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"TENSING YOGA"
Introduction
This system is designed to maintain the muscles in a more relaxed and flexible state when in the acute stages of injury, and to maintain the muscles in a more capable and flexible state in general for long-term preventative maintenance. [The acute stage is when there is abnormal pain with normal use - the first three days at least after injury or re-injury. Ideally at this time, as muscle contraction to any degree is called for, it is done so in latter stages of recovery from injury and otherwise is kept from being "weight-bearing".]
Depending on which muscle groups one is working with, a different postural position is more suitable.
Like kids, cells do best if we keep them fed, clean, and feeling loved. And as we learn to give them healthy messages and especially to just listen to them, like kids, they will tell us what changes need attending to. And *body-awareness* is how we listen. "Body-Parenting" is based on the "Re-Parenting" approach of emotional awareness based personal growth & self-healing. In layman's terms: Re-Parenting is a therapeutic methodology that uses a kind of dialog between core components of one's psyche. [More in shoptalk: It is more influenced by John Bradshaw, and Humanist Gestalt perspectives than Transactional Analysis. The "body-parenting" adaptation of the Re-Parenting approach is additionally influenced by Hakomi body-centered psychotherapy.] Injuries occur primarily due to overly tensed muscle cells, to unable to flex with events and circumstances in our environment. Cells are not bad, or wrong in any way for being overly tense due to having their circulation crimped by compressed cell structures, thereby deprived of good connection to the sources of nurishment, and unable to sufficiently rid themselves of waste products from all their hard work. Certainly not for becoming deseased or disfunctioning as a result, let alone for trying to maintain systemic equilibrium by whatever means are left to them. Like kids, they are habitually responding to our own unconscious inner messages. Those that we've been giving them since our formative years - about how to respond to the conditions. Under harsh conditions in early life, they adapt and find a way to cope -- if at all possible, if you tell them they have to -via thoughts, and feelings. If they don't get "the all clear" (especially if they've never "heard" it before), then they maintain the "armoring." Held long enough, thoughts and feelings become decisions and attitudes about life. Cells can actually maintain those -via adaptive roles in posture and movement- and for a whole lifetime, if they don't get a corrective message. I.E.: IF we, as infants, often needed to tense up -or "armor up"- various muscles for emotional or physical protection (ie: when adults around us acted insensitively or worse), THEN we most likely continued through adulthood to hold various muscles in an overly tense state - "ready" to respond to more of same, perhaps expecting life to be that way. The nervous system is designed to get our attention when we are doing something unhealthy. It's not the cells' fault if that system has been muffled by our own choice. But would you really like getting used to living underfed, unclean, and insensitive to the warning signals? Assuming your answer is no, the next question may be about how to remedy such a situation where we have basically adapted to less than optimal conditions? I suggest that first, we fix the supply system and take care of those basics. Secondly, we remedy the attitude that got them that way, or else the cells will never feel they can drop the coping mechanisms, let alone learn what a happy, communicative, and cooperatively sharing environment is about. Muscle cells need to know/experience what relaxation is, as well as what intense work is, in order to have an appropriately full range of tonicity/contractedness, and to find the right tone for a given condition. Cell systems adjust, based on our messages to them. Perhaps especially those messages that are aligned with long-term health, since our bodily systems seem designed for adaptation and endurance. NOTE: It is said that Our own voices and thoughts carry the most weight with our own cell systems. And that *verbalizing* a belief or decision, especially doing so *with feeling,* is much more powerful that just thinking it. Sometimes we will receive insight about a corrective action we must take; i.e.: by newly feeling the need to adjust our posture or some kind of bodily movement, or even due to reviving memories (that were previously suppressed). Details of these processes are explained in the essay, "Body-Mind Integration in the Personal Growth Process"- The basic how's and why's of psycho-emotional storage in the body-mind, a semi-technical treatise on the storage & release of tension (Published In Massage Magazine, July-August 1992). SUMMARY on "Body-Parenting": With body awareness, learning to listen and respond to our cell systems, we enhance our senses naturally. We give the cells the corrective messages about tonicity, circulation, function, etc. And thereby we provide opportunity for our self-healing mechanisms to be maintained, and turned back on as necessary. "Body-Parenting" approach teaches and encourages awareness of these connections and developing methods of interfacing with them for personal growth and self-healing. "My Cells -My Children" and other selections of metaphorical prose & metaphor conveys, in a less analytical way, the nature of the dynamic relationships and 'Inner Communications' among mind, body, emotions, and Spirit, that underlies the 'Body-Parenting' approach for Mind-Body-Spirit Integration, as well as the INNER-child-parent-family relationships. Also, A primary integrative bodywork approach (that I have some study and training in) is described at the page here on Hakomi, Body-Centered Psychotherapy. A set of short summary personal quotes on body-mind awareness are in the Author/Editor Section. A link to the Body-Mind Integration home page is also there, where additional aspects of preventative maintenance are discussed and/or linked to. Positioning the body in preparation:
For muscles that raise the shoulders, a sitting position works well. For Muscles that raise one hip and leg (either side of the Lumbar/lower back region; eg: Left or Right Quadratus Lumborum), a Standing position actually works very well. Standing (as well as lying face up) also works for the Psoas muscles, but you may need to have a massage therapist or chiropractor show you how these muscles move the hips and legs. For muscles that pull the shoulders back or forward, lying face up or down works equally well (for either), but with experimentation you may find preference for one or the other. For Muscles that move the hips in ways other than noted above, lying face down or up will work, and again, experimentation will tell you what feels best, especially in the long run. This experimentation is a valuable part of your awareness building process in any case.
If the execise causes any pain, especially pain that interferes with the awareness of how the muscles work in subtle ways, then I would suggest adjusting your application, position, speed of movement, and/or force applied, etc. If that doesn't solve the situation, and especially if the pain is severe, then you may have discovered a situation that requires you to (please) consult your chiropractor, physician, and/or massage therapist, to see if these exercises are the best therapy for the condition.
I have put together a chart illustrating "Low-Intensity Low-Back Exercises." I call these low-intensity because they are for improving circulation and ones healing focus into the low back area, for gaining flexibility and mobility in those areas after an injury, and not for building strength. (For exercises that are particularly suitable for building strength in the low back muscles, use the keywords, "Low Back Exercise Therapy" in a search engine.) Please use these exercises with the instructions and suggestions included here. Do not use them if you are injured unless you follow the instructions on this page - mostly as regards moving very very slowly, breathing slowly and deeply, and stopping each/every time you feel pain, and/or adjusting your application, position, speed of movement, and/or force applied, etc.
[If it has not been long since you have been injured, be sure to read all of these instructions and understand the nature of approach and the basic plan of approach before actually doing them; better yet, consult your physician or physical therapist] 1) *Very very slowly* tighten, or contract, the muscle(s) -- as subtly as you can and still be able to feel the contracting. Allowing yourself to feel the contracting for the count of 3 ("one-thousand one, one-thousand two...). Then allow the muscle(s) to relax for a count of ten, then to a count of 10 let these muscles and your whole body "sink" into as fully rested a mode as you can w/o changing your overall body position. Really... it's the focus and the breathing into the muscles that make the difference. Do this three to five times. 2) Same thing except contract slowly until it feels like the muscle is contracted half way -- half as much as it would be when fully contracted that is. Now take the same amount of time to relax it. Now do the same thing but make the contracting phase take a count of 10 or even 15. Have the relaxation phase take the same count, followed with a count of 10 or 15 to full rest. 3) Repeat #2 adding to it an increased observance of how any other muscles in your body seem to be directly and/or indirectly reacting to this process, and while also noticing any changes in your breathing, or tendencies to alter it. Note that how you breath during the exercises is not that important, so long as it is generally slow and of moderate depth or deeper. What we are observing is any tendencies toward inconsistent rhythm, gasps, or the like. If/When you notice those, note the area of the muscle(s)/body that seems to be causing that. And, over time, notice how your steady application of this process massages out the ripples in the rhythm as you move through the ranges of tensing and relaxing the muscle(s). NOTE: unless you are already highly practiced at this, Yoga, Tai Chi, some types of movement therapies and meditation, you will find this more than challenging. Except for one thing: you cannot do it wrong, so long as your muscles are not in the acute stage of injury or re-injury (in which case, stopping each time you feel pain is a prudent rule). It is the practice of this effort that IS the exercise. The practice may get more expert results over time, but not if you expect too much too quickly. In these kinds of awareness building exercises, the attitude of critical judgment and competition - even with self - tends to reduce the effectiveness. It is an activity most effectively regarded with the same approach as with an art-form. For immediate benefits, consider do this before you get up out of bed in the morning and before you fall asleep at night. Doing them at these times provides in two important ways: 1) You will also have pre-warmed your muscles and tendons and thereby prevented your straining them in case of sudden stress being applied to them. 2) You will have set up your sleep state as a time to work on these areas unimpeded by distracting thoughts.
NOTES on Basic Focus: a) A Different Kind of Challenge: Unless you are already highly practiced at this, Yoga, Tai Chi, some types of movement therapies and meditation, you will find this more than challenging. Except for one thing: you cannot do it wrong (!) so long as your muscles are not in the acute stage of injury or re-injury. It is the practice of this effort that IS the exercise. The practice may get more expert results over time, but not if you expect too much too quickly. In these kinds of awareness building exercises, the attitude of critical judgment and competition - even with self - tends to reduce the effectiveness. It is an activity most effectively regarded with the same approach as with an art-form.
b) Tensing Yoga is NOT a Stretching Exercise: Please do not confuse this exercise with "Stretching Exercises" - unlike most all athletic-based approaches, as well as a few yoga styles, the idea here is NOT to test the limits of the Range Of Motion (ROM) of the body parts being moved or the muscles being worked. For optimal benefit from athletic programs, you may consider doing the Tensing Yoga approach along with the muscle-building approaches, certainly with the muscle-toning approaches. If after some time of experimenting with this combined approach and you feel you might benefit by replacing the athletic approach with this approach as you do your muscle-building or muscle-toning work, I'd love to hear about the results from this.
c) "Exploring Fiber-Space:" A core objective here is to focus on, to put the mind's light on, ALL the movement in between the limits of the Range Of Motion, that is, in between where the muscles being worked are at current maximum rest state and where they are at current maximum extended state. It is as if we take a 'look-feel' of all those little spaces in the muscle fibers in between those limits, especially the ones that we've never looked at before. Cells seem to be like children - they respond most when we give them quality time, taking a sincere interest in them, and especially when actually establishing a rapport with them.
d) A Little Trick for Breathing: There is a good way to make yourself remember (and eventually develop the habit) to breath in a particular way; for instance, at a certain desired minimum of depth and/or speed). And that way is to focus on the EXHALATION. Focusing on the inhalation tends to revert us back to the very popular habit of holding our breath to a certain degree. No kidding. Compared to one experienced in breathing healthfully, the great majority of "civilized" people actually do not use near the capacity of the lung that is available. Whereas breathing FULLY on a regular basis does at least two wonderful benefits: a) it provides oxygen in great abundance which improves mental clarity, mood, physical health, and energy; b) it massages the internal organs, whose lymphatic vessels need this kind of movement in order to keep the gut clean and free of extracellular waste material.
Optimizing: Establishing A Rapport With Your Cells The best approach to a relationship with someone who has much to offer you, including self-healing, especially when you don't know if you'll be able to earn it, is with humility. You have to be willing and open to be taught something, actually even to be surprised, to change how you relate even to yourself. In this respect, and maybe a few others, the relationship with one's cells, organs, and systems, is no different.
Note for Clarifying Context:
Attitudinal & Sensory Focus vrs. Mental Imagery with Tensing Yoga: Using specifically applicable affirmations or attitudinal approaches in concert with Tensing Yoga can be particularly effective. However, for optimal benefit, the mental focus (on affirmations and/or visual imagery) should not be used at the expense of effective attitudinal preparation and on sensory focus on the muscles and fibers, on the physical/sensory awareness. To keep from doing that, try alternating the focus in this way: initiate the session with the more mental/imagery focus, then do the body awareness focus (essential to this whole approach), then end with another application of the mental/imagery. First do one wholeheartedly, then switch fully and completely to the other. After a few sessions of this, the attitudinal application will naturally influence your approach with the exercise. Long Terms Results:
Also, in doing just the above, you'll notice that you will not have spent more than 4 or 5 minutes per muscle group the whole day. And yet, if you are highly focused on the body at this time, we can see/feel it work just like "Quality Time" for kids does. In fact I believe the analogy is direct. In my experience the chronic areas rarely "go away" totally, but will serve as the "early warning system" for when you need to do something different in your activities, thoughts, life, etc.
My body-mind has been teaching me that as I have increased my knowledge about just why my body communicates in the various ways it does (as per my own issues, life learning, etc), I have come to develop an increasingly sensitive mechanism (via my connective tissue's sensory system) for all manner of occurrences (external as well as internal) that I would otherwise have no indication of.
Adding another 4-5 minute period of application in the midday just gives more opportunity for the body-mind to re-establish optimal communications & healthy relationships within one's Being. I realize that the best schedule and length of application of these steps will vary from individual to individual and as ones daily routines change. I offer these suggestions to assist you to find what works best for you.
I call this "Tensing Yoga," by the way (for the ten songs you'll feel like singing -- in Tibetan, of course ;-D). Actually, it is due to the benefit of conscious contraction - or tensing - of muscles, as distinct from conscious stretching. One is a "Yin" approach, the other "Yang." Both are effective at retraining the connective tissues and awakening the proprioreceptor mechanisms (see essay, "Body-Mind Integration in the Personal Growth Process"). But limiting oneself to the use of only one approach may only prolong one form of balancing needed by the system -- that of experiencing the fullest range of motion in the safe extension/letting go/expression of oneself into one's surroundings/relationships and one's retraction/taking-in/perception inward/within one's own Being.
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Personal Quotes on Body-Mind Awareness [ cp, 12'07 ] BODY-MIND AWARENESS, at the core of preventive health awareness, is one of the most simple, efficacious, & cost-effective forms of HEALTH INSURANCE there can be. Hence, massage is far from just "a luxury item," and bodywork therapies can be indispensable for the healing of certain conditions. MUSCLES RELATE TO ATTACHMENTS - to what we use to take our stance, to hold our place, to perceive and respond to our environment, and to extend who we are and/or want to be. Or used to be (in too many cases, perhaps). That speaks not only to the body's condition and function, but to how it communicates awareness of where one is along one's path (of becoming who one truly is). THE BODY IS . . . among other amazing things, a unique communications system -- intimately linked with one's TOTALITY. Establishing rapport with one's body can be a PATH to self realization. ONE OF MY DREAMS is a society where/in all children are taught how to feel/see/read their own body-mind communications such that preventive health maintenance eventually becomes second nature. And actually, for the most part, they would be encouraged to re-awaken and build upon what I believe to be a NATURAL INCLINATION - conscious self-healing and continuous expansion of awareness. And the above goes FOR ALL OTHER ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, to the degree that one utilizes them to improve such awareness and causative/pro-active connection with one's body-mind, and to employ the most effective tools for maintaining/improving one's health under any given condition or circumstance. WHY DOES BODY AWARENESS = OPTIMUM HEALTH INSURANCE ? And How does "Body-Parenting" relate to that in Body-Mind Integration ? |
(c) Chris Pringer, Christopher Pringer, |
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