Home » Posts tagged 'spine'
Tag Archives: spine
How does the SANDDUNE help with balance and strength?
Eagle’s Lost Focal Point!
The Original SANDDUNE™ simulates walking in loose sand at the beach. It challenges your body to find its center of gravity. The natural phenomenon of neuropaths being re-activated after lack of activity caused by injury, illness or sedentary lifestyle, causes your muscles to react to signals from your brain, which begins a process of strengthening those muscles which are necessary to restore and maintain good balance.
For example, people with strong balance can try this Spine Stretch exercise described below on the SANDDUNE to really build and challenge their balance. From there progress to positions like the Eagle pose in Yoga. Make sure you have someone present with you to spot if this is new for you. If not, have a barre or something sturdy and stable to assist you should you loose your balance – wall or sturdy chair for example. Make sure there are no sharp object around you.
- Center yourself on the SANDDUNE with a small ball if you like, weighted or not, in your hands, with arms bent so that the ball is at your neck just below your chin.
- Stand straight, tailbone tucked with bellybutton pulled back toward your spine so your core is engaged and active. Remember as you increase your flexibility you are increasing your core strength on this apparatus.
- Before you begin your roll down, pick a focal point on the floor to maintain your balance once your eyes meet the floor.
- Now, imagine peeling an orange, trying to keep the peel in one piece as you prepare to begin a roll down (similar to what is done when doing a spinal stretch forward on the floor). If you are not an orange lover, then think Slinky toy and their fluid motion.
- Tuck your chin close to your chest resting it on top of the ball in your hands as you begin to slowly drop your head onto the ball in your hands and start to descend into your stretch. SLOWLY is the key word here. Your eyes focal point should follow the movement of your head. Draw an arc with your eyes or close your eyes and watch your body’s movement in a mindful visual manner.
- As you roll down, your head, hands and the ball will come into line with your waist. This is when you begin to uncurl your arms, keeping them close to your body and drop the ball slowly as you stretch the ball toward your feet. As Martha Graham, the great American Dancer said, “When you extend your arm, it doesn’t stop at the end of your fingers.”
- When you reach your feet, mindfully relax for a count of what is comfortable for you if this is your first time so that you can understand your body’s adjustments to being on a moving surface. A count said out loud of 1001, 1002, 1003 is a great way to gauge what your body’s balance can handle. Another quote from Martha Graham put this into perspective. “First we have to believe, then we believe.” “The body never lies.”
- At the end of your count, roll back up to standing in the same slow, fluid manner that you descended to your feet.
- I like to do this 10 to 20 times unless I want a deep stretch and trying to tuck my fingers under the SANDDUNE™ to increase my stretch.
Eagle Focus Found on The SANDDUNE!
How does the SANDDUNE help with balance and strength?
Eagle’s Lost Focal Point!
The SANDDUNE™ simulates walking in loose sand at the beach. It challenges your body to find its center of gravity. The natural phenomenon of neuropaths being re-activated after lack of activity caused by injury, illness or sedentary lifestyle, causes your muscles to react to signals from your brain, which begins a process of strengthening those muscles which are necessary to restore and maintain good balance.
For example, people with strong balance can try this Spine Stretch exercise described below on the SANDDUNE to really build and challenge their balance. From there progress to positions like the Eagle pose in Yoga. Make sure you have someone present with you to spot if this is new for you. If not, have a barre or something sturdy and stable to assist you should you loose your balance – wall or sturdy chair for example. Make sure there are no sharp object around you.
- Center yourself on the SANDDUNE with a small ball if you like, weighted or not, in your hands, with arms bent so that the ball is at your neck just below your chin.
- Stand straight, tailbone tucked with bellybutton pulled back toward your spine so your core is engaged and active. Remember as you increase your flexibility you are increasing your core strength on this apparatus.
- Before you begin your roll down, pick a focal point on the floor to maintain your balance once your eyes meet the floor.
- Now, imagine peeling an orange, trying to keep the peel in one piece as you prepare to begin a roll down similar to what is done when doing a seated spine stretch. If you are not an orange lover, then think Slinky toy and their fluid motion.
- Tuck your chin close to your chest resting it on top of the ball in your hands as you begin to slowly drop your head onto the ball in your hands and start to descend into your stretch. SLOWLY is the key word here. Your eyes focal point should follow the movement of your head.
- As you roll down, your head, hands and the ball will come into line with your waist. This is when you begin to uncurl your arms, keeping them close to your body and drop the ball slowly as you stretch the ball toward your feet. As Martha Graham, the great American Dancer said, “When you extend your arm, it doesn’t stop at the end of your fingers.”
- When you reach your feet, mindfully relax for a count of what is comfortable for you if this is your first time so that you can understand your body’s adjustments to being on a moving surface. A count said out loud of 1001, 1002, 1003 is a great way to gauge what your body’s balance can handle. Another quote from Martha Graham put this into perspective. “First we have to believe, then we believe.” “The body never lies.”
- At the end of your count, roll back up to standing in the same slow, fluid manner that you descended to your feet.
- I like to do this 10 to 20 times unless I want a deep stretch and am trying to tuck my fingers under the SANDDUNE to increase stretch.
Eagle Focus Found on The SANDDUNE!
I feel unsure of my balance…
I feel unsure of my balance and need a walker or a cane for support now. My friends tell me that I shuffle my feet. How can the SANDDUNE™ help me? 
Working out on the SANDDUNE™ both strengthens and conditions the muscles and the joints of the lower body because it engages them more fully in the process of walking. It involves muscles of your abdominal core as it activates the hip chamber and psoas muscle which is weak in many people who have reduced or stopped physical activity and are not able to lift their legs properly when walking, thus shuffling their feet.
Mindful Morning Start #5
Since you are on your knees from the cow/cat stretch, you can flow into light stretches for the chest, and shoulders. These will help increase your range of motion giving you more mobility and freedom of movement as your day begins. It creates a feeling of refreshment and invigoration.
Sit back on your calves with your feet flat on the bed. Your hands are in the same position from the cow/cat stretch – under the shoulders. As you sit back on your calves without moving your hands, slowly and mindfully drop your head between your outstretched arms as though you are bowing or doing a courtesy. If you can rest your forehead on the bed, great. If not, remember that has your flexibility increases, your forehead will come closer to bed. Try this stretch twice, holding from 10 to 30 seconds. If you did yoga years ago, this is a variation of child’s pose. For those not yet ready to place their arms and hands in front of them to begin this stretch, bring your arms in next to your body and place your hands next to your feet in another variation of child’s pose. Gently tuck your head as close to your knees as your flexibility permits. Breathe deeply for 10 – 30 seconds, expanding your back muscles as you inhale. Do this twice. Relax between each stretch.
Now come back up to your knees and gently lower your body to the bed, stretching out to your full length. You are now going to stretch your abdominal muscles. Your knees should be slightly apart although some may choose a wider distance depending on flexibility. Bend your elbows bringing them close to your torso. Your hands should be parallel to your chin and nose with finger tips facing forward. As you begin to press your hands into the bed, slide your shoulder blades down your back and inhale. Do not over arch your back as your upper body comes off the bed. Allow your stomach muscles to remain hollow in this natural motion that occurs as you slowly and gently press your body upward. Do not arch your neck back, but keep it going forward in a straight line, as an extension of the spine being pulled by a string attached to wall. Release to the bed gently if you feel pinching or strain. Do this stretch twice, holding for 10 to 30 seconds. Relax between each stretch. These are gentle morning stretches!
Mindful Morning Start #4
Now that you have rocked, rolled and become still, it is now time to step up activating your body. Roll up to your hands and knees to begin a lower back stretch is in order. Make sure your fingers are facing forward and your toes/feet are flat on the bed or floor in the event the dog or cat or whomever, will not move over and give you your needed space! Hands should be under your shoulders or a couple of inches in front of the point on the shoulder and in line with your hips.
Begin with a flat back then drop your head downward, exhaling your breath, as you push the center of your back up opening the shoulder blades, widening your back and ending with the tucking of your tailbone. (cat stretch)
Now reverse the motion, inhaling your breath, as you begin to arch your back, press your tail bone upward and drop your belly. 
Your head should be last to come up. As you return to the upper arch stretch of your back, make sure your head is last to drop into its position. Your head should always be the final body part to complete the stretching movement. You are creating a wave with your body, a fluid soothing motion to the spine. (cow stretch). If you are not used to this, begin with 5 stretches each and work up to as many as is comfortable for you. When you have finished your last stretch, become still with a flat back. Begin to feel your body awaken. Listen to your body.
Mindful Morning start #3
Once your rocking is complete become still.
- Begin to visualize your head and neck in line with your spine by imagining someone is running a string from the center of your head to the tip of your tailbone as the spine aligns itself.
- Place your arms a few inches from your side with your palms down and legs straight, your feet and knees in line with your hips. Wiggle your body around a bit, settle in and relax for a minute or two in a brief mindful meditation.
- Next, press the heel of one leg into the bed, keeping it straight. Feel your leg become tense and hold for 4 counts with the first press being light and subsequent presses done with quick release of the heel into the bed.
- Repeat this 4-6 times. Repeat with the other leg holding for a count of 4 and repeating this 4-6 times. As your body gets used to this, you might try increasing to 8-10 times…then 12-16 times. This increases circulation. Don’t push too hard in the beginning, as you may get a leg cramp!
Once finished, prepare to stand.
I feel unsure of my balance…
I feel unsure of my balance and need a walker or a cane for support now. My friends tell me that I shuffle my feet. How can the SANDDUNE™ help me?
Working out on the SANDDUNE™ both strengthens and conditions the muscles and the joints of your lower body because it engages those them more fully in the process of walking. In addition it involves muscles of your abdominal core as it activates the sacroiliac joint where your spine connects to the pelvis.
Original SANDDUNE™ 