4 ways to decompress your spine!
Dr. Nikki in gravity boots, decompressing her spine and it feels amazing!
When was the last time you hung on the branch of a tree? Or how about upside down? You may find these to be silly questions, but believe it or not hanging decompresses your spine and maintains health and youth. It also can bring peace of mind.
One of the best feelings in the world is when a taller friend gives me a spine squeezing hug while lifting me off the ground so that my feet dangle. The lower back sensation is divine and I feel so relaxed.
Hanging from a tree or bar produces the same results and works on the spinal area between the shoulders as well. A blissed out, altered state of consciousness can result too. Hanging upside down as in the image here does the same thing. So what’s happening here?
Everyday we walk on hard floors, sit in chairs, and sleep in suboptimal beds. The spaces between our vertebrae begin to compress and most of the time we never do anything to re-lengthen these joints. Overtime, this can begin to cause aches, pains, and disease, not only of the back but also in other joints and body parts as well because the root of most nerves is in the spinal cord.
When we stretch and lengthen the joints of our spine decompression occurs, and the nerves are alleviated of pressure, resulting in a very good feeling. In the process, various back muscles that are constantly firing to keep the spine upright get to take a break and are stretched as well.
Studies have even shown improvement of spinal health after inversion hanging therapy. It even reversed degenerative conditions in patients that were recommended to undergo surgery. This is a minimally invasive way to reverse the effects of gravity and cumulative trauma as a result of being a two-legged creature walking the earth.
If you’re doing yoga, qi-going, and certain chiropractic adjustments, fortunately you are maintaining the health of your spine. There are a few other ways to really enhance decompression of the spine and thus prevent disease even more!
How to decompress your spine
- Hang on anything you can find! A bar, a tree branch, or any structure you can manage to hang on to that will allow your feet to dangle. Hold on tight and attempt to relax every muscle and joint in your body including your neck for as long as you can.
- An Inversion Therapy Table (link attached) does the same thing AND you get the wonderful effects of an inversion including anti-depression, thyroid activation, and more (stay tuned for a future blog on inversions).
- If you have minimal space, a hang bar with gravity boots (link attached) installed in a door way is another option.
- Ask a tall person for a big, spine-squeezing hug and be sure you are lifted off the ground in the process! Hang there for as long as you can and enjoy!
If you have any backaches, joint issues, or are looking for a way to decrease stress I highly recommend hanging! Do it daily if you can. This is an easy way to bring more wellness into your life! There are gurus in India who hang for many hours everyday in a meditative state because the effects for both mind AND body are that incredible! Try it and let me know how you enjoy it!