HUGE stretching tip that most people miss
"Brainy What-Why-How"
Your weekly nibble of brain-based tips to help you move and feel great!
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What:
Your spinal cord can stretch up to 9cm when your spine is in flexion (rounding forward) 🤯
This can add tension to all the other nerves that 🌳 branch 🌳 out of it
(your nervous system is basically a tree 🌳)
Why:
This is noteworthy because you can control how much tension you put on a nerve by changing what your spine is doing.
And sometimes, putting tension on a nerve (i.e. stretching it) is HELPFUL.
This is because like muscles, nerves NEED to be stretched.*
How:
Put it into practice by:
lifting your chin away from your chest to remove the tension on a nerve
For example: if your sciatic nerve bothers you in forward folding postures, you can release some of the tension by lifting your chin away from your chest
or bring your chin towards your chest to create more tension
Sometimes a nerve can respond well to being stretched, and this chin-to-chest movement can help with that.
BONUS TIP: before moving your neck, lengthen it: pull your chin back (give yourself a double chin) and then either bring the chin towards or away from the chest.
BONUS TIP 2: if you want even more tension, tilt your head to the side (ear to shoulder) -- away from the leg you're stretching. Do this from C5: so keep the neck long, as if you're reaching your ear to the edge of your shoulder.
BONUS TIP 3: add more movement to your spine, like I demonstrate in ​this 21-second video​.
Wishing you a great week my fellow tree,
Adell 🌳
*Nerve mobilisation in all its glory is a module in my NeuroYoga teacher training 🤓 🧠​On sale now​
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