Unpaid Bills. Pending deadlines. An argument with the spouse. It’s no revelation that every-day stressors such as these trigger tension within the body, manifested by an uncomfortable tightness in the neck and shoulders, and an overall stiffness of spine. But what is less obvious is the slow-building tension which creeps up through your arms, accumulating between the shoulder blades. The first step in preventing such discomfort is to stop tension in its tracks by loosening your grip.
Take a minute to visualize your body while performing some common, daily tasks. Is using a computer part of your daily routine? Next time you use the computer, take a moment to assess how much pressure you’re placing on the mouse, and how this affects the neck and shoulder. Try relaxing your wrist, palm, and fingers so that you can move the mouse using feather-weight touch.
Each time you relax your grip, you convert tension into comfort and simultaneously take pressure off your carpel tunnel.
Driving is another common activity which generates stress. Release tension during your drive by loosening your grip on the steering wheel. When you relax your normal iron-strength grasp on the wheel and maneuver turns with relaxed palms and flexible fingers, you create a fluidity of motion that will translate up the arms, relieving tightness in the shoulders. Try using this technique when performing other hands-on activities. Anything you put your hands on — be it a pen, or a toothbrush — has the ability to increase (or release) tension within the body.
Specialized movements called Undulations also aid in dissolving the bodily tension daily stressors produce. Undulations serve the body in a variety of ways; from increasing flexibility and strengthening core muscles, to nourishing the spine, Undulations allow your body to perform normal movements with ease.
Set aside as little as five minutes a day to perform Undulations, such as “Easy Sway,” and you will feel more relaxed the rest of the day.
Performing “Easy Sway” is simple.
* Start by sitting evenly in a chair above your “sit” bones. (To find the sit bones, try sitting on top of your hands, and feel for hard lumps. These lumps are your sit bones).
* Once evenly seated, move your upper body, swaying from the waist up. Sway to the left, and to the right. Continue swaying for approximately one minute, noticing which parts of your spine move freely, and which feel stiff.
* Stop Swaying. Take a moment to breath before continuing movement. Initiate a new movement from one of the inflexible places in your body — perhaps from your neck, hips, or between your shoulder blades.
* As you continue, cast your attention inward; take time to notice the many different places in the spine. Keep your movements soft and easy.
* Stop every minute, and begin again from a new area. The quality and quantity of movement will vary depending on what part of your body leads.
* When you are finished, rest for approximately one minute, or until all Undulation sensations subside.
This simple Undulation exercise allows you to self-evaluate each vertebra and release restriction using flowing movement. While anxiety of the mind creates tension in the body, the fluidity of the body promotes a calm state of mind. Performing such Undulations will force your breath to lengthen, expanding your mind and dissolving bodily tension.
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