This week’s Somatic Movement Flow® is called Around the Clock, a short video that focuses on relieving chronic back pain and freeing up the pelvis. As you practice Gentle Somatic Yoga®, know that all Somatic Movement Flows® support fortifying your immune system and supporting those with autoimmune disease. In our new virtual event called Somatic Sanctuary, I teach 5-7 Somatic Movements each month for you to add to your self-care toolkit.

For more self-care videos like this, please visit Somatic Wellness TV gentlesomaticyoga.com/somatic-wellness-tv/

During our very first Somatic Sanctuary workshop in December, we held an optional Q&A after the hour-long virtual class.  A participant asked an excellent question and I felt inspired to share the answer with all of you!  She asked, “Can Gentle Somatic Yoga (GSY) help with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?”   The quick answer is Yes, to this and other autoimmune diseases.

To fully understand its positive impact on MS,  let’s review.

How it works for autoimmune diseases…

What is an Autoimmune Disease?

Simply put, an autoimmune disease is a malfunction of the immune system in which the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues. 

Autoimmune diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, to name a few, can cause the body to recoil, out of fear, as a way to try to protect the body from experiencing more pain. This subconscious reflex takes a tremendous amount of the body’s resources (energy) to keep the muscles in a contracted state.

It’s a vicious pain cycle, causing a “log jam” of energy. 

Energy inside the body cannot move freely where there is pain and inflammation. Instead, it becomes congested. And when the body is in pain, we tend to stay in a sympathetic nervous system response, such as fight, flight, or flee. In other words, when we don’t feel safe, there is a natural instinct to protect ourselves. We wrote more about this in a previous blog here. When experiencing ongoing chronic pain, this can also cause more symptoms of imbalance and undesirable conditions within the Soma. 

In Gentle Somatic Yoga® (GSY) we turn these conditions around by unwinding from muscular tension and pain. And when exploring the Somatic Movement Flows, muscles can return to their optimal length in a resting position; therefore, “log jams” of energy from contracted muscles are released. When the log jam is released, the body’s energy is freed and redirected to boost the immune system.  

In GSY, the “energy” we are referring to is also called Prana. Prana enters our Soma at the moment of conception. It is literally life force energy that supports us to grow and keep us vital and healthy. It is a mysterious force that is always functioning without us thinking about it.

When the body doesn’t feel threatened by pain, the body’s energy is freed up so that Prana can do what it is designed to do, which is to heal the body’s imbalances and to keep it strong. 

Another great benefit from this turnaround is that when we come out of the vicious cycle of pain, we start to feel more open and safe.  From this undefended state, we return to our natural state of peace and well-being.  This invites optimism and joyful experiences to return.

Want to learn how to do this?

Please join us in real-time to practice Gentle Somatic Yoga® and connect with our international Somatic Wellness community. Somatic Sanctuary™ is an ongoing monthly 2-hour LIVESTREAM Somatic Movement Workshop Series 

Click the link below to learn more about this experiential Gentle Somatic Yoga® (GSY) workshop monthly livestream event: 

Learn more or register here!

To receive a FREE 30-minute home practice, click here. 

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As this year winds to a close, I felt inspired to share a Somatic Movement Flow® with you that helps support letting go of the past and welcoming in the new for your wellbeing.  The Flow is called The Rainbow, which feels powerfully appropriate as we welcome a new year together. 

In nature, the Rainbow is created when light returns after a storm.  It’s no doubt that we have collectively experienced turbulent and uncertain times together in 2020.  And so, the Rainbow holds a promise, which is that light will always return after stormy times.  

For more self-care videos like this please visit Somatic Wellness TV gentlesomaticyoga.com/somatic-wellness-tv/

As you practice this Somatic Movement, your arm swoops through the air as if tracing a rainbow.  As you do this, I invite you to imagine it clearing away all of the things in your life that no longer serve you.  And when you reverse the arc, visualize receiving things that make your soul shine.  You deserve it!

Physically, the Rainbow Flow also supports letting go of stiffness and tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back.  With a focus on pandiculation rather than stretching, this flow helps reprogram your muscles that result in increased flexibility, strength, and an overall feeling of peace and well-being. What a wonderful way to welcome a new year together!

How it works for overall wellbeing…

Pandiculation 

Pandiculation is achieved by the mindful choice to engage a specific muscle group with an anatomical focus. Once the muscle group is sufficiently loaded, we use the body’s weight in combination with the natural force of gravity as information for how to slowly and smoothly disengage the same muscle group. 

Once this muscle group has reached its fullest range of motion without pain or strain, then we release all muscular effort before moving onto the next repetition. This conscious process helps to re-pattern and strengthen the brain-to-muscle connection so that we can regain voluntary control of our physiology (self-healing). It also resets the muscle to a longer and more optimal length when it is in a resting position. Thus, a person maintains better flexibility, strength, and coordination. This type of movement promotes overall wellbeing for your body (soma).

Read more about Pandiculation in this previous blog post!

Aura/Energy Field

In GSY ,we intend to clear and expand our human energy field (aura). This, in turn, informs our physical body to be vibrant and healthy, thus supporting our overall well-being. Disease and inflammation cause the aura to be weak and smaller. Through the movements and meditations in Gentle Somatic Yoga and Wellness, the aura expands and gets bigger. 

FUN FACT: Auras can be seen!

Auras, the energetic field that surrounds all living things, can be seen by a fascinating process called Kirlian photography.

What is that?

Kirlian photography was created when Russian electrical engineer Semyon Kirlian and his wife Valentina developed Kirlian photography after observing a patient in Krasnodar Hospital who was receiving medical treatment from a high-frequency electrical generator. They had noticed that when the electrodes were brought near the patient’s skin, there was a glow similar to that of a neon discharge tube.

The Kirlians conducted experiments in which photographic film was placed on top of a conducting plate, and another conductor was attached to a hand, a leaf or other plant material. The conductors were energized by a high-frequency high-voltage power source, producing photographic images typically showing a silhouette of the object surrounded by an aura of light.

In 1958, the Kirlians reported the results of their experiments for the first time. Their work was virtually unknown until 1970, when two Americans, Lynn Schroeder and Sheila Ostrander, published a book, Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain. High-voltage electrophotography soon became known to the general public as Kirlian photography. Although little interest was generated among Western scientists, Russians held a conference on the subject in 1972 at Kazakh State University.“

Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirlian_photography

”Each atom, and everything on the planet is surrounded by its own energy field known as The Torus. This self-sustaining, balanced dynamic energy flow process is the base for everything powerful on the planet, consisting of a single axis and two vortices. Energy passes through one vortex, along the center of the axis, out the other vortex, wraps back around the circumference, and renews by passing through the original vortex. 

This shape can be clearly seen in some of nature’s most powerful creations: the tornado, the whirlpool, the black hole, magnetic fields, energy fields around planets and the sun, etc. It is also found around each living organism, such as people and plants.” (https://monatomic-orme.com/about-orme/torus-energy-field/)

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Image courtesy of Mag Benedicte (2013)

In GSY’s Level 2 Course: The Journey Continues, students learn about the Energy Body and emotions and how they tie into Somatics.  This process brings vitality and well-being to your mind, body, and spirit (Soma).

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Click HERE.

Blessings for a renewed timeframe,  

James Knight

Founder of Gentle Somatic Yoga® | Somatic Wellness™ 

P.S. Check out this recent interview with Jeff Krisman of ONEConsciousness Deep Conversations Podcast, where I was asked some of the most provocative questions that no one has ever asked me before.  It evoked transparent sharing about spirituality, unity consciousness and of course, Gentle Somatic Yoga and Somatic Wellness!  

You can watch the video here or listen to the podcast here.

To receive a FREE 30-minute home practice, click here. 

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With the spirit of gift giving in a way that I can contribute back to the collective I have a new Flow for you to explore. 

For more self-care videos like this, please visit Somatic Wellness TV gentlesomaticyoga.com/somatic-wellness-tv/

Last week’s newsletter included a Somatic Movement Flow® for the lower back, hip, and legs. I’d like to share another with you that covers this part of the body in a different way. 

The Somatic Movement in the video above can help those of us who sit for lengths of time, like the desk worker, and it can be especially useful to people who are standing on their feet all day. A huge thank you to service workers: retail, hospital and healthcare, and food service to name a few. This Flow can help relieve the pain in the lower back and hips that comes with the pressure of standing or sitting too long.

This is also for people who like to walk, hike, run or bike, as this is an excellent sequence to improve performance and strength. 

This Somatic Movement Flow, called the Somatic TFL and Psoas Release, will reset the inner and outer thigh muscles to their optimal length in a resting position. This means you gain flexibility, strength and range of motion.

How it works…

The key benefit of this Flow is the release of tightness in the TFL (tensor fasciae latae), the IT (iliotibial) Band, and the Psoas muscle.

What are these muscles, and why are they important?

The tensor fasciae latae muscle group helps to stabilize the hip in extension and assists the gluteus maximus during hip extension.

The psoas is the primary muscle group that connects the upper body to the lower body. Its function is a major contributor to flexion of the hip joint and plays an essential role in helping us to walk. The psoas also affects posture and stabilizes the spine. Most people in the modern world have tight psoas muscles. This can cause a multitude of problems, such as chronic low back pain, poor posture, constipation, leg length discrepancy, internal or external leg rotation, and sciatica.

The iliotibial band (IT band) is a long piece of connective tissue, or fascia, that runs along the outside of your leg from the hip to the knee and shinbone. This band helps to extend and rotate the hip. It works with the quadriceps (front thigh muscles) to provide stability to the outside of the knee joint during movement. 
 

Please enjoy practicing this Somatic Movement Flow and enjoy the immediate benefits of release. Click here for tips and guidelines to ensure long-lasting results.

Enjoy!

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Click HERE.

To new traditions and counting our blessings,

James Knight, Founder of Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness

Please join us in real-time to practice Gentle Somatic Yoga® and connect with our international Somatic Wellness community. Somatic Sanctuary™ is an ongoing monthly 2-hour LIVESTREAM Somatic Movement Workshop Series 

To receive a FREE 30-minute home practice, click here. 

The post Somatic Movement Flow®: Somatic TFL and Psoas Release appeared first on Gentle Somatic Yoga.

This is a new endeavor for me to remain consistent in offering you videos and discounts that allow you to learn more about self-care and healing your body, teaching others how to heal theirs or teaching others to teach their clients and students.

And as I promised, I have a new Somatic Movement self-care video for you and a new promotion. Keep reading to learn more.

For more self-care videos like this, please visit Somatic Wellness TV gentlesomaticyoga.com/somatic-wellness-tv/

The video this week is called “Swimming Frog,” and the anatomical focus is the legs, hips, and lower back. This is the perfect self-care sequence to help you improve strength, flexibility, and coordination for those who enjoy walking, hiking, biking, and/or hiking. Also, for those of you who have, or have had at some point, sciatica, this is a good one for you to reverse those symptoms, along with the intent to change the pattern once and for all. 

You might be surprised how quickly you will feel results with this Somatic Movement Flow. The good news is that the more you practice, the more you’ll enjoy the long-term benefits. It takes, on average, 21 days of practice to fully repattern your brain-to-muscle connection to return your muscles to their most optimal length (flexibility!) in a resting position. 

How it works…

In Gentle Somatic Yoga®, instead of focusing on stretching, we pandiculate. 

What is the difference?

Stretching involves deliberately extending our muscles and tendons to feel their elasticity. Oftentimes, this action is held in a static position for a period of time. For most people, that can feel somewhat uncomfortable and at the same time pleasurable. A common collective belief comes to mind: “No pain, no gain”. 

The negative part of stretching can come if we don’t pay attention to our body’s message that enough is enough. Many people hold a stretch too long, and what they don’t know is that if the body feels in danger of injury (on an unconscious or conscious level), it could stimulate a physiological response to stress called the “stretch reflex”. 

Reflex implies that the body reacts quickly in response to the threat of danger and recoils instinctively to protect itself. Thank goodness we have this reflex because it keeps our body safe. Think about if your hand gets too close to fire. Without thinking, your body will respond and move away quickly so it won’t get burned. We don’t need to “think” about it. It’s a natural reflex. 

By the way, this is a very primitive aspect of our nervous system and actually doesn’t occur in our brain, but rather in our spinal cord. 

The Art Of Pandiculation, on the other hand, is very different from stretching. Instead of a static experience of holding the body in a specific shapes for extended periods of time, we move in and out of shapes intentionally. 

Pandiculation is the main technique and hallmark of Gentle Somatic Yoga and makes it unique compared to other popular styles of yoga.

Pandiculation involves three phases: 

1. Choose an anatomical focus, for example, the hamstrings. With this focus, mindfully engage this muscle group… but just long enough so that you can feel the muscles contracting. From here, pause and let yourself embody the sensations that emerge. 
2. From this place of internal awareness, consciously disengage and slowly lengthen this muscle group to its fullest range of motion without pain or strain. In other words, come to your “edge” without moving into a typical stretch. Sometimes the body will be in a stretch, but in Gentle Somatic Yoga (GSY) we intend not to hold this position for longer than 3 seconds. Why? To avoid triggering the Stretch Reflex. 
3. Then, MINDFULLY release all muscular effort. In GSY, it is important to build this internal awareness of choice points and feel it from the inside/out. This is called interoception and is actually the definition of Somatics. Somatics is a term that Thomas Hanna coined when developing Hanna Somatics. 
4. Pause for a few moments and repeat instructions #1-4 for several repetitions. This process engages the sensory motor cortex, and this is the process that repatterns the brain-to-muscle connection. The end result is that muscles release stress and tension naturally. The muscles return to their optimal length in a resting position. Good news… this new length of muscle fibers and connective tissues affirms flexibility, strength, and vitality throughout the Soma. Best part: the results can be long-lasting if practiced regularly. 

Animals employ pandiculation instinctively as preparation for movement. You might be able to witness this in your own pets as they wake from a nap and move their limbs. Adults are the only ones who change from pandiculation to stretching based on popular ideas about exercise. 

The Swimming Frog Flow highlights:

• The muscles in the hip to knee, called hip flexors, 
  • the quadriceps in the front of the thigh 
  • and the hamstrings in the back of the thigh
  • IT band
  • Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL)

• The muscles in the lower leg
  • Gastrocnemius
  • Soleus
  • Plantaris

The most common complaints involve the hamstrings and lower back, which in turn can affect other muscle groups close to them, creating a cascading effect. The other muscle groups that have been “recruited”  learn to compensate for the tight or injured muscles and leading to overall pain and stiffness.

Swimming Frog allows you to learn how to pandiculate the muscles in the areas mentioned above to help address a list of symptoms, including sciatica,  pelvic floor disorder, tightness of psoas, neuropathy, and/or hip flexor tightness (the inability to sit comfortably on the floor cross-legged comfortably). Add this to your self-care routine and see a difference the more you use it!

See our Tips and Guidelines to enhance your success.

Enjoy!

If you have any additional questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Click HERE.

Blessings on a joyful, stress-free holiday season,

James Knight, Founder of Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness

To receive a FREE 30-minute home practice, click here. 

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