed walk, which compresses the hip joint.

Flat ground —The foot’s many joints are designed to walk on rocks, sticks, and bumps. Instead, we almost always walk on flat, paved ground. Many of us have even lost the strength to walk barefoot on sand for any length of time.

Take off your shoes and admire the engineering marvel of your structure. Walk in the grass or on a beach to feel the connection between your toes, feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine.

Exercise of the Month: Strengthen Your Neck Core Muscles

2009-09-02T15:26:00.001-07:00

Head Turns
Stand at a wall with your knees bent. Feel your buttocks, upper back, shoulders, and back of your head on the wall. There should be a small space between the wall and your low back and also the back of your neck.

Lengthen the back of your neck and slightly tuck your chin so your face is not turned up nor down. This position alone may tax your neck core. If you feel the muscles in your neck working, stay in this position and breathe deeply for several breaths.
Once you feel comfortable in the position, add head turns. Turn only as far as you can without any twinges or pain in your neck.
Swivel your face to the right as the back of your head turns to the left. You will hear your hair sliding on the wall if the center of the movement comes from the center of your neck, which is what you want.
Turn both directions up to three times.

You can print this exercise and tape a copy to your bathroom mirror as a reminder. Notice how much better your neck feels and how your range of motion improves with just one minute of daily exercise. (It's pretty good for your thighs, too.)

This next exercise strengthens the neck core even more.

Neck Flexion
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet on the floor.

Put a finger at the base of your skull and lift your skull, but not the rest of your neck, off the floor about an eighth of an inch and rest back down gently. This movement is too tiny to show up on a photograph.
Remember that core movements are slow and small.
Feel down your neck for a bony bump, which is the back of a vertebra. Now lift this bump and the base of your skull, but not the rest of your neck, up just a tiny bit. Lift and release gently, slowly, just a fraction of an inch using each vertebra in your neck as the pivot point.
Don’t Do Any Movement That Hurts! You want to feel the muscles in the front of your neck doing the lifting, not the muscles in your chest or abdomen.

Core Muscles of the Neck

2009-08-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is the third and final article in the series of core strength. As previously noted, the core isn’t limited to the abdomen, but each section of the body depends on active function of core muscles to work optimally. The neck’s unwieldy task of balancing a 10 pound head makes deep muscles vitally important in this fragile part of the body.

Most people feel tension in the superficial muscles of the neck. The trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles are common headache culprits. While the usual complaint is pain in the back of the neck, many of the core muscles are located in the front, such as the longus colli, longus capitus, and scalenes. When these muscles aren’t used, they become stiff and inflexible and the neck loses its ability to manage the weight of the head. (Imagine trying to balance a full one-gallon milk jug on a wooden dowel.)

Core muscles are small, so it is best to use small movements to strengthen them. In addition, their slow twitch muscle fibers contract and relax more slowly than other muscles. Keep this in mind when doing core exercises and be patient as these muscles develop.

Exercising the core muscles in your neck, shoulder, hips, spine, and torso will make all other movement easier and reduce your risk of injury. The core muscle exercises described in this series are easily done and won’t even cause a sweat. Devote time every week to keeping your core—and therefore your entire body—strong.

Core Muscles of the Shoulders

2009-07-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Previous articles in this series have described the core muscles of the torso and hips. We’ll continue with the shoulders and in the next cover the neck core.

What’s all the fuss over core muscles anyway? Your grandmother didn’t need a personal trainer to teach her about the core. Is this all some scheme to get us to sign up for exercise classes?

Your grandma knew how to use her core, because she built strength in her body with daily activities. Nowhere is this more evident than in her shoulders and arms. Imagine washing your laundry by hand and hanging it on the line to dry. Or scrubbing the floor on your hands and knees. Chances are your grandma walked farther and carried more than men do today. Those simple activities develop strength in the core. Today’s pastimes, watching TV, loading the dishwasher and working on the computer, bypass the core.

Take the current sedentary lifestyle, add our fascination with speed and pretty muscles, and the result is a modern epidemic of core weakness. So let’s put things in reverse and find the core muscles of your shoulders.

Raise one arm in front of you and continue to lift it up -— as long as it doesn’t hurt anywhere -— until your arm comes alongside your ear. Do it again -— but this time take more than ten seconds to lift your arm and another ten seconds to lower it. As before, don’t do any movement that causes you pain.

Moving slowly requires the use of the core, so if it felt substantially different the second, slower time, then using the core of your shoulder isn’t a habit. By the way, you can slow down any movement to improve your use of the core. Try walking by taking one step every second to feel more of your torso and hip core.

The core of the shoulder includes two sets of muscles, those that keep the shoulder blade in proper position (most importantly the serratus anterior, trapezius and rhomboids) and those that stabilize the arm bone in the shoulder socket (the rotator cuff: supraspinitus, infraspinitus, teres minor, and subscapularis).

Here are some exercises that will help you strengthen both sets of the shoulder core.

Core Muscles of the Hips

2009-07-21T12:28:00.001-07:00

Core muscles are the new focus in the fitness industry. They protect the low back. Pilates strengthens the core. Advertisements promise a strong, sexy core if we buy their products. The problem is that the core can be illusive for the average person to find. That’s because the body has more than one core.

The Hellerwork Client Handbook compares the core to the inside of an apple. Core muscles are deep inside the body, right next to the bones. These muscles have more leverage and, when working properly, also stabilize the skeleton. When the core does not stabilize, joints are more prone to injury, the body is weaker, and other muscles get confused about what to do.

All muscle groups have superficial muscles and core muscles. Let’s delve into the core of the torso and core of the hips. Follow up articles will explain the core of the shoulders and the core of the neck.

The core of the torso is like a cylinder around your midsection, comprised of four muscle groups: the pelvic floor, transverse abdominus, multifidi, and diaphragm. The pelvic floor (actually a group of six muscles) creates the bottom of the cylinder. The transverse abdominus encompasses most of circumference as a girdle around the belly. The multifidi fibers, one to four inches long, fan out deep within the superstructure of the spine. The diaphragm caps the core; each breath turns this cylinder to an ever-changing, dynamic powerhouse.

When all parts of your torso core are strong and work together, you can lift more, bend over more, and do all kinds of movement with less risk of injury. The torso core is also an important base of support for your legs, arms, and neck.

The hip flexors lift your legs. If you rely on the rectus femoris, tensor fascia lata, and sartorius, you will be weaker and in less balance than if you use the core hip flexors, the psoas and iliacus, sometimes called the iliopsoas. These core muscles attach to the front and sides of the lumbar spine and deep inside the pelvic bowl. They have more leverage and bulk than the superficial muscles, but they also depend on stabilization from the torso core to work.

How do you know when you are accessing the deep hip flexors? One clue is that your pelvis does not rotate. Sitting in a chair, lift one leg. Does your low back shift or your hip lift up? If so, your iliacus and psoas are cheating and your low back is taking the brunt of the movement.

If you can hold your pelvis perfectly still and lift a leg, your torso and hip core are both getting stronger. It’s what makes a karate front kick so powerful. Even more challenging and strengthening is lifting both thighs with a stable pelvis, the action in the Pilates Teaser and yoga’s full boat pose (Navasana).

I gave readers an Easy Core Exercise in my previous post, Balance Between Abdominals and Back Muscles. Another way to wake up the core is with the Relax and Flow undulation. In both cases, the exercises use small, slow movements since the core is comprised of slow twitch muscle fibers. If you can do these exercises with complete pelvic stabilization, then you will be ready to take on more intermediate core exercises.

Balance Between Abdominal and Back Muscles

2009-06-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

I confused a client yesterday by saying that her core muscles were stronger than most peoples, but then also telling her that her core was weak. Say what?

She was quite athletic with strong muscles throughout her body. The problem was that her core muscles weren’t as strong as her abdominal muscles. This imbalance was a source of her low back pain.

Core muscles stabilize the skeleton and give leverage to other muscles. Using superficial muscles like the rectus abdominus, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, quadriceps, and gluteus maximus without participation from the core will pull the skeleton out of alignment and create injury to ligaments and spinal discs.

“Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back” by Tami Parker-Pope, published in the New York Times June 17, 2009 gives a great explanation and a video with some good exercises.

I agree that the exercises in the video are good for the core, but what is the core? I wrote about that previously in the article entitled “Core Exercise” with an easy exercise called Engage Your Core Through Your Feet to help you find those illusive core muscles: the pelvic floor, transverse abdominus, and multifidi. Finding the correct muscles is after all the first step in using them.

Here is another very simple (that doesn’t mean easy) exercise where you use the core to stabilize your low back, which is its real function, as you lift your legs. It also engages the core hip flexors, the psoas and iliacus muscles, but that's a different article.

Easy Core Exercise
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms at your sides.
2. Tilt your pubic bone up toward your chin and then your tailbone back. Go back and forth a few times and find the middle. Is your sacrum on the floor? If so, you have equal range of hip flexion and extension.
3. Adjust if necessary so that your sacrum is firmly on the floor.
4. Do not let your sacrum or hips move off the floor (this is the key) and lift your left leg so that your knee comes toward your chin, only as far as you can without moving your sacrum.
5. Press the opposite foot into the floor (use what you learned from the Engage Your Feet by Using Your Core exercise) if needed to stabilize.
6. Repeat with the right leg.

Undulations Complement Chiropractic Care

2009-06-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Undulation exercises were recently noted in an article co-written by Kimberly Kohr, DC and yours truly as useful adjunct to chiropractic adjustments. It was published in Dynamic Chiropractic.

Motion through each segment of the spine is good for your spinal discs and nervous system. Undulations are good for the structure and they also increase body awareness and functional movement patterns. “An exercise that first and foremost increases awareness will start a cascade of positive change.”

Three exercises are given as examples: Feel Your Spine, Easy Sway and the even-popular Tailbone Penmanship.

The article coincides with the introduction of new exercise handout sheets for chiropractors to give patients between adjustments. Three sheets are available, for the:
 Sacrum and Low Back,
 Neck and Upper Back, and
 General Spine Health.

Samples handout sheets are available upon request.

Get a Grip on Tension

2009-06-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Tension doesn’t only come from big, stressful situations like a pile of unpaid bills, pending deadlines, or an argument with your spouse. Tension can creep in through your hands when you least expect it and covertly lodge itself right between your shoulder blades.

How can you get a grip on your stress and stop tension in its tracks? The secret is to loosen your grip.

Is your hand on the computer mouse? Notice how much pressure you are using and its effect into your shoulder and neck. Relax your fingers, palm and wrist. Use a feather touch to move the mouse. Every time you loosen your grip, you turn tension into comfort and take pressure off your carpal tunnel.

A common stressful environment is the car. Release tension there by loosing your grip on the steering wheel. Turn the wheel with relaxed palms and flexible fingers. The fluid motion will translate up your arms and relieve the tightness in your shoulders.

Anything you put your hands on—-a pen, the telephone, your toothbrush-—can increase your tension or release it. Turn your iron grip into a liquid caress and feel some of your stress melt away.

Angels of Relief for Demons of Hand Pain

2009-05-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Seeing the Angels & Demons movie trailer motivated me to read the book for a second time. The 569 page paperback is hard to put down as I couldn’t stop running along with the labyrinth plot through the streets and cathedrals of Rome. In the first reading, I stayed up all night and read almost the whole book. This time, I’ve spread it out over four nights—a great read. However, I’ve noticed that my hands are very sore from holding a book open for three hours every night.

As a structural integrator and massage therapist, hand pain isn’t new to me. I have a solution, the Octopus Undulation, which I do every night after work. It works like this:

Start by slowly moving the tips of your fingers of just one hand in a wave-like motion. Use the movement to explore and wash away the stiffness in the first knuckles. Let the movement creep up your fingers, massaging each knuckle in turn with the movement. Then continue into the web of the hand. See if you can move your palm so it is as fluid as an octopus. Gradually incorporate your wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder into the movement—as though you don’t have any bones.

Now feel the difference between your two hands. You’ve just given yourself a massage!

Normally I can wash away my hand stiffness with just one minute of this undulation. However, after holding a paperback for several hours, I need about three minutes on each hand. This exercise is useful after knitting, pruning or computer mousing—anything that requires repetitive motion of the hands.

You can view additional Undulation Exercises here.

I’m looking forward to watching the Angels & Demons movie. I hope it lives up to the majesty of Rome and thought-provoking ideas in the novel.

Inversion Therapy for Low Back Pain

2009-05-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine has an inversion table. When I visit her, she offers its use like others would offer a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice. “Would you like to lie on the inversion table? It’s good for you,” she says.

Yoga practitioners have touted the benefits of being upside down for millennia. Poses such as Downward Facing Dog, Handstand, Headstand, Shoulder Stand, and Legs Up the Wall Pose put the body in a position where the effect of gravity is reversed, giving the lymphatic system a boost, aiding digestion, and reducing the spine’s weight-bearing responsibilities. There’s the added advantage of learning to see the world from a new angle.

Headstand, handstand and shoulder stand all come with risks, however. Without building strength and dedicated, regular practice, you can easily hurt your neck with these poses. In addition, inversions should be used cautiously for those with high blood pressure, according to a study published in Physical Therapy and are also not advised for people with glaucoma.

You can read more about the benefits and risks of yoga inversions in this Yoga Journal article.

Inversion tables offer many of the same benefits without the potential damage to the spine. Simply hop on, rotate yourself to the desired upside down angle and rest or read. I even saw one advertised on TV recently.

The most promised benefit is to take pressure off the spinal joints, decompress nerve roots and rehydrate the discs between the vertebrae. A study published in the Archives of Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine in 1978 concluded that short periods of inversion increased spinal length and decreased nervous activity of the low back muscles. Being inverted is a type of gentle traction. The angle of the table determines the rate of traction.

There are many brands of inversion tables including Teeter Hang Ups ®, Body Flex, Body Max, FitForm, Paradigm, and Ironman Relax. You can even use a well-built inversion table to do exercises such as curl ups, but be sure you have an extra sturdy model. It’s also important to follow all safety precautions for these products. Just like being in a handstand, you run the risk of falling down if not properly secured.

Un-Wind to De-Stress

2009-05-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

It is exactly three hours and six minutes since I started to install my new printer. I bought the printer, because I have a 600-page job that I wanted to have printed and stuffed into envelopes tonight. The old printer was just going too slow. After more than two hours of computer freezes and aborted installation attempts, I was starting to get stressed and the tension was welling up in my neck and shoulders.

As the seconds ticked away on the installation program, I started to count and lengthen my breaths. That helped, but as the situation progressed, I found my tension mounting again.

While waiting for responses on the on-line chat with the support department, I remembered to undulate. My breathing was already steady and I could concentrate on moving my spine in a flowing manner, feeling each vertebra and releasing the restrictions with simple movements. Easy Sway is my favorite to release tension and I fall into it quite naturally--when I remember.

A flowing motion in the body creates more ease to "go with the flow" during the trials of life. Unwinding physically literally unwinds the mind. Try it and see if you don't feel less stressed when your body moves in a fluid way.

By the way, the new printer works--double sides copies, no less! I won't have the project complete tonight, but it's not the end of the world.

Self-Care: Lymphatic Massage

2009-04-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

Staying in good shape requires a commitment to regular self care. Sometimes it’s a chore, like flossing teeth, regular check-ups, and – for me – jogging. Other self care is downright pleasurable, like the lymphatic drainage massage I enjoyed yesterday. It was so relaxing—therefore good for my mental health—and also helped to detoxify my body.

According to the Upledger Institute®, “the lymphatic system is critical to our body’s ability to drain stagnant fluids, detoxify, regenerate tissues, filter out toxins and foreign substances, and maintain a healthy immune system.”

I certainly feel refreshed today, light as though my body isn’t dragging around a lot of excess baggage. Since my lymph system was cleansed with gentle, purposeful massage strokes, which cleared the sludge from my system, I’m not surprised at this feeling.

I use lymphatic drainage massage as a general tonic, but it is extremely helpful in cases of swelling and post-surgery. You can learn more here.

5 Rhythms: Treatment for Repetitive Strain

2009-04-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

Repetitive motion is the source of many modern injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, golfer’s and tennis elbow, and thoracic outlet syndrome. I’ve found that it’s not just what movements we make, but how we move that creates the strain.

Gabrielle Roth created the 5 Rhythms of Movement, which I find helpful in any activity. Can you type using all five forms: flowing (like undulations), staccato, chaotic, lyrical, and in stillness -- or are your fingers stuck in staccato?

Repetitive motions tend to become mechanical. Is it any wonder that our flesh and blood bodies complain about being turned into robots? Try to vary your movements so your body can regain its organic healing powers.

Swan Lake Inspiration

2009-04-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's opening night performance of Swan Lake last night. It was truly masterful and reminded me of my childhood ambitions to be a ballerina--before I realized that I was clumsy and uncoordinated. I may not be able to do a pirouette or kick my knee to my shoulder, but there are swan-like things we can do to stay limber, feel young, and improve our grace.

1) Hop on one foot. Every kid knows this is fun, but what we forget is how much it strengthens our hips.

2) Twirl around. This is best done in a clockwise direction, that is to the right. The Sufi practice adds the direction of having the right palm facing toward the sky and the left palm facing toward the ground.

3) See how far you can kick each leg up. This strengths the front leg muscles and stretches the hamstrings.

4) Move one arm (at a time) in an imitation of a graceful swan neck. Let all the tension out of your fingers, hand, and wrist to get the image of a swan head.

5) Slowly wave your arms up and down, like a swan taking flight.

Relieve Money Anxiety

2009-04-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

My office rent was due two days ago. The boys’ tuition is due now. My quarterly taxes are due by the end of the month. These thoughts provoke stiffening in my spine, tight shoulders, and a contraction of my energy inward—the physical manifestations of tension. As my body tenses and breath shortens, I find new things to worry about, the anxiety gets worse, and the cycle of tension is continues.

However, if I start to move, to sway, to undulate with easy movements through my spine, my breath lengthens and immediately the “where will the money come from?” doom starts to lift. The more I explore different movements, the more my mind opens to new possibilities. “Ah, the money for the rent is already there. The money for tuition is on its way. Why am I worrying about the end of the month now?”

Anxiety of the mind creates tension in the body. Fluidity in the body promotes a calm state of mind. Undulation is a great stress reduction technique.

Everyday Exercise 4: Socks

2009-03-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

How important is the ability to stand on one leg? You might think that it isn’t too important, unless you practice yoga or sleep like a flamingo.

There’s a moment when your entire weight is held by one leg every time you take a step. When people lose this strength they start to shuffle. Weight bearing on one leg is obviously necessary to go up or down stairs. Also, when you lose the strength to stand on one leg, you lose your overall ability to balance.

I practice my “single leg stance” skills when I put on my socks in the morning. The challenge is to stand on one leg, lift the other leg, keep my balance, and get the sock on. Sound easy? Actually, there are a few compensations to watch out for.

1) Try not to let the standing leg jut out to the side. By keeping the hip directly over the ankle, you will be strengthening your hip stabilizer muscles.
2) Try not to let the standing hip lift or fall. This will again strengthen the hip rather than relying on the low back.
(You can see that I do a little bit of both in the yoga Tree Pose photo. It’s easier to stay in line if you lift your bent knee straight ahead rather than out to the side.)

Important: stand right next to a wall or dresser so that if you lose your balance, you will not fall down. Also, on the days when your hip muscles are weak, you can let the wall have a little of your weight to make it easier.

Try it and let me know how it works for you. Also, what other ways do you have of strengthening one leg? Do you brush your teeth in Tree Pose?

Everyday Exercise 3: Bending Over

2009-03-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

We bend over every day, to unload the dishwasher, pick something off the floor, or put on our shoes. Each forward bend gives you the opportunity to create tension in your neck -- or to let go of it.

Notice the tendency for your eyes to be the center of movement with the head craned forward to see what you're doing. This excess contraction creates tension in the back of your neck, right where many of us feel pain.

Instead, let your neck relax and your head hang down before you come back up.

Also, press into your feet and use the muscles through your entire legs, front and back, to start the movement. Be sure that your tush muscles contract before your low back and that your abdominal muscles are engaged.

It's a very different experience, one of relaxation and strength, rather than the typical one of contraction and tension.

How many times can you build this into your day?

Everyday Exercise 2: Stairs

2009-03-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

As noted in my previous post, you can build exercise into your every day activities with some awareness around simple activities. Take the stairs for example. Do you thrust yourself up the steps, in other words is your head two steps forward of your feet? If so, you are missing an opportunity to build strength in your legs and core and release tension in your neck and shoulders.

Place one foot squarely on the step and keep your knee in line with the middle toe.
Lean forward at the hips so that your nose is in line or just behind your toes, not in front.
Press evenly through your entire foot, ball, heel, inside and outside arches, and use all the muscles in your leg and hip to lift you up.

With a little practice, you can go quickly up and down the stairs, but slowing it down really strengthens the hip stabilizer muscles.

You can apply these principles when you are on the stair stepper at the gym, too.

Everyday Exercise: Sit and Stand

2009-03-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

There are ways to get stronger and more flexible in our everyday activities, and most of us miss these opportunities by being in too much of a hurry. For example, every time you plop into a seat or thrust yourself up from a chair, you lose the opportunity to strengthen your legs, hip stabilizers, pelvic floor, and core muscles. Add vitality to your body by sitting down and standing up correctly. It won’t take but an extra ten seconds.

To stand up, scoot to the front of your chair. Make sure that your knees are pointing directly ahead and that they are aligned directly over your ankles. (For added benefit and to protect your joints, don’t let your knees fall in or out as you stand.) Lean your torso forward from the hips so your belly folds toward your thighs. When you’ve leaned far enough that your nose is over your toes, press evenly through both feet to lift yourself to standing.

To sit down, simply reverse the process. As you bend your knees (aligned straight ahead, remember?), reach back evenly with your sit bones (your tush, in other words) so your nose comes over your toes. Gently lower down until the chair is supporting your entire weight.

The added benefit of standing and sitting this way is that it relieves tension in your neck, which usually tries to “help.” Of course, the neck can’t lift us up, but that doesn’t mean the muscles don’t usually tense there.

When I teach this to a group, there is usually at least one person who has lost the strength to support their entire body weight with just the legs. Don’t let that happen to you! Practice this at least once a day.

Variety of Movement

2009-02-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

Life requires movement. At a minimum: breath and circulation. Optimally: continual development. Lack of movement results in stagnation, illness, and injury.

We need to move. But what if, like me, you aren’t a born athlete or even very coordinated? I loathed PE class as a child, which only highlighted my physical ineptitude and caused constant embarrassment. The worst humiliation was the annual Presidential Fitness Challenge, which consisted of a bent arm hang (my spindly arms couldn’t hold me up two seconds), sit ups (I could do a couple), the 40 yard dash (picture skinny, pale arms and legs flailing wildly), and my nemesis, the 600 yard dash. (Dash, ha!, I was lucky to finish limping across the finish line with a stitch in my side a full 15 minutes after everyone else.)

I am so thankful that fitness has a broader definition today. Without yoga, belly dance, undulation, and of course, Hellerwork Structural Integration, I would still be awkward and unhealthy. Today’s emphasis on fitness also involves “the core,” an unknown idea 30 years ago.

Move regularly and vigorously to keep your heart, lungs, lymph, muscles, and even your brain healthy. If you haven’t already found a way of moving that fills your body-mind with joy, try something new to exercise different muscles and avoid stagnation. Here are some types of holistic exercise that you may find pleasurable and effective.

Nia. This low-impact aerobic program combines jazz and modern dance with low impact martial arts, yoga, and healing arts techniques.

Tai Chi. Don’t let the flowing movements of Tai Chi fool you into thinking it’s not beneficial. Slow movements use more core muscles and counteract the stress we often feel. Quigong is different than Tai Chi, but offers similar benefits.

Ecstatic Dance. You can put your favorite music on the stereo and dance ecstatically around your living room. Another option is a group gathering with world music that starts at a mellow pace and gradually builds up to high energy. Everyone is encouraged to move in a way that feels good and disregard the way they look.

5 Rhythms. Gabrielle Roth says that she likes to “drown out” our self-critical voices with “the beat.” Her 5 rhythms practice includes flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness. I was first introduced to the 5 Rhythms in my Hellerwork training and I find it applicable in everything from typing to jogging.

How about creating your own favorite form of exercise? What do you love? If volleyball, tap dance, and tae bo are your thing, put them together every once in a while for a new type of exercise, all your own.

Love Your Body

2009-02-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

Few people truly love their bodies. We usually have more criticism for them than admiration, even though they make our lives possible—even pleasurable.

When you look in the mirror, what’s the first thing you think? It’s typical to say, “I look too fat.” Or “I need to lose __ pounds.”

Then we get into specific flaws. My breasts are too small. My hips are too large. Look at that flab. And my neck. What to do about those wrinkles? And that cellulite, ugh!

It continues with criticism about our bodies’ function. It’s not strong enough or flexible enough or energetic enough or fast enough.

How many negative comments do we make about our bodies for every positive one?

What’s ironic is that the mind is making all these nasty “observations,” as though it is the body’s fault. But what part of us decides to work nine hours a day and leave no time for exercise or healthy eating? It’s the mind, of course!

No wonder there’s an epidemic of internal conflict that shows up as lethargy and dis-ease, including immune system disorders, depression, and chronic pain. Since the mind and body can’t get a divorce, it’s time for some serious counseling.

Here’s a start. Give gratitude to your body for everything it does. Let it make some decisions in your life. You might be surprised that it wants to swim, dance, or play. If given the choice, your body will naturally lose weight, be stronger and more flexible.

Next time when you look in the mirror, send your body some love. Find ten good things about it before you allow a criticism to creep up. It truly is amazing—and it is one of the best parts of you!

Looking for a Sensual Valentine's Gift?

2009-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is about love, not material things, so get your sweetie what he or she really wants—a more sensuous you. You don’t need to go shopping. Sensuality doesn’t come from cologne, Victoria’s Secret or poetry. It’s being more comfortable in your own skin, so you can connect intimately.

How do you get more sensuous?
1. Slow down from a hurried everyday pace into the slow-motion rhythm of a tango dancer making an entrance. Let go of any movements that feel programmed or robotic. Saunter.
2. Pay attention to the details of everything: yourself, your mate, your environment, even when (or maybe especially when) you are dropping your clothes in the laundry basket.
3. Move like you are being admired; highlight your attributes and strike a pose every now and then. Add a flourish to routine activities.

Here are two fun undulation exercises to get you in the mood.

For Ladies: Snake Arms
1. Stand with your feet comfortably apart and flexible knees.
2. Lean to one side. As you lean, reach your arm out to that same side.
3. Come back to center. Move from your spine first; draw your body toward the opposite side and reach with the other arm.
4. Take minute to sway from side to side, remembering the tips for sensuality. Slow down, pay attention to the details, and move like you are being admired.
5. Now that your spine is flowing, add to the arm movement. As you lean to the left, reach with your left arm and raise it up with your bent elbow higher than your softly bent wrist so that your fingers point to the floor.
6. When you lean to the right, the right arm reaches and raises elbow first, as your left arm drops gradually, with the elbow leading arm and wrist bent so that the fingers point to the ceiling.
7. Let your spine and shoulders roll with the movements, all the way through your neck and out the top of your head, but be careful of whiplash with your neck.
8. As you get more comfortable with this movement, spread your feet farther apart so that your body can sway further to each side.

Especially for Men: Tailbone Penmanship
(Teach your man this and you’ll both be happy!)
1. Get on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hip joints.
2. Warm up your body for a minute. Move your hips, back, and shoulders.
3. Pretend your tailbone is a laser pointer that sends a beam of red light to the floor between your ankles.
4. Draw a cursive letter “a” with your laser pointer. Take your time and try to smooth out the curves.
5. Go through the alphabet from “a” to “z.” Try to initiate most of the movement from your pelvis, rather than your legs, so your hips swivel on your thigh bones and nudge your spine from side to side.
6. Coordinate the movement of your tail and spine to create more flexibility in your low back.
7. Write “I Love You!”

What you do next is up to you.

**Both exercises are excerpted from Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation, the audio version is Undulation Exercises.

Top 5 Benefits of Undulation

2009-01-31T19:00:00.000-08:00

There’s plenty to do to stay healthy: aerobic exercise, strength training, stretching, good nutrition, relaxation techniques, laughing, breathing, brain exercises. It’s hard enough to find time for well-rounded routine self care, so it takes compelling reasons to do something new and different.

Here are five compelling reasons to incorporate undulation into your regular habits. The additional benefit is that it only takes five minutes a day to gain these benefits.

#1 Undulation increases flexibility. Most people think that stretching is the key to flexibility, but often muscles are dehydrated and encased in stiff connective tissue, which stretching doesn’t change. If your muscles are crunchy and tight and stretching hasn't helped, try undulation. The flowing, micro-movements of undulation make muscles more pliable and flexible.

#2 Strengthen core muscles. Hundreds of muscle fibers surround the spine—and most go unused in the average person resulting in back pain and stiffness. Typical exercise leaves these smaller muscles, like the multifidi, semispinalis, and rotators, weak. The small, focused movements of undulation strengthen core muscles around the spine.

#3 Nourish the spine. Fluid filled discs provide cushion between the vertebrae, which can shrink and bulge when not in optimal condition. As a matter of fact, up to one-fifth of your spinal height comes from the discs, so if you’ve become shorter with age, your discs have probably shrunk. Since the discs don’t receive blood supply, they depend on gentle movements to stay healthy. Undulation is just the right amount of movement to nourish discs and ligaments.

#4 Increased body awareness. Many injuries can be avoided when you are in tune with your body, am I’m not just talking about stubbing your toe or missing a step. When you take a few minutes every day to listen to what your body needs and respond accordingly, you develop a different awareness that benefits your entire life. Undulation teaches you to tune in.

#5 Other movements become easier. The spine is the center of movement, so when it is flexible (see #1), strong (#2), and healthy (#3), every movement more comfortable, from looking over your shoulder to swinging a golf club to reaching into a cabinet.

Try the undulations shown in these videos and audio samples. If you want to learn more, check out Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation. If you are already undulating, remember to incorporate five minutes into your daily activities for a strong, flexible, healthy spine; while waiting for the computer to turn on, in the shower, or between the buzzes of the snooze alarm.

Free Form Undulation

2009-01-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

When you have a tight spot or kink in your back, you can use a specific undulation from the book or CDs to relieve the stress, or you can use Free Form to engage your body's wisdom to unwind and relax.

Movement Nature Meant, Ruthy Alon

2009-01-16T05:44:00.000-08:00

Ruthy Alon, a Feldenkrais practitioner, emphasizes that movement is the essence of being alive. She says that whoever you are, in whatever condition, you can always improve the quality of how you move. She encourages you to feel safe and comfortable and to investigate the variations of movement. For example, how do you go from lying down to sitting up, in a way that is both comfortable and efficient?

Watch how gracefully she moves, how she uses the “momentum of the spiral” to move gradually and comfortably.

I love how she undulates for fun and also builds this vital movement into everyday activities.

Undulation of the Week To Release Your Neck

2009-01-09T06:01:00.000-08:00

There's been a fair amount of neck pain in my life lately. Several of my clients have reported it, I've had a bit, and the weather has been a royal pain in the neck, too. I've used the Yes-No-Maybe So Undulation to relieve the stiffness and creakiness. Here's a video.

You can also do this sitting in a chair or standing. The "Yes" part is a bit more difficult, but the "No" and "Maybe So" are easier, especially when standing.

Low Cost Exercise

2009-01-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Low-Cost Exercise
Eliminating unnecessary expenses is a natural reaction to the downturn in the economy. At the same time staying active and healthy is more important than ever, so it makes sense to recommit to your fitness goals. (Who wants to pay for a doctor’s visit or medication, especially when money is tight?) If a new treadmill or gym membership isn’t in your budget this year, here are some low-cost ideas to keep your exercise habit fresh and inspired.

Free
You can find many good videos on You Tube, just be careful to follow someone with expertise and safety advice. Here are two aerobic exercise videos, but you can also search for other areas such as strength training, yoga, belly dance, and more.

Expert village Aerobic exercise

Beginner’s aerobic

You can also put a CD in your music player and dance. Your favorite dance tunes will not only get your body moving, you'll improve your mood, too.

Your local library also has exercise books and tapes for free!

Another idea is to call a friend for an exercise date: a hike, bike ride, or maybe to try some of those old Tae Bo tapes that are gathering dust. Better yet, call a friend who has the new WiiFitness or WiiSports program. Fifteen minutes of video boxing or playing tennis will get your heart rate up.

Low Cost
You may not be in the market for equipment, but you can round out your fitness with a new exercise book. Here are some to consider.

A Bit More (But still under $100)
Investing in a session with personal trainer or private yoga or Pilates instruction can help you develop a satisfying home practice. These professionals will work with the equipment you already have to tailor a workout plan just for you.

Staying in shape doesn’t have to be expensive. When we were kids—riding bikes, climbing trees, skipping rope, and basically just using our bodies as they were intended—spending money wasn't required for motivation. Rediscover your youthful enthusiasm for movement and you’ll establish a fitness habit that isn’t dampened by economic trends.

Routine Physical Exam, Written by Jim Dohn, DC, CHP

2009-01-02T06:21:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows regular physical health check-ups are important.
How about regular functional, emotional and spiritual health check-ups?
Do you exercise your body regularly?
Do you have some form of regular meditation or prayer?
Can you touch your toes?
Can you hold a sit up position for 10 seconds?
What’s on your gratitude list? Is it getting longer as you get older?
Have you written a fears and resentments list? Is it getting shorter as you get older?
Is there one other Human Being who knows you completely?
Do you breathe completely and steadily for a time each day?
Do you have a regular service commitment?

Just wondering.

And

What would you put on this list?

Undulation of the Week, Tree Tops

2008-12-26T11:50:00.001-08:00

Like many of the undulation exercises, Tree Tops can fit right into your daily activities. When you notice the trees around you, simply get grounded and imitate their fluid movements. The trees in this video inspired me.

Expand your ability to undulate like many different types of trees: palm, oak, redwood.

Constructive Rest Position

2008-12-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

When you have too much to do and not enough energy to do it, consider a version of the power nap. Just five minutes of rest using the constructive rest position will recharge your batteries, and if you have 20 minutes to spare, you will stand up totally refreshed. Note that your mind can race through its lists, but after a couple of minutes, even it will relax. Try it and let me know how it works for you.

Partners, Undulation of the Week

2008-12-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone with a stiff spine? After just a bit of undulation practice, you can help him or her loosen the kinks by following your lead -- back to back. Whether sitting or standing, this is a lot of fun. Just be careful to work within your partner's range of motion.