CORE RESTORE METHOD | Lesson 3 | Proprioception For Pain Relief + Better Function

Published: Fri, 04/27/18

Hey

This week we focused on finding + engaging the gluts - in addition to our "move from the hips" motto - and many students have struggled with isolating / triggering gluts.

So before we delve into today's topic - which is balance + propioception - let's take a look at our sitting habits.

Consider this:

If we sit on our sitting bones, as they are designed, we honor both the fold at the hip (hip flexion), and also the lumbar curve. { Lots more on the gluts next week}.

If / when we sit slumped onto the very back of the sitting bones {with the tail tucked under}, we are sitting on our tailbone + sacrum, instead of allowing the tailbone to float free in its natural connective tissue matrix.

This particular situation changes the gluteal tissue itself, and also how it is innervated - which can lead to difficulties locating + engaging the gluts, as well as trouble through the upper body.

This week pay particular attention to your sitting habits:

Can you identify the hip hinge in sitting?

Are your spinal curves preserved in a sitted position - when you sit on the chair? when you sit on the floor?

Now over to proprioception + balance:

We've done a some intense ball rolling this week - and many of you found that there's a lot of tightness / tension in all sorts of new places.

Human stabilization system is an intricate relationship between the information coming from the muscles, joints and tendons and the way our brain processes this information. When it works properly, this complex system can balance our bodies relative to our environment… even if our environment changes moment to moment.

Stiff, unyielding muscles send low quality + incorrect information to the decision making center – the brain.The brain, not knowing that information is based on stiffness, makes overcorrection – a wobble or a lurching movement – to stabilize, and forthwith comes tension.

Try this {we've done this in the first class}:

Balance on one foot. Any wavering?

Now close your eyes. Any change in stillness?

Did you feel yourself move more when you closed your eyes?

Here’s why: the eyes are not a part of sensory input required for wholly-body balance – muscles, joints, tendons and bones are! Your muscles, tendons and joints should know where they are without looking. If, however, they send fuzzy pictures to your brain (due to tightness), you begin to rely on your eyes for balance.

Eyes + vestibular apparatus are part of the system that balances the head, all of the time (this is part of our survival mechanism). Visual cues from your eyes will establish your overall balance no matter how jacked up and out of alignment the rest of your body is. Compensations galore!

It gets worse!

Imagine the stress of falling down the stairs: your hold your breath, your heart is beating wildly as adrenal glands dump stress chemicals into your blood stream; you automatically brace for the impact, shortening and tightening your muscles.

Now imagine that you are falling just a little, but with each and every step.

How many steps do you take during the day? This small sensation + stress of falling and catching yourself (which, for most part happens below the level of our awareness) accumulates over time, leading not only to tissue degeneration in your catching parts (knee cartilage, spinal disks, among others), but also to exhaustion of your adrenaline system, leading to adrenal fatigue and diseases of nervous system such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, insomnia, depression, and decline in nervous tissue health.

Our body contains a complex information / coordination system, that lets us know, without even looking, where each muscle, bone, and tendon is in space. Our brain, better than the best engineer, pilot, or computer software system, can balance you body both relative to yourself, and also to your environment. This is the level of stability we are aiming for!

Poor proprioception contributes to chronic pain - and converse, persistent pain can really screw up our proprioception. The good news is that rebuilding proprioception can and does reduce pain.

Here is some more reading in that regard - and a handy image to help you understand how pain changes the brain.

This Week At A Glance

I will hold off on glut isolation sequences till next week.

In the mean time practice the following:

*Marching Legs | Try this exercise in a variety of positions; remember that a lot of things change when you change your relationship to gravity, so start in the easiest position - on your back, and work your way from there. We will be following this pattern in class as well, refining it as we go.

Core Restore Foundational sequence - it seems to work well in both building awareness and strength (please remember that getting to be at ease might take several days or several weeks - depending on how often you practice and what is your starting point):

1. Lying on the back with both feel on the core ball - roll the ball forward and back, while keeping the torso quiet. If this feels difficult, starting with one foot on the ball and gradually building from there is a smart move.

2. When you feel completely at ease (as in you don't need to tense up or hold your breath to maintain quiet torso) with #1, lift your arms up (arms up, fingertips to sky, palms face each other, back shoulders on the mat.)

3. When completely at ease with #2, try the marching legs exercise with hips on the ball. While this might feel counter-intuitive {as the ball is unstable surface}, it will actually position your rib cage in a more favorable position for you to be able to turn off the muscles of your back and, instead, use the muscles around the hip joint and legs.

4. When completely at ease with #3, do the same exercise with arms in the air (follow the arm guidelines from #2)

5. When completely at ease with #4, rest the arms down, and do the same exercise with legs straight - scissor legs.

6. When completely at ease with # 5, lift the arms up and do scissor legs again.

7. When completely at ease with #6, remove the ball and repeat the whole sequence, starting with bent knee and transitioning forward to scissor legs + arms in the air.

8. When completely at ease with #7, try doing same sequence but on an unstable surface - bolster to start with, and then the foam roller for more challenge.

Once these are comfortable ( for most people, mastering these takes anywhere between 2 - 8 months), transition to same exercises on your side, and then in standing.

Enjoy your lovely weekend!

*The original name for "Marching Legs" was "Marching Abs"; since the inception of this exercise my views have changed, so I do not teach abdominal activation in this exercise. Play with the description and see what fits you best!

See you on the mat!

Julia + SATORI YOGA TEAM