Add more spinal rotation to your life

Spinal rotation is one of the movements we tend to loose quickly in our modern more sedentary lifestyle.

The ability to rotate your spine has a big impact on the quality of your movements.

Spinal rotation

• does not only keep the joints of our spine healthy
• but it also has a positive effect on keeping our myofascial structures hydrated and flexible.
• And not to forget that we also keep our organs toned by rotating our spine.

One thing I find really fascinating about the spine is that the movement potential between the individual facet joints is really small. But put them all together and you get an impressive amount of movement out of it.

And than there is the fact that the different parts of your spine can rotate independently from each other, i.e. in different directions.

Let’s explore this with an exercise from The Franklin Method. This rotation sequence is part of a longer sequence ‘The Spine Dance’ in which we move the spine in all its possible directions.

For some people this exercise also require some coordination & proprioception efforts because your rotate around yourself at the same time. And these efforts usually have people laugh which is always a good thing.

The sequence is also usually done with music to add a rhythm and flow. So find you favourite groovy movement and let’s rotate.

 

What is the exercise about?

• Mobilising the spine.
• Create aware of how the different parts of your spine can rotate in different directions.
• Improve proprioception of where your are located in space.

 

What do I like about it?

• You use a very simple movement – rotation  –  to create awareness of the movement potential of your spine.
• Because you twist your spine your have a hydrating and lubricating effect on your myofascial structures of your torso.
• The exercise can easily be integrated into a pilates environment or any other training programme to add variation to the usual spinal rotation.
• There is an element of choreography which requires some coordination which again is good for improving your sense of where you are in space.
• It is a fun exercise. People usually laugh about themselves (including myself) about how they get confused about where they are in space and how to rotate the spine.

 

What prop do you need?

None

 

 

Which course/workshop is the exercise from?

• The Franklin Method – pelvis, spine and shoulders

In this workshop I combine 3 short Franklin Method workshops

• ‘Pelvic power’
• ‘Imagery for a healthy, strong & youthful spine’
• ‘Release your neck & liberate your shoulders’

to a full-day workshop. We go through the bone rhythms of the 3 body areas and explore them by using a variety of dynamic imagery.

You already had a taster of ‘Release your neck & liberate your shoulders’ and ‘Pelvic Power’.

 

 

If you are curious about The Franklin Method, take a look at their website or mine.

You might also be interested to know that The Franklin Method Teacher Training Level 1 will run in October 2021 in Denmark. You can read more about the first module here.

 

And here is the video …

Video length: 2:19 minutes