THORACIC SPINE MOBILITY

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Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my absolute favorite time of year. I am grateful for so many things – one of them being you! Thank you for your willingness to learn and grow with me.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I will be opening up all of my online classes from November 25th – November 28th FOR FREE! Enjoy a 20-minute class one day and a 75-minute class another day…mix it up however you want!! Click here to go right to my Digital Yoga Studio to decide what classes you want to take!

Since this month’s theme focused on thoracic spine mobility, I am providing the link here to this month’s newsletters in case you missed them. If you have any back pain or issues, I highly recommend checking out these thoracic spine openers!!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
– Melanie Beattie

Have a beautiful and love-filled holiday!! Big Breath & Big Inspiration,

One inspiring cue:

Begin in runners lunge with the right leg forward. Then, find a twist with your left hand on the ground and your right arm extended to the sky. Bring your right hand behind your head with the elbow bent and facing the ceiling.

Find your inhale in that position and then, on an exhale, try to tap that elbow towards the ground (it won’t actually touch) by rotating your rib cage down and to the left. On your next inhale, rotate your rib cage back up to the right as your elbow lifts towards the ceiling. Repeat 3-5 time on each side.

Why?
Regarding thoracic spine mobility, I think this reference from week one provides one of the best explanations for why it is so important. According to Nick Mazzone, PT, DPT, CSCS, “it is vital that you have adequate mobility in this region because of the interdependent relationship it has with the cervical spine and lumbar spine.

If you do not have enough mobility in the mid-back, the nervous system depends more heavily on the upper and lower parts of the spine to make up for that lack of motion. Limited thoracic mobility can then be a contributor to neck and/or low back pain.”

One inspiring tip:

For the cue/movement above, be sure to keep your spine as close to neutral as possible (your don’t want to be overly rounded in your back) as you move in and out of the twist.

One inspiring song:

“Fly Like an Eagle” by DJ Taz Rashid

One inspiring quote:

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”
– Oprah Winfrey

Nutrition nugget:

Of all the body systems, your immune system responds the most sensitively to subtle changes in your nutrition status. Sleep, constipation, and blood sugar can impair the body’s immune system. So, get your sleep, eat your fiber, and control your blood sugar by not eating too much sugar or simple carbs. Did you know sourdough bread is a low glycemic bread??

Check out this week’s recipe recommendation on my website by clicking here or on the image below. Enjoy!!

I am so excited for this month’s theme…Thoracic Spine Mobility! When your thoracic spine (see pic below) is as open and mobile as possible, you can breathe better, help back pain, and move easier. Did you know that if your thoracic spine is tight, the amount of air that can fill your lungs is limited?

This week I am sharing a 60-minute practice that incorporates 3 thoracic spinal openers! You’ll flow, you’ll work, and you’ll stretch around the thoracic spine for better breathing. Click here to go to my website for the video.

As part of this week’s class, we will practice last week’s cue/pose. Even if you don’t take the class, I highly recommend checking out this thoracic spine-opening pose! It will help relieve any neck and low back tension as well as open the front of your thoracic spine. Click here to read last week’s newsletter about how to practice the cue/pose and why it’s so helpful. I also recorded a video demonstration of this thoracic spinal opener which you can find FREE on my website in my Digital Yoga Studio.

Sit with your knees bent, feet on the ground, and prepare to lie back over a block. Your hips will stay on the ground and the beginning position of the block is at the lowest part of your shoulder blades. Take your hands behind your head to support your head and lie back over the block as you bring your elbows out to the sides. Feel the opening in your shoulders as you breathe deeply a few times.

Next, lift up and move the block up an inch towards your shoulders and lie back again for a few breaths. Repeat this one more time and move the block up one more inch towards your neck. Note: the block will not be on your neck, just under it on the very upper part of your thoracic spine.

You can check out a short video I made to show exactly how it’s done. Click here to go to my website for the video demonstration. I am telling you, this is a FEEL GOOD pose!!

Why?
According to Nick Mazzone, PT, DPT, CSCS, it is vital that you have adequate mobility in this region because of the interdependent relationship it has with the cervical spine and lumbar spine. If you do not have enough mobility in the mid-back, the nervous system depends more heavily on the upper and lower parts of the spine to make up for that lack of motion. Limited thoracic mobility can then be a contributor to neck and/or low back pain.

You can check out a short video I made to show exactly how it’s done. Click here to go to my website for the video demonstration. I am telling you, this is a FEEL GOOD pose!!