You can improve your posture with this. You can also get rid of back and neck pain with this challenge. The emphasis is on “can.”
This applies to every movement pattern or exercise. Unfortunately, they only have the potential to relieve pain. There isn’t one exercise that will specifically eliminate back, neck, or any other body pain – every body is different, and the topic of pain is too complex to have one exercise as a solution.
However, there are movement patterns and exercises that have more potential than others. And one of these movement patterns, I’m introducing to you today is the ventral/dorsal spinal wave. (check out the other two here: 3 Essential Exercises for Lifelong Well-Being)
I first saw it at a workshop by the “movement teacher” Ido Portal.
“Every day is spine day!” was one of the phrases I heard from him. This makes sense to me for several reasons:
- You are an adaptation machine, and if you don’t use certain body parts, your body helps by stiffening them (calcium) or breaking them down (muscle mass, joint fluid, tissue).
- If you can’t move your spine, you lose quality of life. Think of someone whose hunch is so strong that they can only see the ground.
- Your spine is more important than your arms or legs. You could live without the latter, but not without your spine. Because your central nervous system is in your spine.
However, in the gym, most people focus on their arms and legs. Hardly anyone trains their spine.
And for those who do planks or rotation, anti-rotation, flexion, etc. That’s good, but your spine can and wants to move more and more complexly.
A good foundation for this is performing the ventral/dorsal spinal wave regularly.
I recommend it to everyone: young and old, athletic and non-athletic. If you’re a teacher, teach it to your students – they’ll be grateful for many years to come.
Improving posture, getting rid of back pain, and much more!
I’ve personally experienced and witnessed remarkable results with this practice, both in myself and among my clients. The benefits extend far beyond just alleviating neck and back pain and improving posture.
To delve deeper, Ido Portal highlights a multitude of positive effects on various aspects of your body:
- Addressing long-standing pain patterns in the nervous system
- Alleviating discomfort and spasms in the spine and torso
- Enhancing coordination and transferability of movements, resulting in improved performance across activities such as locomotion, throwing, balance, fighting, dancing, and general adaptability
- Promoting overall health, optimizing organ function, and enhancing general bodily functions by stimulating movement, shifting, and releasing stagnation along the central axis of your body.
This practice unlocks a cascade of benefits, addressing issues that may have persisted for years.
This is how the 30-day spine challenge works
With some practice, you’ll notice that the spinal wave is very easy to perform. Follow these 3 phases:
Spinal Wave Phase 1 – Segments with Wall
Stand about 10cm (4 inches) away from a wall. Touch the wall step by step with the following body parts:
- Forehead
- Nose
- Chin
- Chest
- Top of Ribs
- Stomach
- Hips
None of the body parts should touch the wall at the same time. It goes sequentially: forehead is replaced by nose, nose by chin, chin by chest, etc. Take a short break at each segment.
Practice this for 5-10 minutes, 1-3 times a day for 5 days.
Spinal Wave Phase 2 – Smooth with Wall
After you’ve mastered the first phase, remove the pauses between segments. Lightly brush against the wall with each body point along the chain, aiming for fluidity.
Practice this for 5-10 minutes, 1-3 times a day for 5 days.
Spinal Wave Phase 3 – Smooth without Wall
After you’ve mastered the second phase, move away from the wall and practice the wave freely.
Practice this for 5-10 minutes, 1-3 times a day for 20 days.
Tips
- The minutes, sets, and number of days are just guidelines. The most important thing is that you do the spinal wave every day and only move on to the next phase when you’ve mastered the previous one.
- Record your movements in the third phase on video and watch them. If you spot a mistake, work on it. One common mistake is that the wave is stronger in some segments than in others. If you have trouble recognizing it, you can also make a video of yourself against the wall (second phase) and compare it with the free wave.
After 1-2 weeks, you’ll feel the first positive changes in movement and the spine. 30 days later, you’ve transformed your spine.
I have felt these changes in myself and my clients report the same. Now it’s your turn.
Good luck!
-Marco
P.S. Write a comment below if you have any questions.
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