Release Happy Hormones and Relieve Pain with the Power of Alignment
Movement: The Science of the Self - Episodes 3 & 4
Do you consistently feel tension throughout your body? Maybe your hip flexors are shortened from sitting at your desk all day, or your back aches every time you work out. For most of us, our daily routines make it easy to fall into altered recruitment patterns and muscle imbalances, such as slouching.
Although pain is common within our sedentary society, it is entirely possible to find relief. These next two episodes of Movement: The Science of the Self explain how learning to properly breathe is the key to breaking these painful habits and finding alignment within our bodies.
Host Elizabeth Pongo explains in episode 3 that the first step in a successful health and fitness journey is to check in with your alignment. Once we identify what proper alignment is, we can then learn how to breathe.
When we train ourselves to breathe from our diaphragms, the breath is able to reach our whole body, allowing us to connect with ourselves on a deeper level and discover our neutral. Learn about the power of the diaphragmatic breath and the “drawing-in maneuver,” so you can continue your health and fitness journey in alignment with yourself.
In episode 4, Elizabeth dives further into how to use our breath and abdominal muscles to correct altered recruitment patterns that prevent us from releasing happy hormones.
The key to muscular balance and coordination is an effective and efficient exercise regime. Elizabeth explains that our abdominal muscles contribute largely to our overall alignment and for many people, their pain is rooted in the weakness of their abdominal core. In order to stabilize our core and fix issues like these, we must focus on our breathing techniques. It is only after we find alignment that our brain will release serotonin and relieve sensations of pain.
Listen to episode 4 and discover how single heel taps, core integration, and utilizing the drawing-in maneuver release tension.
