Cat Stretch - Daily Exercise for Back Relief and Getting Over Muscle Back Spasms to Feel Better Now
The cat stretch is a series of 7 simple movement patterns to provide back relief, let go of back muscle spasms, improve hip mobility and free the neck and other muscle tension holding patterns.
All the major muscles and joints of the body are covered.
To restore natural flexibility like a cat has to do with the ability to do what all healthy cats do in the morning.
Naturally, they pandiculate, whereas we've thought they were stretching.
Cats, like other healthy vertebrate animals actually contract their limbs and certain parts of their body generally some 7 - 10 times in the morning.
Then they artfully release themselves after taking out any muscular shortness or stiffness which accrues overnight.
The result is less tension and a freer set of muscles.
Some 333 years ago, the founder of modern clinical medicine, Herman Boerhaave, noted pandiculations brings muscles to rest.
Fortunately, Thomas Hanna, the author of "Somatics", systematized certain movement patterns which are known today as somatics exercises where we use the brain's motor cortex to reset the resting rate of tension in our skeletal muscles.
This allows us to regain mobility and restore natural flexibility so our muscles remain comfortable.
All those aches, discomforts, stiffness, and feelings of being bound up or stressed, can be relieved through a simple reset of our nervous system with simple, easy movements.
Much like gently untying a knot, our tissues respond more readily when we pay close conscious attention to what we are doing with our limbs.
Our ability to be agile comes from reminding our movement system how to coordinate its actions.
This doesn't have to be hard work, instead we use our sensitivity and feel our way to more comfortable ranges of motion.
The upside is our muscles become both relaxed and more functional.
Our movement system gets rebalanced.
The feelings of freedom in movement return.
All of this is on account of the brain's ability to send chemicals of relaxation to the targeted areas.
Now our muscles are ready to go, until they need the next self-adjustment.
The 7 simple movements of the cat stretch address the following areas: 1.
This is the key somatics exercise movement to wakeup the spine and get the brain's cerebrospinal fluid moving.
This is a modified version of the yoga cat stretch where we simply lie on our back and flex and extend the spine.
2.
The second movement releases held tension in the upper body, chest and front of the neck.
3.
This movement is excellent to release the back and hamstrings.
This is a go to, if we experience a back muscle spasm.
4.
Too much sitting can cause the body to hunch and this movement pattern releases those holding patterns.
We also rewire our cross walking pattern so we can comfortably amble about.
5.
This delicious movement frees hundreds of muscles along the spine, shoulders and releases the hips to swivel more readily.
6.
This lower body 3 part sequence addresses the ankle, knees, thighs and connects the pattern all the way up to the neck and shoulders.
You'll be able to kick up those heels once again.
7.
The final movement releases the neck, spine and furthers coordinates the hip to give us the ability to twist more freely.
Anyone can do these movements at any age.
To have cat-like agility, mobility, balance and grace in motion is simply a brain thing where mindful movements known as the cat stretch restores the comfortable feelings of freedom we had as a child.
All the major muscles and joints of the body are covered.
To restore natural flexibility like a cat has to do with the ability to do what all healthy cats do in the morning.
Naturally, they pandiculate, whereas we've thought they were stretching.
Cats, like other healthy vertebrate animals actually contract their limbs and certain parts of their body generally some 7 - 10 times in the morning.
Then they artfully release themselves after taking out any muscular shortness or stiffness which accrues overnight.
The result is less tension and a freer set of muscles.
Some 333 years ago, the founder of modern clinical medicine, Herman Boerhaave, noted pandiculations brings muscles to rest.
Fortunately, Thomas Hanna, the author of "Somatics", systematized certain movement patterns which are known today as somatics exercises where we use the brain's motor cortex to reset the resting rate of tension in our skeletal muscles.
This allows us to regain mobility and restore natural flexibility so our muscles remain comfortable.
All those aches, discomforts, stiffness, and feelings of being bound up or stressed, can be relieved through a simple reset of our nervous system with simple, easy movements.
Much like gently untying a knot, our tissues respond more readily when we pay close conscious attention to what we are doing with our limbs.
Our ability to be agile comes from reminding our movement system how to coordinate its actions.
This doesn't have to be hard work, instead we use our sensitivity and feel our way to more comfortable ranges of motion.
The upside is our muscles become both relaxed and more functional.
Our movement system gets rebalanced.
The feelings of freedom in movement return.
All of this is on account of the brain's ability to send chemicals of relaxation to the targeted areas.
Now our muscles are ready to go, until they need the next self-adjustment.
The 7 simple movements of the cat stretch address the following areas: 1.
This is the key somatics exercise movement to wakeup the spine and get the brain's cerebrospinal fluid moving.
This is a modified version of the yoga cat stretch where we simply lie on our back and flex and extend the spine.
2.
The second movement releases held tension in the upper body, chest and front of the neck.
3.
This movement is excellent to release the back and hamstrings.
This is a go to, if we experience a back muscle spasm.
4.
Too much sitting can cause the body to hunch and this movement pattern releases those holding patterns.
We also rewire our cross walking pattern so we can comfortably amble about.
5.
This delicious movement frees hundreds of muscles along the spine, shoulders and releases the hips to swivel more readily.
6.
This lower body 3 part sequence addresses the ankle, knees, thighs and connects the pattern all the way up to the neck and shoulders.
You'll be able to kick up those heels once again.
7.
The final movement releases the neck, spine and furthers coordinates the hip to give us the ability to twist more freely.
Anyone can do these movements at any age.
To have cat-like agility, mobility, balance and grace in motion is simply a brain thing where mindful movements known as the cat stretch restores the comfortable feelings of freedom we had as a child.