There is one exercise I do everyday without fail. This exercise works on my reflexive posture, full body strength, and my vestibular system (probably the most underrated system in the body) It nourishes my brain and feels good. And as a mentor of mine says ‘’it feels good to feel good’’
Can you guess what it is?
ROCKING!
Rocking weaves the tapestry of the body and the mind. Rocking is performed by getting on your hands and knees, keeping a long spine (head and chest up) and rocking your butt backwards towards your ankles.
This one simple drill can unlock movement functions like no other. It opens up the hips, engages the deep abdominal musculature including the pelvic floor, transverse abdominis and multifidus and stabilises the scapular allowing for better function of the shoulder complex.
Rocking is hardwired into us all. It’s what we call a neurodevelopmental pattern. A Neurodevelopmental pattern refers to an innate movement that babies do. Essentially they are already programmed into the body allowing for maturity of the mind, body and sensory systems. These movements are why infants’ brains grow as fast as they do. These ‘milestones’ take little Johnny from lying on the ground as a baby to standing tall and walking as an infant.
Better sensory information in = better brain nourishment
Out of all of the neurodevelopmental patterns, rocking is the most soothing. It calms the nervous system right down, quickly putting you into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.
It’s the reason why we rock a child to sleep. The rhythmical nature opens up the calming pathways between body and brain.
Autistic children will often rock, this is something referred to as stimming or stims. This self stimulation is the child’s way of
- Calming from over stimulation when things just get all too much
- Increasing under stimulation, providing extra sensory input when required
- Pain reduction, stimming causes the release of beta-endorphins in the body, which then causes a feeling of anesthesia or pleasure.
- Management of emotions, this is both the management of positive and negative emotion
As you can see rocking is calming for the mind and soothing for the body. A few minutes of rocking everyday is incredibly nourishing.
As always you need to …
Not everyone is going to be able to go straight into rocking. Some may have tight wrists, sore knees or ankles.
- Be gentle
- Avoid pain
- Breathe deep into your belly
- And remember sometimes the most simple things are the most profound
Have a rocking day
Paul “rock and roll” and Krystie “stop, drop and rock” Miller
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