In my approach to working with people, I find my expanded emphasis on neurophysical activity offers a distinct difference that sets my work apart from much of mainstream fitness and yoga. Traditionally, these disciplines have often relied heavily on the concept of stretching, a practice that focuses on elongating muscles, yet overlooks the neurological dimensions that govern how our muscles function.
Understanding Muscle Activity: A Neurocentric View
When we talk about muscles, it’s essential to remember that they don’t operate in isolation. Every movement is initiated by a signal from the brain, which travels down through the nervous system to instruct the muscles to contract or release. Muscles contract short and release long in response to these motor signals. Think of it as a wave: at the bottom, the muscle is at rest; at the peak, it is fully contracted; and in between, there’s a dynamic range of increasing and decreasing signal strength.
What if you contract your bicep: you’ll notice the bulge in the middle. This is where the muscle fibres have shortened in response to the brain’s signal to the muscle which is creating a bulging centre to the muscle contraction – the centre of the muscle is increasing in muscle density. The signal strength dictates how much the muscle fibres shorten, and as the signal decreases, the muscle releases and lengthens. This coordination of contraction and release isn’t just a simple on/off switch. It’s a sophisticated communication process where the brain fine-tunes signals to various parts of the musculature, shaping our movements through intricate patterns of activation and deactivation.
Babies are a great example of this in action. Their movements are often jerky and unrefined because their brains are still learning the complex patterns required to signal their muscles how to act. As we grow, our brains develop these patterns, enabling us to perform increasingly subtle and refined movements.
The Stretching Myth
The traditional practice of stretching is often likened to pulling a rubber band. You hold one end, pull the other, and the rubber band elongates. In stretching, the focus is similarly on the two endpoints of a muscle, typically near the joints. The aim is to lengthen the muscle by pulling these endpoints apart.
However, this approach misses a crucial aspect of how muscles function – the neurology. When you stretch a muscle, what’s often happened to stimulate stretching is an incomplete release of the muscle fibres, particularly in the middle section where contractions are centred. While the ends of the muscle may lengthen, the midsection can remain partially contracted, leading to an imbalance in the muscle’s functioning. Stretching, per se, does not address the underlying neurological signals that are continuously directing the contraction and release throughout the musculature. It’s an attempt to force lengthening in partially contracted muscles without considering the brain’s role in maintaining and/or releasing them from their contracted state. This is where my approach diverges significantly.
Here is a link to our Youtube video Why we don’t stretch: An Introduction to Pandiculation
Pandiculation: Resetting the Neurological Signals
Rather than relying on stretching, I suggest using a process known as pandiculating. This approach offers a way to reset the brain’s sensorimotor networks within the neurology ie those areas that are directly responsible for coordinating muscle activity. Pandiculation is in many ways the opposite of stretching. Instead of trying to lengthen a muscle that is already shortened, we begin by contracting the muscle deliberately, focusing on developing better sensing of the state of contractedness.
The key is then in the slow, focused release of the contraction. In the gradual letting go, the muscle lengthens naturally, which enables it to reach a state of relaxation that feels truly released. Then, we rest, allowing the physical body to be inactive While the neurology becomes more active as the brain updates its sensorimotor networks with new information about the state of the muscle.
This process is repeated a few times, with each cycle helping to further develop and integrate the new, more balanced pattern of muscle activity. The result is a reset in the brain’s signalling patterns, allowing for better coordination and smoother movement. Unlike stretching, which only addresses the physical aspect of the muscle, pandiculation engages the neurological dimension, ensuring that the muscles and the brain are in sync.
Creating Smarter Muscular Functioning
My work is often centred around developing better somatic communication between the neurology and the physiology. By focusing on the neurological signals that direct muscle activity, we can create opportunities for the neurophysiology to learn more efficient patterns of signalling. This leads to refined muscular behaviours and, ultimately, smarter, more holistic functioning.
Including the neuro to produce neurophysical practices isn’t just a shift in technique; it’s a shift in understanding how our bodies truly work. It’s about recognising that our muscles are not just mechanical parts to be stretched and pulled but are intricately linked to the brain’s sophisticated communication networks. By updating these networks, we can move beyond the limitations of traditional stretching and unlock a new level of physical and neurological harmony.
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