Floor Exercises for Decompressing and Maintaining the Spine

Here are a few floor exercises that I do on a regular basis to help keep myself fit.

Please note: It is very important to be gentle upon yourself and not to over stretch or strain your body. When you first start doing these exercises, do not exert to much force on tight tendons and stiff joints; If you feel any resistance or pain stop: Your body is telling you "No!"

Ensure the floor area is free of obstructions and that you have an Exercise mat, or a thick, soft rug to cushion your spine from the hard surface.

These exercises are designed to rejuvenate and re- hydrate cartilage tissue and the discs between the vertebra, towards restoring and maintaining neurological pathways; it is recommended that you drink water an hour or so before you start the exercises. It is also advisable not to load the back unnecessarily immediately after these exercises as it is very important that the discs have enough time to expand sufficiently to provide you with the full and adequate support your body requires. The rate of hydration and replenishment time will vary from person to person according to their condition and health, and with that in mind, choosing to exercise one evening a week to start with (e.g. every Friday night to exercise off the weeks toil) an hour or so before bedtime, is more sensible than risking over stressing the areas concerned.

The purpose of the exercises is to unwind and release the physical tensions within the body. It may not be necessary to do all these exercises every day, and there is no benefit gained from over doing any aspect of them either! The important thing is that you are doing some good gentle exercise on a daily basis at your own pace as well as you are able, while providing the spongy structure of the spinal discs the necessary space to fully expand and rejuvenate.

Warning: If you suffer from specific back problems, injury, post operative problems, or have mobility problems and medical conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, please consult your doctor, and or ask for assistance from a trained and suitably qualified Physiotherapist before undertaking any of these exercises.

Depending upon your fitness and usual posture; during the Spine Decompression Exercise, as you lower your legs, you may or may not feel your head and shoulders following in a sliding motion down the mat. This is quite normal, and can be useful in identifying the daily activities that are contributing to the compression upon your back. As your spine becomes more supple, reaching full unforced decompression (doing the exercise once a week) the length of this sliding motion will decrease.

Please read through all the exercises first, to establish the ones best suited to your needs.

As part of a healthy diet I also include the beneficial natural food supplements, Borage Oil and Coconut Oil as mentioned

in the article upon DPS https://sites.google.com/site/beauxreflets/dps

The above exercises have enabled recovery from slipped disc injuries (avoiding surgery for disc hernias)

cured my Sciatica such that I can now bend over and touch my toes with ease, and coupled with massage where required,

is allieviating all the aspects in Restless Leg Syndrome and Secondary Parkinson's Disease.

With increased mobilty and all the pain deminished, life feels so much more enjoyable!

If you know someone who may benefit please forward this link http://sites.google.com/site/beauxreflets/keep-fit

I went to the doctors the other day.

He said "Gosh, I've not seen you for a while."

I said, "Ï know, I'm sorry, I've been ill."

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