Issue link: http://www.bodysensemagazinedigital.com/i/879590
14 Body Sense UNDULATE FOR SPINAL HEALTH Touch and movement practitioners have long used undulation with their clients as a way to free stuck connective tissue, make joints more mobile, and improve core muscle function. Much like the motion of a wave or a whip being cracked, this movement through the body is a natural rhythm, but that doesn't mean you might not feel awkward at first. Quiet your mind, focus on the movement, find your rhythm, and let it go. Exercise: 1. Come to your hands and knees. Lengthen your spine. 2. Extend your elbows. Bring your knees directly under your hips and your hands directly under your shoulders. 3. Gently begin a wave motion in your spine. Don't rush. Let an undulation pattern emerge and develop. Be slow and subtle at first. 4. Continue to explore undulating your whole spine as you breathe deeply. Allow the undulation to move in many directions. Let it slow down to stillness and then start again. 5. Let your mind surf the waves of your body. A constructive movement practice requires certain strategies to be successful, Fraser writes, including reducing movements to their most basic forms, strengthening what's weak and opening what's tight, and consciously extending the various segments of your body—from your neck and back to your fingers and toes. And remember, a movement practice is more than just physical movement—it's also contemplative. Quiet your mind as you do these exercises to really hear what your body is telling you. Once you stop to listen, it's amazing what you might hear. B S Karrie Osborn is senior editor for Body Sense magazine and Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. For more of Fraser's 100 lessons on movement and body awareness, check out her book at www.theexperimentpublishing.com/catalogs/spring-2017/stack-your-bones.