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unlocking MYOFASCIAL

PADLOCKS Decode the Science of Pain-Free Power

Scott Sonnon Tactical Fitness Advisor to: US Department of Justice US Department of Defense US Department of Homeland Security

Scott Sonnonʼs Proven Mobility Solution to Restricted Tissues and Tension

Featuring Summer Huntington, RMAX Head Coach and Creator of Clubbell Yoga and Primal 12

TACFIT® Tactical Fitness Systems Unlocking Myofascial Padlocks Scott Sonnon, Chief Operations Officer Copyright 2014 by RMAX International All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address: RMAX International P.O. Box 501388 Atlanta, GA 31150 Website: WWW.RMAXINTERNATIONAL.COM Email comments and questions to: [email protected]

TACFIT® is a registered trademark of Sconik International LLC. DISCLAIMER: The information in this book is presented in good faith, but no warranty is given, nor results guaranteed. Since we have no control over physical conditions surrounding the application of information in this book the author and publisher disclaim any liability for untoward results including (but not limited) any injuries or damages arising out of any person's attempt to rely upon any information herein contained. The exercises described in this book are for information purposes, and may be too strenuous or even dangerous for some people. The reader should consult a physician before starting TACFIT® or any other exercise programs. LEGAL STATEMENT: When purchasing equipment, or any other products from RMAX International, the purchaser understands the risks associated with using this kind of equipment and/or other products, and the purchaser understands and assumes any and all the risks associated with following instructions from other products, and agrees not to hold RMAX International, as well as any officers, members, employees, assistants, volunteers, assignees, or agents of any type whatsoever, acting on or in behalf of the aforementioned entities and persons, responsible for injuries, maintenance, and/or supervision.

ATTENTION: Nothing within this information intends to constitute an explanation of the use of any product, or the carrying out of any procedure, or the   process introduced by, or within any material. RMAX International and its officers and employees accept no responsibility for any injuries, or damages arising out of any person's attempt to rely upon any information contained herein. Consult your doctor before using this, or any other exercise device. Do not use if you have an injury, or are experiencing pain or inflammation in parts of your body without first consulting your doctor. Use this product at your own risk. Failure to follow instructions, and/or using this product in any way other than its intended use could result in injury. IMPORTANT: Please be sure to thoroughly read the instructions in this book, paying particular attention to all cautions and warnings shown for TACFIT to ensure proper and safe use.

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About the Author

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Loaded Tripod Hip Lift

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Debunking Stretching Myths

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Long Leg Knee Hug

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Flexibility vs. Elasticity

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Lying Double Knee Tuck

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The Stretch Reflex

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Modified Up Dog

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Health Risks of Static Stretching

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Mountain Climber Foot Flexed

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Plasticity Changes

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Rotating Mountain Climber

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You Adapt to What You Donʼt Move

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Elevated Mountain Climber

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Active Butterfly

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Plank Outer Lunge

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Air Switches

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Prone Shoulder Twist

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Assisted Squat

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Seal

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Bear Squat

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Shallow Down Dog

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Bear Squat to Flat Foot Squat

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Shinbox Knee Hug

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Bulldog

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Shinbox Switch

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Camel Hip Extension

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Shinbox Pigeon

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Cat Cow

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Shoulder Bridge Lowers

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Elbow Hypotenuse Floor Triangle

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Spinal Rock Plow Partner Assist

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Elbow Pushup Twisted

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Spinal Rock Plow Assisted

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Hip Drive Twisting Tripod

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Swinging Tripod

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Hollow Body Core Plow

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Table Lift

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Inside Lunge

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Three Leg Dog Kick

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Knee Lunge Outside

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Twisting Tripod

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Kneeling Arm Thread

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Vertical Tripod

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Leg Swoop Hip Grounded

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Windshield Wiper

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Master of Sport SCOTT SONNON Chief Operations Officer RMAX International WORLD CHAMPION

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Find Scott on Facebook or Twitter

NATIO NAL COACH

Scott was “Born to Lose, but Trained to Win.” Against all odds, Scott became a champion, and has shared the discoveries he made along the way. Scott Sonnon is most known for being a martial arts champion in Sambo Wrestling, Sport Jiujitsu, Submission Grappling, Amateur Mixed Martial Arts, and Sanshou Kickboxing. Sonnon capitalized upon advances in applied biomechanics, stress physiology, exercise endocrinology and coaching psychology to become a multiple-time USA National Team Coach. Sonnon trained for six years with the former USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and Special Operations Unit (Spetsnaz) Physical Conditioning and Performance Enhancement Specialists at the RETAL (Physical Skill Consultant Scientific & Practical Training) Center, and became the first American to be licensed by the Russian government in these studies. He is also one of a handful of individuals outside the former USSR to earn the coveted “Master of Sport” —the highest athletic distinction recognized in the former Soviet Union. Scott strove to these athletic accomplishments due to his severe learning disabilities - dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia; using martial arts, fitness and yoga as a means of educational therapy, which ultimately led him to become a keynote speaker for prestigious institutes such as TEDx and Mensa. Sonnon’s peak performance enhancement methods are on the scientific cutting-edge teaching how to use exercise not merely for increased physical capacity, but as a means of injuryprevention, illness-prevention and longevity; as the world’s number one killer is not guns, knives or bombs, but stress-related disease. He consults for the United Stated Department of Defense, United Stated Department of Justice and the United States Department of Homeland Security.

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5 Soviet scientist and physician Alexander Bogomoletz wisely said: “Man is as old as his connective tissues.” If you rely on tissue elasticity for flexibility, you’ll lose it. You must master the regulation of selective tension in order to gain dynamic strength. Tendons do not need to be maximally stretched to be torn. Tears result from a special combination of sudden stretch and muscular contraction. Everyone has slipped on ice at some point in his or her life. When you slip on ice your body is thrown off-balance. It reflexively attempts to restabilize the breach of stance integrity. The tissue that you stretch when you slip, say the hamstring or the groin, will contract to the original position. Voilà … Tear! It’s caused by a stretch from one side and a simultaneous contraction on the other. This involuntary event is called the “stretch reflex”: a muscle that is stretched by an external force too far or too fast will contract to oppose the stretch.  Before beginning dynamic strengthening exercises in Circular Strength Training (CST) to develop plasticity, you must first learn to regulate muscular tension (in CST parlance: “Selective Tension”). This is not as difficult as it sounds, but it requires a paradigm shift away from conventional methods.  Someone once asked me the following: “CST seems so fluid and supple. Since I am older and not as flexible, I fear that I will not be able to train in your system. Are there exercises to improve my flexibility so that I can begin to train?” Others have said, “I am highly involved in my sport and am concerned about my performance levels. I fear a lack of connective tissue strength. What can I do?”  (Circular Strength Training® comprises multi-joint, multi-planar movements which develop rotary and angular/ diagonal strength to assist the prime movers. Athletes with this holistic strength develop motor recruitment patterns that are both strong and functional. Without this complete movement paradigm, performance suffers greatly and injury likelihood significantly increases.) [to be added with the text in a separate column] Debunking the Stretching Myths  The answer is not simple due to the nature of the question. In CST, stretching is not considered a particularly high premium health practice. Stretching has been a buzzword for the past twenty or so years, but rarely has anyone been given the opportunity to question whether increasing flexibility is a virtue for health and longevity.  We have seen a significant deterioration in connective tissue strength and pervasive injuries in every sport and at every age level due to the dangerous stretching practices of the conventional fitness industry. There are important myths to debunk. Some of these myths are as follows:  1. Flexibility is the primary characteristic of health and sportive/combative performance. The more flexible you are the better.  2. Flexibility is a form of injury prevention.  3. Injury results from insufficient warm-up to increase flexibility.  4. Injury happens when tissue is stretched maximally.  5. Static stretching is safe and productive. Dynamic Stretching (mobility training and ballistic motion) is unsafe and unproductive.  6. Daily stretching is mandatory for flexibility maintenance.  7. Flexibility requires many years and is the first characteristic to be lost.  8. (The most terrible) Flexibility is gained through elongating the tissues (deformation). 

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Flexibility vs. Elasticity  Let’s first differentiate between the concepts of flexibility and elasticity. Flexibility is a measurable range of motion in one specific direction. To increase the flexibility of a tissue you must apply a force pulling the tissue in an isolated range of motion until the stress causes a permanent deformation of that tissue, where it will not return to its original state.  Over the years we cause micro trauma to our tissue from activity. The tissue heals, but only after scar tissue has formed. In healing, the scar tissues mends the wound together by pulling and shortening the tissue.  Many people, in the conventional understanding of physical culture, have made the assumption that stretching after activity can prevent the muscle from healing at a shorter length. However, should the stretching manage to prevent shortening (which is debatable), the connective tissues stiffen. Tendons and ligaments are composed of collagen (lending tensile strength) and elastin (lending elasticity, obviously). As we age our tissues undergo an irreversible process of decreasing elastin and increasing collagen.  Elasticity is a material’s ability to return to its original state following deformation after removal of the deforming load. To increase the elasticity of a tissue you must apply a load to the tissue in a range of motion and remove that load after the initial stiffness ceases (discomfort, not pain), but before the tissue is permanently deformed, so that the tissue returns to its original state. This stress increases the capacity for storage of elastic energy.  Stored Elastic Energy and Viscosity  The ability to generate Stored Elastic Energy (SEE) is proportionate to the tensile strength of the tissue. Tensile Strength is the maximum stress that a material can withstand before it breaks. Ductility (how malleable a substance is) decreases as it reaches its tensile strength failure, and conversely the amount of SEE increases as it reaches its tensile strength failure.  This is the concept of Viscosity: the property of an object that demonstrates that a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Many tissues of the human body exhibit constricting, congealing, and thickening characteristics when not exposed to outside forces. The Viscosity of a tissue is its resistance to a force. The greater the viscosity, the greater the force and time required to cause deformation.  To understand this, pull a rubber band in two opposite directions. The more that you pull, the harder it is to pull. For example, if you pull the rubber band one inch, it gains (say) 5 units of SEE. If you pull one more inch, it produces 10 additional units of SEE (15 total). If you pull one final inch, it results in 20 more units of SEE (35 total). The increase is exponential. The farther that you pull the rubber band, the further it will fly when one side is released. 

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The Stretch Reflex  Tissues adapt to both the intensity and the duration of a stress placed upon them. If the tensile strength of the rubber band is 50 units and you pull the rubber band one final inch (which should produce 40 more units of SEE for a total of 75), the tensile strength of the rubber band has been exceeded. Failure results and it snaps in two. Ultra high degrees of flexibility outside of the natural range of motion of a joint make ’snapping’ much more likely. ‘Stretching Gurus’ have used this knowledge to make a leap in logic that says, “injuries occur when a muscle is stretched beyond its limit. So prevent injuries by elongating the muscles of the connective tissues.”  This assumption is a physiological falsehood. Tears do not happen because tissues have been maximally stretched (as the stretching pundits would have you believe), but because of the special combination of sudden stretch and contraction called the “stretch reflex”. The stretch reflex happens when tissue that is stretched by an external force too far or too fast contracts to oppose the stretch. When a stretch from one side happens simultaneous with a contraction on the other - you have a tear.  We have seen this very frequently in the dance and fitness industries, and in the recent craze involving the pollution of yoga (where hatha yoga is erroneously associated with static stretching).  Viscoelasticity: Flexibility is Speed Specific  Another erroneous belief states that, if you maintain a certain pull length on the rubber band for an extended time (say at 35 units), the rubber band will begin to deform permanently and as a result lose SEE as it loses its degree of elasticity. This region of training is known as Viscoelasticity, having a combination of viscosity and elasticity. Viscoelastic materials have time-dependent mechanical properties, being sensitive to the duration of the force application. Such materials will continue to deform over a finite length of time even if the load remains constant, until a state of equilibrium is reached (also known as “creep effect”).  High temperatures increase the rate of creep and low temperatures decrease it. For the most effective use of this property the material to be deformed should be warmed, and then have a sufficient load applied over a long period of time. Different tissues respond differently to various rates of loading. When loaded rapidly they exhibit greater resistance to deformation than if they are loaded slowly.  This is why dynamic flexibility cannot be gained through static stretches. Flexibility is speed specific. The “stretch reflex” engages whenever a muscle is stretched suddenly or dramatically, or both. This mechanism is controlled by the muscle spindles, which are two special receptors that activate the stretch reflex. One of these is sensitive to stretch magnitude and the other to speed and magnitude. The prevalent static stretch may or may not reset the first receptor, but it is completely ineffective for the second receptor. As a result, flexibility is speed specific. 

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Health Risks of Static Stretching  The usual practice of the fitness industry is to increase flexibility through static stretching. This is a serious health danger. As we have seen, with age the collagen/elastin ratio changes in favor of collagen. As we grow older the connective tissue is more likely to snap because of the decreased integrity of tissue elasticity.  In our youth the ability to drop into a straddle split seemed like a desirable trick, but it has nothing to do with health and even less to do with longevity. As we grow older we realize that it is not how far in a particular direction we can move but how strong our tissues are, how quickly they resolve deviations in movement and afford us mobile security. As a result, the first training emphasis in the CST System is: To be flexible in motion (”real world flexibility”) you must coordinate range of mobility, eventually at your activity’s velocity.  Short Range Stiffness  Most people tend to feel ‘better’ when they go through a stretching routine. They tend to feel loose and more relaxed. This is healthy, but it should be properly understood. Physiologically, when inactive, we experience Short Range Stiffness: a mechanical property of the muscle tissue whereby the stiffness is high for the first few millimeters of a stretch. After surpassing this initial short resistance there is a substantial reduction in the stiffness of the tissue. This is a temporary physiological phenomenon, not a permanent one.  We should concentrate on overcoming SRS, but should not proceed to deformation of the tissue. Static stretching is not a means for permanently remaining flexible. Attempting to alter the mechanical properties of our tissues may work when we are children, but it does not work in developed adults. The goal of allowing the organism to be permanently flexible is met through the regulation of muscular tension to govern the stretch reflex.

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Plasticity Changes  Plasticity is at the far end of the spectrum from elasticity. It is a quality of a connective tissue, such as a ligament or a tendon. When subjected to ballistic, prolonged, or sudden forces, that exceed the elastic limits of the tissue, the tissue does not return to its original state after the deforming load is removed. The “Anatomical Plastic Region” (APR) of connective tissue is found between 6-10% of the ligament or tendon’s resting length, and is at the very wall of failure (to the maximum tissue tensile strength).  From Plasticity we learn that some tissues are less injury prone when stressed rapidly. For instance, ligaments are composed of wavy collagen fibers. Uncoiled, the fibers become taught and susceptible to injury. If taken into the APR, the ligament tears. Whereas slow loading uncoils through taking the slack out of the fibers, quick loading does not allow sufficient time to enter the APR.  The properties of cartilage are equally less injury-prone when quickly loaded. Cartilage decreases the stress in a joint by decreasing the friction coefficient between bones, and through distributing load over the surface of the joint complex. Cartilage is composed of 20-40% collagen and 60-80% water. Cartilage behaves with the properties of water in a sponge. When it is compressed it decreases the protection between bones. However, with rapid loading the fluid does not have sufficient time to be squeezed out and shock absorption is maximal.  Discomfort is productive - pain is unproductive. This is completely subjective, and so there must be a dialogue/feedback between you and your CST Instructor, or at the very least between you and your journal/blog.  We do not stretch in isolation for its own sake. We do not stretch in isolation (since isolation is the biggest myth!) to induce permanent deformation of the tissue with the goal of increasing flexibility. To begin increasing the plasticity of the body, we stretch locally until Short Range Stiffness is removed. This is a very short and insignificant aspect of preparation. We then move to engage the organism through a complete range of motion.  There are simple biomechanics involving one joint matrix (such as large arm circles through the 135 degree range of motion), and there are complex ranges of motion comprising multijoint matrixes that require lengthy text to describe (and must be modeled and then experienced kinesthetically). These complex biomechanics are the crux and cornerstone of CST. All of this boils down to the fact that the primary characteristic of maximal flexibility lies in the regulation of the stretch reflex through sensitivity to muscular tension, and in the cultivation of plasticity and viscoelasticity of tissues. 

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You Adapt to What You Don’t Move. Your body adapts to the movement you don’t make. It efficiently grows shorter to help you do less of what you don’t do. When you train to move through that movement your body has shortened, nerve endings in your tissue will send signals (pain, called nociception) reminding you that you haven’t been moving that way. But your body has only changed shape, not potential. The ability to move through that range is always there. You can retrain the nervous system to move in ways you haven’t. Unfortunately, we are told to stretch: to pull against shortened tissue to make them change shape. But you can’t change tissue flexibility. In fact, because of our erroneous belief, this pulling acts as a resistance training exercise and makes the shortness stronger. We can use neurological tools to retrain a deactivated movement: 1. Exhale into the shortened movement to switch to the parasympathetic side of the nervous system and release the “relax” feel-good hormones. By releasing dopamine, not only do you feel better, but this hormone also allows you to increase motor control, including activation of lost function. 2. When holding the shortened tissues across a bent angle giving them the potential to relengthen, actively contract the opposite muscle. This “reciprocal inhibition” happens because your body acts symmetrically: activate one muscle and it’s pair turns off. 3. Move to but not through tension. Each time that you do mobility around and across bands of tension, you reclaim control of that disconnected muscle and tissue firing (a “padlock”). Since all tonicity (all tension) in the body is conscious, any tension that you cannot release has become disconnected through misuse, disuse or abuse. Mobility helps you reclaim control of that, by “unlocking” those myofascial padlocks. Since flexibility happens when you neurologically retrain a muscle to move through a deactivated range, this allows you to restore lost function without worsening the situation by stretching. Perform these drills as an “off” (Recovery) day, or for an extended warm-up. Perform each of the 39 Mobility Drills for 60 seconds each, 30 seconds per side, for a total of approximately 60 minutes when you consider the transition between exercises. Focus on your exhale, be aware of moving to but not through the tension, and concentrate on contracting the opposite muscle from the one that you find tight.

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Active Butterfly Seated, bring the soles of the feet together. Grab the ankles. Sit tall while pulling the ankles in toward the pelvis. Expand the chest, and roll the shoulders back and down. Exhale on the pull. Inhale, relax and let the heels move away again. Repeat pull and release.

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Air Switches In a mountain climber position, with one leg down, and one off the ground, shift the weight onto the locked elbows. Press the palms into the ground. Exhale and tighten the core. Shift forward, and switch feet in the air. Use the arms and core to hold both feet off the ground for a second. Repeat in opposite direction.

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Assisted Squat With a partner, grabbing forearms, or holding on to a pole, strap or fence, sit back and imagine sliding your flat back down the wall behind you. Exhale as you squat. Sit back and down as slowly and controlled as possible. Use your hold to take the stress from your hamstrings. This will allow you to squat more deeply thank usual, so use this as a mobility drill rather than a conditioning drill.

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Bear Squat From a down dog position, exhale and pull the thighs to the belly. Let the heels come off the ground. Sit back with the movement. Inhale as you expand, lift the hips and let the heels return to the ground. Make sure you keep your elbows locked, and your shoulders pulled down.

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Bear Squat to Flat Foot Squat From a bent knee version of down dog, with heels up, exhale and push off of the balls of the feet. Pull with the hands, so that you land on midfoot. Sit tall with heels down. Exhale and jump back to the original position.

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Bulldog From hands and knees, internally rotate one forearm. Keep rotating until you can barely keep all of the palm heel flat. Repeat on opposite side. Exhale and extend elbows locked. Unwind and repeat.

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Camel Hip Extension From a kneeling position, adjust yourself until your knees are painless. If you must put a pillow or rolled mat under your bottom, do so until you are comfortable. Grab your heels with your hands. Exhale and tuck your tailbone and sit up. Keep your neck neutral. Lift your hips as high as you can without pain. Inhale as you sit back down. Let your head come back on last.

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Cat Cow On your hands and knees, exhale and let your head hang down, as you arch your midback toward the ceiling. Pull your belly up toward your spine. Inhale and release downward. Let your belly hang. Arch your lower back carefully, and lift your crown toward the ceiling; donʼt arch your head backward.

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Elbow Hypotenuse Floor Triangle Split your legs at 90 degree angles. Keep your hands in a pushup position. Exhale and lower yourself like a pushup until your forearms touch. Turn the top hip down toward the bottom inner thigh. Inhale as you press up and release the hip rotation.

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Elbow Pushup Twisted From a hands and feet “quad squat” position, sit one leg through to the side. Exhale as you lower yourself like a pushup, and turn your head in the direction of the extended leg. Contract your core and make your belly tight. Inhale as you return to elbow locked position, and pull your leg back to the original Quad Squat position. Switch directions.

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Hip Drive Twisting Tripod From a crab position, twist to one side at the mid-back, and release that top hand from the ground. Slightly bend the elbow and absorb with the arm, hips and knees. With heels down, exhale as you extend the hips upward. Lower under control and land with elbow bent to absorb safely. Switch to opposite side.

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Hollow Body Core Plow From your back, pull the knees in and extend the legs if possible; if not, keep the legs bent. Lift the shoulder blades off of the ground and contract the core. Exhale deeply as you extend the knees over the nose. Keep the weight on the shoulder blades, not on the neck. Lock the knees without attempting to touch the ground. Kick the heels away and pull the toes toward the shins. Release the knees to bent position and roll back down to the floor. Repeat.

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Inside Lunge From a pushup position, or topplank, step one leg through the arms, knee to chest, heel down. Exhale. Lock the rear knee. Kick the heel away. Inhale and sink the hips. Exhale and kick the front leg straight backward to knee lock in top plank. Step through on opposite side.

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Knee Outside Lunge From a child pose, come up on to hands and knees and step one leg to the outside of your locked elbows. Bring the instep tight to the outside of the hand. Let the hips extend down, but keep them in one line. Inhale and extend the head away from the knee. Exhale and sit back into child again. Repeat on opposite side.

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Kneeling Arm Thread From hands and knees position, thread one arm under the other and place the ear carefully on the ground. Point the thumb toward the feet, lock the elbow and touch the shoulder if possible. Exhale on the twist. Keep the hips down, seat to heels as much as possible. Unthread back to hands and knees, and switch to opposite side.

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Leg Swoop Hip Grounded Beginning in a mountain climber position, kick the rear leg through to the side. Chop the heel down toward the planted leg. Step over with an exhale into the mountain climber position. Switch mountain climbers and repeat on the opposite side.

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Loaded Tripod Hip Lift From a seated position with one arm behind the back (in “tripod”), exhale and drive mid-foot into the ground lifting the hips. Keep the elbow down toward the hip.Sit down, switch elbows, and repeat on opposite side.

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Long Leg Knee Hug From seated position with both legs extended, step one leg across the other with the heel flat to the ground. Take the opposite elbow and hoot it around the bent leg. Pull the knee with the hugging arm using your exhale. Bring the knee toward the opposite arm pit. Rotate at the waist, not at the neck or lower back. Reach one hand behind you for balance. Release, uncross your legs, step over with the opposite leg, and repeat on the opposite side.

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Lying Double Knee Tuck From a seated position with knees bent, hold on to the shins as you tuck the tailbone and roll the lower back flat to the ground with an exhale. Once the lower back is flat, place the hands on the ground next to your hips. Roll all the way to your flat back and bring your knees toward your chest. Keep the weight on your shoulders and arms and not on your neck. Slowly unroll your spine back to a seated position, inhale as you sit up and repeat.

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Modified Up Dog From a child pose, curl the mid-back up to hands and knees, with an exhale through the movement. Tuck the tailbone and extend the hips. Let the thighs touch the ground, roll the shoulders back, and lock the elbows. Inhale and lift the ground. Exhale and press back to child in the reverse motion. Repeat.

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Mountain Climber Foot Flexed From a mountain climber position, pull one knee toward the chest with the foot off the ground. Pull the toes toward the shin. Press into your locked elbows, palm heels driving into the ground. Exhale and rapidly extend the leg while switching to the opposite mountain climber with the foot off the ground, toes toward shin.

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Rotating Mountain Climber From a mountain climber position, drop the extended leg hip down and to the side. Keep the foot of the front leg rotating until the foot is at a 90 degree angle to the rear leg. Exhale and rotate onto the rear ball of foot and the front ball of foot. Switch mountain climbers and rotate to the opposite side.

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Elevated Mountain Climber From a “Quad Squat” position, sit the leg through to one side with an exhale. Prepare your arms as you quickly step over and carry your weight onto your arms like a “planche” while you transition to elevated mountain climber with a strong exhale; leg locked and heel kicking away, toes pulled toward the shin. Set the ball of foot of the lifted leg down into Quad Squat and switch to opposite side.

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Plank Outer Lunge From a pushup position, or top-plank, step one leg to the outside of the elbow, inner knee tight to shoulder and tricep. Exhale. Keep the rear knee locked. Kick the heel away. Exhale and kick the front leg straight backward to knee lock in top plank. Step through on opposite side.

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Prone Shoulder Twist Lay on one side with your bottom arm extended to the side with elbow locked and palm turned upward. Exhale and roll over onto the bicep at shoulder plane level, not beneath the pecs and not on the neck.Let gravity pull the shoulder down to elbow pit. Inhale, unroll, then switch to opposite side.

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Seal From hands and knees, externally rotate one forearm. Keep rotating until you can barely keep all of the palm heel flat. Repeat on opposite side. Exhale and extend elbows locked. Unwind and repeat.

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Shallow Down Dog From bear squat position, lift your hips into down dog. Separate your feet as wide as you need in order to place your heels on the ground. Exhale as you lift your tailbone, drop your chest and externally rotate your elbows. Inhale as you bend your knees and return to the original position.

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Shinbox Knee Hug From a seated position with both knees dropped in one direction (in a “Shinbox”), extend the rear knee locked, and swing it around to step over the front knee. Place the heel flat on the outside of the thigh, with the opposite elbow hug the knee to chest. Inhale as you release it back to the original shinbox. Switch your shinbox to the opposite side and perform the knee hug to the opposite leg.

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Shinbox Switch From a seated position with both knees dropped in one direction (in a Shinbox), Exhale as you bring both knees off of the ground and your feet flat. Switch your shinbox to the opposite side. Inhale, before you switch to the opposite direction.

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Shinbox Pigeon From a seated position with both knees dropped in one direction (in a Shinbox), extend the rear knee leg locked behind you and turn the hip over into pigeon pose. Sit to the side so you can bend the rear knee, and bring it back to the shinbox. Switch your shinbox to the other side and perform the pigeon with the other leg.

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Shoulder Bridge Lowers Lay on your back with your feet flat and shins perpendicular to the ground. Place your hands palms down at your sides. Tuck your tailbone and exhale while you roll your spine, one vertebra at a time upward, until your hips are fully extended. Unroll your spine first at your upper back; then, down to your tailbone, unrolling it last, flat to the ground. Inhale, and then repeat.

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Spinal Rock Plow Partner Assist With a partner, pole or fence in front of you, roll backward, tailbone tucked, and exhale as you extend your legs overhead. You do not need to touch the ground with your feet; that will happen with time. Place both arms at your sides, to control you back roll. Roll only to your shoulders, not onto your neck. Bend your knees to your chest, belly to thighs and begin rolling back forward. Keep your feet slightly wider than shoulders width apart. Reach through your legs with one arm. Place the opposite hand on the ground to push forward. Grab your partnerʼs hand, the pole or fence in front of you to help you arrive at flat foot squat. Inhale, and then repeat, but first slowly and carefully, place the lower back flat to the ground before rolling backward.

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Spinal Rock Plow Assisted Roll backward, tailbone tucked, and exhale as you bring your knees to your chest, thighs to belly. Place both arms at your sides, to control your back roll. Roll only to your shoulders, not onto your neck. Bend your knees to your chest, belly to thighs and begin rolling back forward. Keep your feet slightly wider than shoulders width apart. Reach through your legs with one arm. Place the opposite hand on the ground to push forward. Extend your arm as far forward between your knees to bring your center of mass forward to help you arrive at flat foot squat. Inhale, and then repeat, but first slowly and carefully placing the opposite hand on the ground and then the lower back flat to the ground before rolling backward.

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Swinging Tripod From a crab position, twist to one side at the mid-back, and release that top hand from the ground. Slightly bend the elbow and absorb with the arm, hips and knees. With heels down, exhale as you swing both arms, elbows locked in front to pause in flat foot squat. Continue the exhale as you switch to opposite side. Repeat in the opposite direction.

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Table Lift From a crab position, turn the fingers externally to open the elbows and give the shoulders more space to release the chest upward. With feet flat, and shins perpendicular to the ground. Exhale and squeeze the knees together to keep the shins perpendicular, tuck the tailbone and lift the hips. Rest the neck onto the soft muscle of the traps; donʼt arch the chin backward; keep eyes upward. Release the hips down, inhale the chest, chin down. Exhale and lift again.

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Three Leg Dog Kick From a downward facing dog position, exhale and pull one knee to chest. Drop the chest toward the ground. Lock the elbows, and rotate them externally. Drive into the palm heels as you kick the leg straight backward to knee locked position, as close to one line with the spine as possible. As you kick the top leg locked, squeeze the quad of the bottom leg and place the heel on the ground. Inhale the knee back to the nose, place that leg down. Repeat on the opposite side.

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Twisting Tripod From tripod position, exhale and lift hips as high as possible. Drive harder on the posting hand hip to keep two hips in one line. Exhale as you twist both shoulders in one line perpendicular to the ground. Lock the bottom elbow strongly, and pull the shoulder toward the hip, to lift both hips higher. Drive from the top bent elbow at 90 degrees to your hips. Inhale as you relax the hips down and switch to the opposite side.

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Vertical Tripod From tripod position, exhale and lift hips as high as possible. Drive harder on the posting hand hip to keep two hips in one line. Exhale as you lift both shoulders in one line perpendicular to the ground, and extend the top elbow toward the ceiling. Lock the bottom elbow strongly, and pull the shoulder toward the hip, to lift both hips higher. Inhale as you relax the hips down and switch to the opposite side.

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Windshield Wiper From a seated position with your hands behind you, and both feet flat to the ground, exhale and drop one knee toward the other. Keep the sitsbone of that dropping knee on the ground, and keep the heel of that foot planted firmly. Drop the knee as low as you feel no knee strain, only discomfort underneath your seat. Press with the opposite knee inward to keep the shin perpendicular to the ground. Inhale as you release. Then switch to the opposite side.