A Simple Low Back Stretch
When used to its fullest potential, this simple low-back stretch is nothing short of amazing.
The specific exercise positioning: supports our body while we use our deep, deep breathing that we have been mastering in Retraining our HPA Axis for better sleep, mood, ..).
HPA Axis 3 Techniques
Calm and Balance Your Nervous System. 3 Techniques including 4-7-8 Breathing
Feel, Look, LIVE better. The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
In today’s exercise, we stretch from the inside out.
You can think of today’s exercise as literally- gently – stretching from the inside ➡ out.
This low back stretch is included in the 90 ☀️ Days 5 🖐🏼 SIMPLE Exercises series.
90☀️ Days – 5🖐🏼 Exercises
90 Days 5 Simple Exercises
The Body Set Up We Are Leveraging
The abdominal cavity is the area between our back muscles and abdominal muscles. And our diaphragm and pelvic floor.
How does this SIMPLE Exercise work?
As we inhale deeper and deeper, we slowly increase the internal space that the air takes up.
This begins to help us gently stretch taunt muscles from the inside out:
- little back muscles that are next to the spine,
- our quadratus lumborum on the lumbar spine
The position and deep breathing also help tone our vagus nerve, which helps reduce our stress hormones. Reducing stress hormones helps us to sleep better and move with less tension in our muscles.
The Micro Decision to use this super simple exercise contributes a TON to our bodies. This is because all our systems, including our muscle-skeletal system, are interconnected and dependent on each other.
Everything we do on The Simple Self Care Lifestyle contributes to our 1 GOAL of Optimizing Our Body using the 1 FOCUS and Micro Decisions.
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All Our Systems are Inter-connected
Our systems are interconnected and DEPENDENT on each other. This is how this SIMPLE, gentle LOW Back Exercise can positively impact so much of our body.
I wasn’t over-exaggerating when I said that making the daily Self Care Micro Decision to incorporate this low-back stretch is nothing short of amazing!
I hope this quick, over-simplistic description of what is going on helps you imagine how this gentle stretching of your low back region will help your overall well-being. A balanced body contributes to an Optimized Body: our 1 SELF CARE GOAL that improves everything in our daily lives.
This is really an amazing exercise
The last pitch for today, in my effort to convince you that this simple low back stretch is worth your time, is that it also helps us do another important thing.
It helps to balance the psoas, which helps us to improve:
- neck humps
- upper, lower back issues
- belly pooches
- along with a multitude of other benefits
What’s a psoas muscle? Why is it important?
Like the diaphragm in E for E: Incontinence, ED, Back Pain, the psoas muscle is another hidden gem.
The Psoas The Red Muscles in Photo
The psoas muscle connects to your lower vertebrae (spinal bones of your lower back) and goes through your abdominal cavity, attaching to your thigh bone.
Every single time you bring your thigh a bit up and forward, you are using your psoas muscle.
For instance, when you are:
- walking
- squatting
- going uphill
- climbing stairs
- balancing on one leg….
The Psoas is
- the only muscle to cross both the lower spine and hip joint, so it impacts hip joint rotation.
- it’s the deepest muscle of your core
- and the only muscle that connects your spine to your legs.
If we are active (which is our goal) and using one side of our body more than the other, which is typical, one of the two psoas muscles may become a bit shorter in length.
Your best defense in preserving friction-free mobility, as an athlete or as we age, is an offensive strategy that includes releasing the lower back region in a gentle way that includes the psoas muscle daily.
Releasing the low back region daily is a very good idea.
How to do the Gentle, Effective, Low Back Stretch
Position
- On your back, feet slightly wider than hip-width.
- Allow your knees to meet in the middle, gently supported by the weight of each other.
- Your head is relaxed and parallel to the floor if you need a small towel or pillow for comfort, just be sure it is not lifting your head up.
Action
- In this position, we will use 4 rounds of the 4-7-8 breathing.
- With each slow 8-count exhale, melt deeper into the relaxed state.
Positioning Instructions start at 06:30
⏰ Time Stamp for this video:
00:00 Intro☝🏼 Simple Exercise Whole Body Results. Ex #2 for this week’s routine.
01:41 Our Goal and 1 Common Hurdle.
03:13 This 1 Simple Exercise will do the following
04:05 The Psoas Muscle
06:30 Exercise Positioning
Simple Self Care Tip:
🎯 Use this Low Back Stretch Before You Get Out Of Bed in the Morning and Before you Sleep.
The combination of positioning and use of breath allows us to expand our abdominal cavity stretching its supporting muscles.
That’s it. So ridiculously simple sooooo beneficial.
You can gently use today’s low back ‘internal’ stretch to:
- release your lower back
- help balance your psoas muscles
- improve your overall posture and
- well-being
⚠️ Because it is ridiculously SIMPLE, the largest hurdle is getting past the preconceived notion that it couldn’t possibly be effective. It is.
One-Minute Version:
More 1 minute exercises on the Video Topic Page under 1 Min Exercises
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For details & instructions: 4-7-8 breathing
HPA Axis 3 Techniques
Calm and Balance Your Nervous System. 3 Techniques including 4-7-8 Breathing
Feel, Look, LIVE better. The Simple Self Care Lifestyle
Week 2
Daily Routine Video & Prop Links
90☀️ Days – 5🖐🏼 Exercises
90 Days 5 Simple Exercises
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