Sound the Trombones for Undulation Break

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.

Coming Soon: An Undulation Software Program

Exercise of the Month: Easy Sway Variation

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.

Body Rolling Book Review

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

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: Head Waggle

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.

Exercise of the Month: Hula Hoop

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 of the Week, Tree Tops

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.

Undulation Audiobook Soon to be Released

Hurray for the UPS guy! Today he brought four boxes of my new audiobook, Undulation Exercises http://www.amazon.com/Undulation-Exercises-Anita-Boser/dp/097961791X. That means 40 boxes were delivered to the distributor, and Amazon will soon have copies to ship, perhaps even as early as next week.

The four CD set looks beautiful and sounds even better. This is what I’ve been waiting for: to be led through undulation exercises that unwind my spine with relaxing background music. I can even get over the fact that it’s my own voice (you know how your voice grates on your own ears), because the studio (http://www.withanh.net/) did such a nice job with the music and mixing.

You can hear two sample exercises by going to http://www.undulationexercise.com/ and clicking The Audio Book link on the left side, then scrolling down to Personal Wave and Mermaid. Personal Wave is relaxing, especially for the low back and neck, and Mermaid is extremely fun and a great exercise for the hips.