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Are you getting your "5 a Day"?
We’re all told about how we need to eat our 5 fruit and vegetables a day to stay healthy and fit but slightly less well known is how we should all be incorporating the 5 basic movements of our spine into our everyday lives.
A healthy spine should maintain 5 basic functions with ease: Back bending, forward bending, reaching side to side, inverting and twisting. These basic movements will aid not only the health of the spine but will support the health of the whole body.
By moving the spine daily and supporting its basic functions, you’ll condition your nervous system, organs, musculoskeletal system, and circulatory system.
When you aren’t practicing Pilates or Yoga then make sure you add these basic spinal movements to your daily routine, several times a day. Even if by simply getting up from a desk or before bed, give your body a friendly reminder by bending in all directions and you’ll be helping to pattern the body with good habits to counter the effects of months or years of bad habits or neglect.
Try out this practice as well which will take about 10 – 15 minutes. You’ll see the difference in days (but please check with your teacher first if you have any injuries or conditions):
1. Kneel on a padded floor or your yoga mat. Bring your big toes together and move the knees wide to about hip width apart. Sink your hips back to your heels and bow forwards towards the floor, resting your head on your hands or a cushion if need be. Take a 5 – 10 deep breaths towards your back and let your spine relax.
2. As you breathe in, ease your way up to all 4’s. Remain on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. As you breathe in let the spine lengthen forwards so your chest lifts up and you emphasise the arch in your lower back. As you breathe out draw your navel in, round your back, let your chin tuck into your chest and lengthen the back of your spine. Continue this movement 5 – 10 times. (This is forward and backward bending)
3. From the same position, breathe in, lengthen your spine and arch your back and as you breathe out tuck your toes under, lift your hips towards the ceiling and stretch back into downward dog (an upside down 'V' position) with your hips stretching up and back and slightly soft knees. You should feel a strong stretch in your back and hamstrings. (This is an inverted position which plumps up the spongy discs in between the vertebrae)
4. Take 5 deep breaths here and then slowly walk your hands in towards your feet, bending your knees as much as you need to until your spine is hanging down into a standing forward bend.
5. Place the right hand on your right shin or on the floor beneath you. As you breathe in extend the left arm up towards the ceiling and take 5 breaths here (either looking towards your left hand or towards your mat). As you exhale then release your left arm and bring your left hand to your left shin, taking the right arm up towards the ceiling and spending 5 breaths here. Exhale and release. (This movement twists the spine). As you fold forward, spend 10 – 12 breaths here feeling the backs of the knees open and the spine release.
6. Slowly roll your way up to standing, stacking one vertebrae on top of another at a time. Make sure your chin remains tucking in and that your head is the last part of your spine to lift up.
7. As you come to standing, lift both arms above your head and interlace your fingers. Relax your shoulders down away from your ears and feel your ribs inflate as you breathe in. On the exhalation drop your hips towards the right and take your arms towards the left and find 5 long and deep breaths into your right lung and the right side of your body. As you breathe in, bring your arms back to the centre and as your breathe out drop your hips towards the left and take your arms towards the right. Breathe for 5 into the left lung and on the inhalation draw your arms back to the centre and then release. (This is a side or lateral stretch of the spine)
8. Take a few breaths here, noticing how your body feels and then continue with your day feeling taller and noticing any changes of sensation in your back, pelvis, chest and shoulders.
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