Neck pain is a big drag!  Neck stiffness is so annoying! How often have you tried stretching and neck strengthening exercises that send you into more pain and stiffness?  I have totally been there!  One of my favorite ways to relax the neck is to start getting movement into the shoulders, shoulder blades and thoracic spine.
3 Movements for a happy & healthy neck (before you begin, check your neck motion: rotate each direction and then bring your chin to your chest.  Notice how far you move and how it feels):

• Sidelying Trunk Rotation and Shoulder Windmill
• Shoulder Blade Movement on Hands and Knees
• Shoulder Stretch

Now recheck your neck motion and notice if it feels different: is it easier, not so stiff, more motion?

This movement sequence was inspired by my exploration with Jill Miller's Yoga Tune Up™/Roll Model and Yamuna Body Rolling.

The outermost membrane, the dura mater extends from the base of the skull to the sacrum and coccyx.  The dura is attached to the lining of the base of the skull and the upper cervical vertebra. Through the remainder of the vertebral canal, the dura does not attach to the vertebra until the end of the dural sac at the second sacral vertebrae. Extensions of the dura surround the nerve roots and continue into the connective tissue coverings of the spinal nerves.  So this tube that protects the brain, spinal cord and the spinal nerves is pretty important!  In order to have healthy dura and healthy nerves we need proper movement, hydration, nutrition and sleep to keep the connective tissue vital.  A lot of our days are full of stress, spent in static positions that lead to neck or sacral compression (sitting at the computer, driving in the car) or repetitive movements that can stress and dehydrate the tissues.  Try these movements to keep your nervous system healthy.

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.

These exercises are great for building the global muscles of the core: abs and back muscles, but what about the intrinsic muscles of the core? In my practice, many people have come to me who have already been doing their "core exercises" and yet they still suffer from back pain, SI dysfunction and pelvic floor disorders, etc.  The key to true core stability is to develop motor control, timing and coordination of the intrinsic muscles first, and then develop the abs, obliques and back muscles once the inner stabilization system is firing and wiring together.

Below is a video sequence to address spinal mobility and upper back tension.  Before you begin, lie on your back with your legs out straight.  Notice the contact of the back of your legs, your low back, lower ribs and shoulder blades to the floor. After you complete the sequence, lie on the floor again and notice the change of your muscles and your connection with the floor.  Enjoy!

This Saturday, September 22 marks the beginning of Fall.  The change of seasons here in Salt Lake City is invigorating: brisk mornings and evenings require putting on layers, and the leaves are turning orange, yellow and red.  This change feels so synchronized, steady and effortless.

If only changing habits and behaviours could be so elegant...  

A transition of seasons may appear effortless, because of the consistency in change month after month.  We can apply this concept of change to our own habits and behaviours: big changes most often happen from a sequence of small solutions strung together.

Using research from business, psychology, sociology and neuroscience, brothers Chip and Dan Heath have written a book called Switch: How to change things when change is hard.  This is a “how to” book that begins with a premise:

All change efforts have certain patterns that are similar

• You must start acting differently
  
• You must change your situation
• You must change how you feel and what you think
• You must get the emotional brain and the thinking brain to integrate

This Fall, ALIGN has teamed up with SoulSalt coaching to create a program for change.  We call our program Ultimate Freedom:  Finding your way out of pain.  We are seeking individuals who are in pain, and who are ready to move through it!  Ultimate Freedom is a 5 week intensive, that is offered in either a group or an individual format.

Utilizing principles of coaching, neuroscience, movement and neuromuscular education,  Ultimate Freedom will assist to restore you through a season of change, and a future of no pain!