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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.