A Micro Pause where we begin to look into reprogramming of the way your nervous system recruits motor units. Here we work in engaging the back muscles instead of the neck muscles to move the arms. The trapezius muscles are large muscles on the upper back. They connect to the upper arm bone and to the spine in the neck and the upper back. They are usually divided into upper, middle and lower parts. The upper trapezius are the ones you can feel on the top of your shoulders. Yes, the ones that often gets a bit tense and sore. Why is that so? One explanation is that these muscles takes the load of moving your arms when instead muscles on the back should help out in making movements with the arms. In this lesson you get to experience how it feels to activate the muscles on the upper back.

A Micro Pause where we focus on the mind set of curiosity when it comes to one's own body. You will get to investigate your body. Like a researcher looking for insight, not necessarily straight answers, but looking to increase their knowledge on something.

One great benefits of moving in an unstructured manner is that you can let go of usual movement patterns. Again, the nervous system likes repetition. With an attitude of curiosity you can venture out on paths that your nervous impulses not normally take. The result is the activation of muscles fibres so that they can start to move in new ways, resulting in increased circulation and a sense of aliveness in the body.

A Micro Pause where we flex and contract the upper back. Flexion and contraction is probably something you do often, even without thinking of it. So here we do it while thinking of it intensively. With full awareness, trying to notice the subtle sensations, and trying to negotiate with the body to release deep seated tension in the upper back.

A Micro Pause where we keep looking into the movement of the shoulder blades. Keeping an investigative attitude and a curious mind we move freely with full awareness of what's going on in the body.

Moving your shoulder blades in an unstructured manner allows you to foster an investigative attitude towards your own body. Also, it helps you move your shoulder blades in all directions, which will increase the mobility of the shoulder blades and all surrounding tissue of the upper back.

A Micro Pause where we look into the movement of the shoulder blades.

Moving your shoulder blades in a very structured and controlled manner is good as it helps with body control and lets your really examine the ranges of motion of the shoulder blades. When we move within a static shape, such as the square shape in this exercise, it becomes easier to compare movement patterns between the shoulder blades, and between different directions of movement. trying to move evenly will help you increase the mobility of the shoulder blades.

A Micro Pause where we practice viewing our relationship to our bodies as a negotiating one.

Body Intelligence is about treating your body as an ally, not an obstacle, and with allies we negotiate, we do not demand.

Demanding of your muscles to release their grip and extent into their full length (by applying a hard pull) is not very useful. Negotiating with them to do so is much more efficient.

Why? Because thats how the nervous system works. The muscle need to feel like its safe to extend (in the sense that it won’t cause it to break and/or not being able to contract again) in order to let go of its grip. On the level of the nervous system this can be accomplished by a continuous action of gently pulling and releasing.

A Micro Pause to train you to become aware of subtle sensation in the body. When we work with the neck, we work with small muscles, and consequently sensations will be less. When we apply a lot of force on these structures, such as pulling them to get a stretch, the result is often more tension. It takes a bit of practice to really become aware of subtle sensations in the body, and the rewards for doing the practice are great.

What is  range of motion?

Range of motion refers to the amount of movement that a joint or a series of joint can achieve. In this case the joints of the upper part of your spine.

We can distinguish between active range of motion, when you turn (for instance) your head as far as you can by yourself, and passive range of motion, where you would lay perfectly relaxed and someone else would turn your head as far as possible to the side. Tjis Micro Pause introduces the concept of effortless range of motion where you move your head, using your own muscular strength but without any sensations of stretch, pulling, or tension in the structures surrounding the moving joint. Your must be able to hold the position for some time without effort.

This last Micro Pause on the lower back program is a lesson in self compassion. It is also a lesson in giving your self an inner massage, a very practical form of self compassion. Why being kind to yourself matters the most: its all about the nervous system. A common misconception is that muscles become too short and that we need to stretch them out into their full length. Instead, muscles can be contracted or extended, and sometimes they get “stuck” in contraction. Stretching the muscles wont make them longer, what they need is for the nervous system to believe that its safe to extend the muscles. When we do the inner massage, we gently stretch muscles, then release them and in doing so we tell the nervous system that it's safe to extend the muscles, resulting in greater relaxation.

In this Micro Pause we explore the relationship between the lower back and the hips. Increasing the mobility of the hip joins often have a positive effect on lower back pain. We make a rather strong exercise, focusing on strengthening the muscles on the back and sides of the hips. Why strengthen? A strong muscle is an agile muscle! In this lesson you get to fire them up so they can start doing their work in carrying the weight of your body. When we work on strength, we also increase mobility. 

In this Micro Pause we explore the relationship between the lower back and the iliopsoas muscle. The iliopsoas muscle is the main muscle that connects the upper and the lower body. Its a long muscle, and its located deep within the body. It goes from the lower back all the way to the thigh bone, or bones, because you do of course have to iliopsoas muscles, one on each side. If it is tense it may pull on the lower back, creating a sense of compression. For every step you take the psoas muscles are trained! Every time you walk you will both stretch and engage the iliopsoas muscles, simply by letting them do what they are designed to do. The more time you spend sitting down, the shorter, weaker and more tense they will become.

In this pause we continue to practice moving the spine in a circular shape. When we are on all fours, or, as in the Micro Pause, leaning forward with our hands on a chair (which is more comfortable on the knees), the pelvis can move more freely than if we sit on it, so you may feel as if you're making an overall bigger movement in the spine. The spine is, of course, connected to the pelvis so when the pelvis move the spine will also move.