Week THREE - spine segmentation

Mar 11

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Full Saturday Class

This is the full, uninterrupted class from Saturday, January 21st. You’ll get lots of details and options in the full class. For a more concise practice, find the shorter video clips + Q&A below.

Time Stamps:

00:00 007:55 - Welcome, intro to spine design and function

08:30 - 37:10 - Spine flexion, extension, section, and segmentation practice

37:10 - 57:16 - Q&A after class

Practice Videos

Spine segmentation practice

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 - 07:21 — WRIST WARMUPS
07:21 - 13:23 — FULL SPINE CAT/COW
13:23 - 24:12 — SPINE SECTIONS (CERVICAL / THORACIC / LUMBAR)
24:12 - 28:18 — SPINE SEGMENTING = MOVING EACH SPINE JOINT AS INDEPENDENTLY AS POSSIBLE, WHICH IS MORE ABOUT POURING TENSION INTO SPECIFIC SPINE JOINTS, RATHER THAN GETTING EACH ONE TO MOVE BY ITSELF.

Class Q&A

Time Stamps:

00:00 - 02:10 - What muscles should I feel doing the action of flexion/extension (cat/cow)?

02:36 - 03:18 - My movements are ‘glitchy’ instead of smooth: help!

03:30 - 04:10 - Table top is hard on my wrists; is there another position I can do these in?*

04:10 - 05:15 - Should I feel my glutes (butt muscles) working when I’m moving my low back?

05:15 - 06:09 - What should I do if I have scoliosis in my spine?

06:09 - 06:32 - What if being on my knees hurts?

06:32 - 07:40 - I can’t get my shoulder blades and my spine to move independently: help! (I give a prop tip here)

08:29 - 11:59 - I find moving this slowly SO excruciating, like a challenging meditation (get a few hacks for this!)

12:20 - 15:04 - What about that point where my head attaches to my spine?

16:19 - 17:30 - A more advanced neck work movement to try (if you want)

18:29 - 19:54 - Do I visualize my spine as bones stacked on top of each other? (a deeper review of how you feel the curves and muscle actions along your spine’s natural curved line)

*In addition to standing and lying on your back, you can do these sitting as well. I like to have a bit of forward lean, to let my low back get more movement. So, for example, you could sit on your heels on the floor (and plant your hands in front of you on blocks for more stability and feedback), or sit on a bench that allows you to set your feet on either side and lean forward onto your hands, so that your spine is about 45 degrees forward of straight up.