fitnessandfood

A few years ago I began to have niggling lower back pain.  Over time it grew gradually worse, and I sought treatment from my doctor.  The doctor prescribed painkillers and referred me to a physiotherapist, and I went and did the exercises she recommended religiously.  After a few years of no improvement, my mom recommended an alternative specialist who works on body alignment and movement.  Although I no longer see him, I do still have a book he recommended called Somatics: Reawakening the Mind’s Control of Movement, Flexibility, and Health.The book argues that the decline of the body with age which take for granted as natural - joint stiffness, back pain, fatigue, and even high blood pressure - are not natural progressions and can be prevented.  This is achieved by training the body’s sensory awareness through a series of simple exercises.Thomas Hana’s theory is an attractive one, and reading the book does open your eyes to the way in which the body operates.  The exercises are based on yoga and pilates, but are so gentle that people of all ages can do them.  One of the key movements is the cat stretch, and if done upon waking and before going to sleep, leaves the back supple and the core strengthened. So does it work?  Well the catch behind Hana’s theory is that it takes time and dedication - you must do the exercises regularly in order to see an effect.  I have been integrating Somatics into my own stretching and exercise routine and I do see an effect.  My chronic back pain is reduced to a flutter, and there is less creaking and popping in my hip joints.Give Somatics a try.  Your body will thank you. 

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