MINI ME TIME!

MICRO WORKOUTs at home can be a great way to keep some balance in your life and give yourself time to check in with your body. They can also, sometimes, evolve into deluxe, hour long meditations or an invigorating session.

As a new mother I am very appreciative of how busy life can be and how hard it can be to find 'me time'. My leisurely pre-motherhood life allowed me the luxury of long pilates & yoga at home and up to 3 regular classes a week. Many of us are juggling work, social lives, family, study, housework, hobbies and creative projects, not to mention fitting in time to meditate, eat properly, take regular exercise, relax, keep our minds active with a good book, spend time with our pets, garden etc etc. Scheduling in a couple of hours for exercise a week is important for fitness (physically), but also for mental balance, time to switch off and to tune in to your body and it's wisdom.

MINI (or micro) 'ME TIME'

My tighter time schedule has led me to appreciate the importance of small snatches of time in which to fit in a couple of stretches or exercises. Sometimes I only manage one a day, and some days I'll do several (by the end of the day I'm sure it adds up to a fairly good session!). We all have areas of tightness or imbalance, part of our physical selves we need to nourish & attend to. It's quite incredible what you can achieve in a small space of time to make your shoulders or hips feel looser, to relax your neck, lengthen your spine, give a muscle group a good workout or spend some time breathing and letting go of any tension or stress in body or mind.

I enthusiastically encourage my Pilates clients to do homework, and I can almost ALWAYS tell when they do. A few simple exercises or stretches that are specific for your posture or a particular goal you have, will make a BIG difference over the weeks, and will enable you to progress with your goals more quickly. Try to remember an exercise you find really enjoyable or challenging, or one you can feel your body wants and see if you can find the time to do it every day, or every second day, or even once during the week before your next class! You can always jot it down straight after class so you won't forget, and if you can't remember it, make sure to pay attention next time.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

 TRY THIS MINI WORKOUT

Discontinue if you feel any discomfort during ANY exercise, consult a medical professional before beginning any excercise programme. These exercises are for healthy individuals and are not recommended for anyone with any pathologies, injuries or conditions without supervision from a qualified practitioner.

 BOOK OPENINGS

Lie on your side, knees bent into a right angle with your knees in line with your hip bones. Place a small ball or rolled up towel between your knees, and a pillow or rolled up towel under your head. Reach your arms forward to the wall infront, in line with your sternum.

Inhale: Lift your top arm up to the ceiling and look at your thumb.

Exhale: Open your arm and follow your thumb with your eyes, head and ribcage. Rotate your spine towards the floor, keeping your arm in line with your collar bones.

This is a rotation for your upper spine. Keep your knees still and your ribs at the front softening together.

THORACIC SPINE STRETCH (TOWEL)

Roll up a towel and place it under your upper back (width ways/ parallel with your collar bones). Arms out to the side or behind your head. Rest here for 2-10 mins.

You can move the towel up or down to stretch different parts of the spine. 

This should feel comfortable and your back should be relaxed. If it causes any discomfort please stop!

PELVIC CURL (BRIDGE)

 

Lie on your back, feet hip width apart and knees bent.

Exhale to peel the spine off the floor, one vertebra at a time 

Inhale hold and find length through the spine

Exhale articulate the spine back down to the mat

Inhale hold

Repeat 3-10 times

 Detailed in Sally Anderson's article in Body & Soul! Sally Anderson is one of Australia's most esteemed instructors, and founder of the Pilates Alliance, Pilates industry body.

 http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/body+fitness/news+features/work+the+whole+body+with+pilates,11711

SPINE TWIST

 There are several versions of the spine twist, this is a 'lazy man's' version which is really gentle and relaxing. 

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet on the floor, a little wider than your pelvis. Arms out to the side, palms up, at shoulder height.

Exhale to drop both knees to one side and hold for 1-3 breaths
Exhale to draw in the belly and bring the knees back to center,.

Repeat 3-5 times each side.

QUADRUPED SWIMMING

Kneeling with hands under shoulders and knees under hip bones.

Exhale to lift the abdomen and slide one arm and the opposite leg away from each other, maintaining a still pelvis and spine
Inhale hold and find length in the spine
Exhale return

Repeat 3-5 each side progressing to a full leg and arm float off the floor

Exercising your Body-Mind

IN OUR MODERN WORLD, we recognise the interconnection of all things and beings. Quantum physics has paved the way for scientists, theologians, philosophers, artists and healers to embrace, and or, reassert the significance of the interconnectedness of life. The interrelation of the mind & the body is fascinating.  Once the body was thought of as being controlled by the mind. However, today, the body itself is seen as being a type of mind in its own right. We can also use the body to influence the mind, and the mind to influence the body! The boundaries between body & mind are becoming ever more blurred. Take that thought into the Pilates, yoga or movement class with you and start talking (and listening) to your body!

In 2007 I attended the Polestar Pilates International Conference in Sydney. The highlight for me, was Dr Louisa Walker's lecture 'Psyche and Soma: Emotions & the Bodymind'.  In her presentation, Louisa stated that the 'mind & body are inseparable in the organisms that we call the self', as both the body & the brain create & release chemicals that trigger our moods & behaviors. Each neuro-peptide receptor that is know in our brain, is also found throughout the body. Therefore, our states of mind are not specific to our brain, but are being created within the body itself. On the flip side, she also noted that many 'hormones', such as insulin, are also found in the brain.  The heart, for example, contains every neuro-peptide receptor (found in the brain), and many that govern emotions, leading to the idea that the heart is the place where our emotions ARE born. 'More afferent nerves (travel) from the heart to (the) brain than (from the) brain to (the) heart' (1).

A feeling, which may be felt in the stomach becomes processed by the brain to reveal information. Our 'gut instinct' has been found to have more credible validity. The entire lining of our intenstines is lined with nerve endings, which all contain neuropeptides and receptors(brain chemicals). This explains why we can feel emotions in our stomach. (2) 

HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY MIND

CREATING a new physical experience by working on the body, in turn creates a new psychological state, just as shifting your psychological 'frame of mind',  creates a new physical experience. Establishing a practice of conscious & mindful movement, is the beginning of a path towards both a more peaceful mental state, and also a more comfortable body to be in.

Most of us are aware of the importance of exercise to our physical health. Exercise is also publicised again and again as a vital component of mental health. Exercise increases endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, hormones which elevate mood. Exercise also improves concentration and decreases stress, helps to guard against dementia and Alzheimers, improves cognitive activity, and results in more energy, higher confidence & stronger discipline. (3)

TALKING TO YOUR BODY

(Bringing the Mind into the Body)

Usually our physical being operates without consciousness. We don't have to think about breathing, pumping blood, growing new cells or digesting food, neither do we, generally, have to think about how to physically make our bodies move. We clap, walk,  jump, run, lift, carry, and swim without little conscious thought to do so.  However, bringing consciousness to movement can affect, transform & improve it. You can actually think yourself into a more full breath, thereby creating more oxygen in the body. You can think yourself into a taller spine, therefore off loading the joints. With a mere thought or idea, you can slow your pulse, calm your nervous system, release muscular tension, alter the recruitment pattern of muscles, change the shape of your spine, pelvis, neck, shoulders, pretty much anything you can 'talk to' can be affected.

Improving your awareness of, and control of, your body, requires an active, participating mind. Focusing the mind into the body begins a process of dialogue between you & your body.  'The puzzle of mind-body healing is how a thought, a nonmaterial object, can cause the brain to make a material object, a neuropeptide molecule, that will initiate communication to the immune system or the endocrine system, eventually leading to healing' (4).


Many body workers & movement educators use imagery and visual techniques to create a  feeling or a picture within a body. Once this image is held in the mind, it can become actualised in the body. We in fact 'use the same brain regions to recreate mentally, a set of movements (we) would have used had (we) physically performed them'.(5)

MINDFUL MOVEMENT

Mindfulness is a practice in itself. Fostering mindfulness during Pilates, yoga or any form of exercise you enjoy, will expand the benefits beyond purely the physical, and will also effect your mental state, allowing you to work more transformatively on a physical level. Meditation or physical practices such as Pilates are a fantastic way to begin listening to your body. The intelligence of your body can reveal much, listening will help you to understand what your body needs. 

I enjoy watching clients  tuning in to their breath, learning to activate 'new' muscles, improve their postural awareness, release unnecessary muscular tension, and gain confidence in having an internal dialogue with their body. Eric Franklin, imagery master has a new book 'Beautiful Body - Beautiful Mind'. This text looks at how we can use imagery techniques for beauty as well as health! http://www.optp.com/Products/Beautiful-Body--Beautiful-Mind__8619.aspx

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Bend and you will be whole.

Curl and you will be straight.

Keep empty and you will be filled.

Grow old and you will be renewed.

Lao Tzu 'Tao Teh Ching'

MOVEMENT OF THE DAY 

Imagery Exercise 

Stand or sit. Where is the weight through your feet or sit bones? Where do you feel you are holding yourself up from? How do your shoulders feel?  What about your neck, pelvis, jaw and legs? Now tune into your spine and see it as a stack of vertebrae and see if you can create space between each vertebrae. Taking your mind to your coccyx, let it hang down toward the earth. Feel the top of your head floating lightly upwards like a helium balloon, creating space throughout your spine. Beginning with your coccyx, slowly move up the spine allowing each vertebrae to float above the one below. .As you move up the spine, let the rest of your body melt and soften. When you arrive at the skull, feel it floating away from the base of the spine.


How has this image changed your physical body? Has the weight shifted through your feet? How do your shoulders feel now? What about your neck, pelvis, jaw & legs? 


NOTES

(1) Dr Louise Walker 'Psyche & Soma: Emotions & the Bodymind'  pg 21 Handbook, Polestar Pilates Australia & New Zealand Inaugural International Conference 19-21st October 2007, Manly NSW, Australia



(2) Dr Louise Walker 'Psyche & Soma: Emotions & the Bodymind'  pg 22 Handbook, Polestar Pilates Australia & New Zealand Inaugural International Conference 19-21st October 2007, Manly NSW, Australia

(3) http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-of-Exercise-on-Mental-Health&id=4719639

(4) Dr Louise Walker 'Psyche & Soma: Emotions & the Bodymind'  pg 29 Handbook, Polestar Pilates Australia & New Zealand Inaugural International Conference 19-21st October 2007, Manly NSW, Australia

(5) Dr Louise Walker 'Psyche & Soma: Emotions & the Bodymind'  pg 28 Handbook, Polestar Pilates Australia & New Zealand Inaugural International Conference 19-21st October 2007, Manly NSW, Australia