Somatic Movement: Support For Neck & Low Back

Taking over the extra work of the neck and low back helps to gradually release trauma and tension that’s held in the deep musculature of the body. Taking over the work of the muscles allows for a reset in the mind, brain, and body. Awareness is born in this reset. When we pay attention to how we do, what we do, it changes everything.

Length: 21 min 38 sec

Transcript

Hi,

This is Meg Renaldi of Body Centered Inquiry and welcome to this guided somatic movement audio,

Support for your neck and your low back.

For this session you'll be on the floor or a firm bed and you'll need two props,

A rolled up bath towel or yoga blanket for beneath your head and neck and a bath towel or yoga blanket for beneath your low back.

Please do not use bed pillows for this kind of work as they are too soft and they actually stop the movement we want to encourage.

Have clothing that allows for ease of movement and warmth.

Have sock or bare feet.

Remove your glasses,

Any extra jewelry and belt.

And when you're ready,

Please come to lie on your back.

Take time to organize your props for best support.

One prop will go underneath your neck and head,

So shape the towel or blanket in such a way that both your head and neck are supported.

The prop shapes to the back of your neck and your head is supported too,

Not hyper extending off the blanket or bath towel.

If needed you could get a second towel for the back of your head.

The idea is that your head shouldn't be hyper extending off the back of the towel or blanket.

The second prop you need to fold just the right thickness for you and place it beneath your low back.

By low back I mean that area between the top of the bony pelvis and your lowest ribs.

That area where a belt might be worn.

You'll need to play with the thickness so that your low back is supported comfortably and you may notice that it needs to be less thick as you go through the session,

As the back muscles release.

What you're doing here is using these props to take over the extra work you carry in your low back and neck.

It's the extra work we all carry.

These are the main curves in your spine and are the most vulnerable to overwork and injury.

It's no accident that most vertebral fusions happen in our cervical vertebra,

That is the vertebra of the neck and the lumbar vertebra of the vertebra in the low back.

So pause the audio if you need to and take your time to discover what comfort is for you today.

Once you've found that sweet spot of support for your neck and low back,

Rest.

You can have your legs long or your feet standing.

Have your feet and knees about two fist widths apart if you have your feet standing.

And I don't know about you these days but for me when I lie down it takes longer for me to arrive.

My mind is buzzing with all kinds of things.

It takes me longer to settle in and let go.

By taking the time to settle in and arrive,

We encourage a deep rest for the nervous system.

And this opens you to a neurological reset.

We bring our body into rest.

We invite a quieter mind and an invitation for creating new neural pathways in the brain.

If we want to train the brain,

We have to begin in rest and quiet.

Awareness is born there and awareness of how we do what we do changes everything.

Continue to settle in and breathe.

Have your arms long by your sides if that's comfortable and easy for you today.

And allow for a cycle of seven breaths to bring your in breath and out breath to a more even rhythm.

Have your eyes closed or in a soft gaze.

Be aware of the quality of your mind and your connection to the support beneath you.

Take your time here.

If you need to,

Pause the audio and linger longer with your breathing in and out.

In fact,

That may be enough for you today.

It's important to note that offering support for these two curves also helps to gently unwind trauma in the body.

The throat,

Which is the front of the neck,

Throat,

Jaw and mouth,

Hold tremendous trauma,

Tremendous emotional holding.

And the neck is the back of the throat,

Jaw and mouth.

The low back,

The deep muscles of the low back take time to unwind.

But it is possible over time with gentleness.

When you're ready,

Bring your feet to stand if they aren't already.

Have your feet and knees about two fifths width apart and get a clear sense of both of your feet connecting to the floor or to the bed.

And again,

Have your arms long by your sides.

Breathing and begin to roll your pelvis toward your head.

So the back of your pelvis rolls into your low back support even more.

And it's a rolling of your pelvis.

Your pelvis stays on the floor and you gently roll your low back into your support and then back to where you started.

Repeat this movement five or six more times,

Rolling your pelvis into the back support and then back to where you started.

Being aware of your feet on the floor.

Have a soft jaw,

Mouth,

Resting eyes and easy breath.

As you do this,

You might notice that your head is moving a little bit too.

Ideally,

Your neck is getting a little massage as your pelvis rolls back and forth.

Allow the movement to travel through you so you don't have to move your pelvis and head separately.

The movement at the lower part of your spine is inviting the upper spine and head along.

Listen for that gentle invitation.

As you roll your pelvis back toward the floor,

The small of the back goes more deeply into the support that's there and then you return the pelvis to where you started.

Breathing.

Eyes soft.

And then pause.

Now allow your right leg to go long.

The left leg remains bent with the left foot standing on the floor.

And initiate a rocking motion by pressing in with your left foot.

Rock your whole body gently by engaging your left foot on the floor.

You're rocking from the heel of your right foot to the top of your head.

It's a simple movement but it's offering a massage to your low back and your neck as you do it.

Allow the jaw to be a little softer.

And you're breathing.

Do this for another moment or two.

And then once again pause.

And then stand both of your feet on the floor again.

And listen through yourself.

Listen for how these movements echo through you.

And be aware of the quality of your mind.

Now allow your left leg to go long.

And use the right foot standing to evoke a rocking motion from the back of your left heel to the back of your head.

So in this motion your head would be nodding yes.

Your whole body is rocking from head to heel,

Heel to head.

And your low back and neck are being cradled and massaged by the movement.

Do that rocking from heel to head and head to heel,

Breathing,

Allowing the jaw to be soft.

And then rest.

Rest with your feet standing or your legs long.

Be aware of your props supporting you.

And if they're supporting you in the best way possible,

They're taking over the extra work in your low back and your neck.

And breathe.

Let yourself be supported.

See if you can let go more into the support that's always there beneath you.

And again notice the quality of your mind.

When we take over the work of the musculature in the body,

Any place especially that's been overworked,

The mind can let go.

The mind has a safe place to rest.

And when the mind can rest,

There's a possibility for a neurological reset in the brain.

Brain training depends upon mindfulness.

Now with both feet standing,

Begin that rocking motion again,

Gentle rocking motion from the bottom of your feet to the back of your head.

A gentle soothing rocking motion,

Breathing,

Eyes closed or in a soft gaze.

The face is soft.

The breath is available to you.

Again let that go and pause.

Now draw your right leg up over you.

Wrap your hands just below the knee.

Draw the thigh in close to your belly.

Breathe.

And begin to make circles with your knee,

With your leg.

The hands stay connected.

You are rotating the leg in the hip socket.

And imagine that your nose is connected to your knee or the rubber band.

So as you make circles rotating your knee,

Your head follows along in a circular way.

Rotate the right leg one way a few times,

Very slowly.

Breathing.

Being aware of the support beneath you.

And then rotate the leg the other way a few times,

Slowly.

Keep the movement simple and in an easy range.

And notice what's happening in your low back and your neck as you do these gentle circling movements.

And then gently release the right leg back.

Let the right foot come back to the floor or the bed.

And pause.

Be aware of any differences between the right and left sides.

And now draw your left leg up over you.

Your hands clasped just below the left knee.

Breathe.

Allow the left thigh to rest on your belly.

And begin to slowly rotate the left leg in circles.

The left leg in the left hip joint.

Going one way slowly.

And imagine that there's the rubber band connecting your nose to your knee.

And allow your head and neck to follow the rotation of your left leg.

The right foot remains standing.

Do a few circles in one direction,

Slowly.

Allowing the knee and nose to be connected by that imaginary rubber band.

Eyes soft,

Jaw soft,

Throat soft.

Movements soft and steady and well supported.

And again notice what's happening in your low back.

The whole back body that meets the floor.

And at the back of your neck.

And when you're ready,

Let it all go and rest.

Be aware of the support that's there and how the quality of that relationship between you and the support may have changed.

Notice whatever's there.

Your breathing.

Has the quality of your breathing changed?

And what about the quality of your mind?

You don't have to make anything up or manufacture anything.

Just pay attention to what's there.

Or what isn't there.

And one more time bring your feet to standing.

Come back to rolling the pelvis into your back support like you did at the beginning of the session.

And allow that movement to travel all the way up to your head.

And then gently roll back to where you began.

Do this two or three times,

Noticing if there's any change in the quality of the movement.

And once again,

Rest.

And continue to rest.

And when you're ready,

There's no rush.

Roll gently to one side and gradually come to sitting and slowly to standing.

And just notice the quality of your posture.

Or rest where you are for as long as you like.

Thank you.

That's the end of the session.

Reviews

Thanks Meg, these slow, mindful, somatic movements and inquiries are helpful for addressing my nervous system dysregulation. 🙏

Your practices never cease to amaze me. The shifts are ever so gentle and powerful at the same time. Blessings

Hello beautiful 🎀🎈🎀🎈🎀Thank you so much for the wonderfully movements 🎈🎈🎈I found so much ☮️and spaciousness 🗺️have a blessed day 🕉️Namaste

First session like this. Really enjoyed the focus and the movement. I carry a lot of tension in these areas and it felt nice to give them some love and attention. Thank you.

Thank you, I live Feldenkrais.

I love the gentleness of your voice. I felt supported physically and emotionally. I felt more hope in releasing the tension and discomfort in my lower back

Great. I feel a lot better

Wonderful very helpful!

Thank you Margaret. I found this practice very soothing