Wendy Brom: Karen, so we're going to come into the back-lift movement, which is really effective in releasing muscle tension in the entire back line of our body. This is the go-to movement for any kind of back pain, because we're not going to shine a light on a single focused area here. We're going to be working with the entire pattern.
When you're ready Karen you can draw this right shoulder blade down toward the left hip, so we're kind of moving at a diagonal. And then you'll lift that arm and head up with that, and then lift the left leg. You can do a few little practice movements getting into it if you'd like. It's really helpful when you're new to the movement to just break it down into smaller parts, but Karen's been doing this for a little while. So now we're moving into the whole pattern of it. We have muscle fibers that run in this diagonal pattern that work together. This is a movement that releases all of that chronic contraction in the back of our body. Which is a result of us propping ourselves up through the world most of the time, and this results from, really, (in our culture it's so predominant) because we're over-stressed and overworked and we are just getting through each moment.
We kind of create this contraction in the back line of the body. And, you know, Muscle Memory is a real thing! Our bodies then stay that way. We have this pain that results from the muscles being chronically tight. So we're now re-educating them! We're going into that contraction on purpose, getting the brain involved in the releasing and the lengthening out. Even three to five of these is really effective.
Karen, how do you feel? Do you feel complete or do you feel like you need to do another couple or one?
Karen: I think I need just one more.
Wendy Brom: One more? Okay...
Karen: Now it feels like it’s coordinated more.
Wendy Brom: Now you feel more coordinated, lovely. And do you feel like you have more length? And a little more freedom?
Karen: Yeah through my left hip for sure. And the right ribs.
Wendy Brom: Great. So let's have you roll onto your back. Great, and let's have you bend your knees. And just do a few arch, that, come into the arch of the back body. Okay. And then that slow release. Take your time. Just let the back float down, like a parachute floats down. Gentle release. So you're coming to neutral, you're not using any muscle strength to bring the back down to the table. And then you can come into the curl; the little bit of that flattening of the back where you contract the front of the body and even lift the shoulders a bit. There. So now we're getting into all the muscles on the front line of the body, going into the contraction on purpose, and then slowly now releasing.
We're kind of doing a little bit of recalibration from the other movements and bringing a little more integration in. So you can even see as you watch her, you know, even this pattern. Which, you know, some of us may find that we have that in our bodies as well with the shoulders coming in. Now she's getting into that to clean that up, so what we're really doing-cleaning it up, creating some new muscle memory here. So this integration piece at the end now, this is really important to, as you release, take a pause in the release. We want to be creating some new muscle memory!
So, the more you practice, the more competence you can build with this. And ultimately the goal is then to have it become your new normal in your posture.
Alright, so Karen let's do a little bit more integration so that you can create more of a memory in your body. You're going to press into your feet and start to shake yourself up and down. Yeah, and now just play. Do a little play and just feel, just notice how your body feels different. Just sense and feel where you are now compared to when you came in today.
Karen: I have more freedom!
Wendy Brom: You have more freedom? That's the goal!
So what's really great about this too, and you can share how you feel, Karen, but, when we have this more suppleness in our body and we're able to move more freely, our mind is more relaxed. It just, it's, there's no way that it can't be, Right?
So this is a great "IN" to even, I mean, to just be reducing stress completely in your body and your mind. You have, you really have less of a heaviness to you to. Like, you look lighter, right? So when we get, kind of, all of that tightness out of our trunk of our body, then we can stand, even stand, where you feel more grounded and then there's this automatic rebound up; it's more effortless. Like you have less effort into moving in your body.
Karen: It feels less effort but still stronger somehow.
Wendy Brom: I think what you said is really what it comes down to, is having more freedom. So more freedom in our, how we feel in our body, more freedom in how we even, where we are in our minds, our emotions, and then even more freedom for life, just so we can go out and do all the things that we want to do and not be in pain doing it!
