Give Yourself the Gift of Unwinding!
Over the last many years, I have learned that the human body cannot heal until an individual's nervous system has been quieted. One way to quiet the nervous system is to get gravity off your body and lengthen, open, and unwind the musculoskeletal system. This may sound fancy but really quite simple.
A stressful situation — whether it be physical, environmental, or psychological, such as persistent worry or chronic pain — can trigger a "fight-or-flight" response.
The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event perceived as stressful or frightening. Fight or flight is an imperative response that moves us away from danger. But sometimes, our nervous system gets stuck in fight or flight mode, which is when problems begin.
One of the many outcomes of the prolonged fight or flight response is soft tissue shortening. If I were to ask you to lay your hand on a table, and then I took a blunt object and hit your hand with it, your reaction would be to pull away and tighten all of the muscles in your arm and back. This response is useful and appropriate. However, if one does not relax from that contracted state, the soft tissue (mainly the fascia) becomes shortened. This prolonged state of shortening leads to discomfort and eventually pain. Not to mention a feeling of being worn out and fatigued.
My methodology for healing from pain is a three-step process:
Reduce the pain and quiet the nervous system.
Continue step one and progress to musculoskeletal rebalancing (commonly known as stretching). In my practice, I call it lengthening, opening, and unwinding.
Continue steps one and two and then strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system without further injury.
Why do I differentiate stretching versus lengthening, opening, and unwinding?
People often stretch to the point of effort and discomfort; when this happens, the already stressed pain receptors fire up and stimulate the nervous system. Lengthening, opening, and unwinding the body is about allowing v.s. "efforting." It is about listening to your body telling you where it needs more space. This lengthening, opening, and unwinding practice can be experienced as delicious, calming, and soothing…but never painful.
For example, most often, when one is attempting to touch their toes to stretch their hamstrings, they do so by going too far too fast and eliciting pain in those same muscles. Or they bounce to stretch (as is demonstrated by so many athletes on the field). Not only is this unpleasant, but it serves to stimulate the muscle spindles to shorten said muscles.
Try this instead:
Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart.
Get balanced on your feet.
Soften your knees.
Breathe.
Just hang your upper body down.
Gently and slowly, your hamstrings will lengthen, and you will be able to get your fingertips closer to the ground, and it feels delicious, calming, and almost meditative.
This calm and peaceful movement activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which predominates in quiet "rest and digest" conditions. As a result, the central nervous system responds by encouraging muscles to find a more relaxed position. Breathing becomes easier, and a general sense of well-being ensues as endorphins are released and cortisol levels decrease, which quiet the nervous system.
If you might want to experience this soothing practice, give yourself this gift:
Lie down on a mat (do not do this on a hard floor). Carpeting will do if it is not too plush.
Bend your knees.
Be aware of how your body feels.
Ask yourself: Does my body feel evenly in contact with the floor? Is there a difference from right to left?
Then notice any area of your body that feels shortened.
With gentle breathing, can you allow your body to come into even contact with the floor?
While pulling your belly button toward your back, move your arms into a goal post or cactus position on either side of you. Leaving your head on the floor, tuck your chin gently. Hold this position for 30 seconds or whatever feels good. Be aware of the lengthening all along your spine that you might experience.
From here, slide your left leg to the floor, keeping your belly button toward your back, raise your left arm overhead, reach your fingertips to the wall behind you, and reach your heel to the opposite wall. Just hang out there for 30 seconds or so until you feel the lengthening and releasing all along your left side. Savor the feeling as your body unwinds!
Repeat with the opposite side.
Come back to your original position with your knees bent and arms at your side. Does your body feel differently in contact with the floor? Notice your breath; does it feel softer or easier.
This concept lays the foundation for all other lengthening movements you might do. You will, over time, learn to crave this feeling of having more space and a kind of peace in your body.
There are so many more simple unwinding techniques one can do in the comfort of your home, office, or even your car. It's a matter of being in your body and noticing.
I earnestly invite you to test out these strategies for yourself. I hope you enjoy your holiday season and give yourself this amazing gift of lengthening, opening, and unwinding in the final month of this very challenging year. Let us all wish for a calmer nervous system for ourselves and everyone on this planet!
