Yoga and Mel

Here's another little treat for breathing better, fuller, deeper. I got it from a training by Leslie Howard on the pelvic floor.


It's also great if you're feeling a bit stressed or anxious and breathing feels constricted. (hello lockdown stress!)


The video is sped up, you can see in the first part of the video the breath is shorter and faster. Then I put a dumbell on my upper legs (you can use sandbags, DB, weight plates for barbells etc), over a yoga mat for comfort.


Notice how the breath automatically deepens. It's fuller, longer, and easier to breath diaphragmatically and breathe down into my pelvic floor.


After taking the weight away, it may not be quite as full as with the weight, but it's still longer than at the start. How can you release and let go of tension and tightness you may be holding onto?

Spinal segmentation is HARD! Can you move your spine one vertebrae by vertebrae? This video, (sped up 8x) is only 3 rounds and it took a LONG time.


It's all about control, can you own your movement through your spine? If you can grow more proprioception and awareness, maybe you will have less back pain for instance, better control in certain movements.


I'm still a work in progress, let's see how much more control I can get in my upper thoracic. Every person will have their own 'sticky spots'. I'll post more soon with some helpful props to help you get the best movement out of your spine.

As they say, move it or you will lose it!


A joint's role is to express movement. The problem in today's lifestyle is that we rarely express the full movement of our joints! Joints, muscles, and nervous system crave variability.


CARS (controlled articular rotations) compensate for the lack of variability in our movements or the highly specific ways we train. Like you brush your teeth every day, is how you should think about CARS for your joints.


At the end of the day, don't you want to wake up feeling good in your joints and pain free? Prevention is the best cure! 💪


If you want to learn more about CARS, why we do them, compensations you may have, register for my mobility workshop Sat 7th March 12-2pm. Link in my bio! RM 60 drop in fee for non-CrossfitLah members.

Every damn day.


Do your CARS (controlled articular rotation) of each joint! People ask me what is one thing they could do every day. This is it folks.


While it may seem just like shoulder or hip circles, it is much more than that! The idea is to assess your joints daily to see where you are or what might becoming an issue. If your shoulder is feeling a pinch, maybe its not a day for overhead heavy weights etc. Do some squats and work on shoulder mobility.


Come join one of my classes Thursday 6pm / Friday 8am / Saturday 9am, to learn how to clean up compensations and improve your workspace to do all the things you love in a body well prepared for it.



*tworknice

One of the first things we look at in my sessions is the breath and the impact it has on your body.


How you breathe influences your state, ie: short shallow 'chest' breathing, stimulates the sympathetic system, or 'fight or flight'. Longer, deeper diaphragmatic breathing brings on the parasympathetic, 'rest and digest'.


If it's hard to understand how to breathe with your diaphragm, one of my favourite tips is to have clients tie a band, ideally stretchy, around your ribs. This allows a kinesthetic feel of something to breathe into, taking note it's not just the front of the ribs but also the back of the ribs too.


If you breathe fully, imagine it as a 'massage' for your spine. Tissue around your torso moves, giving your back muscles also a gentle stretch. This will help you gain awareness over the posterior side of your diaphragm. Move your body, move your joints every day, several times a day! You've got to use it or you'll lose it!