Why Whole Body Moves?
The Whole Body Moves (which don’t involve balls at all) that conclude every chapter should be done each time you finish a session of ball therapy. As you practice them, you will begin to notice how much more fluid your movements are. You may notice that your range of motion is better. You may feel more flexible. Your posture may have improved. Noting these changes in your body, whether you consciously realize it or not, will enable you to gently correct the alignment and tension problems you may be experiencing.
Whole Body Moves are designed to make your body move as an integrated whole. You will probably feel muscles stretching that you’ve never felt before, especially the hamstrings, those surrounding the hip joints, and those in the back. This is normal and to be expected, so don’t be alarmed if the feeling is awkward to you.
Try to distinguish between the pain associated with the use of unfamiliar muscles – good pain – and the pain associated with strained muscles – bad pain. If this doesn’t make sense to you, think of good pain as similar to the pain associated with an intense massage – it may hurt a little, but it feels good at the same time. This good pain is the kind you have to work through; if you don’t continue to move, you won’t break your cycle of pain.
Whole Body Moves may resemble stretches to you and, indeed, they will stretch your body. I generally avoid using the word “stretch”, because I find people push and push when they stretch, and their muscles shorten as a result, instead of lengthen. As you do the Whole Body Moves, focus on using your weight to pull rather than using your muscles to push. For example, if the Whole Body Move involves you standing up and bending at the hips, hanging your hands toward your feet, you should let the weight of your shoulders and torso pull your hands closer to your feet, rather than engaging your muscles in an attempt to reach for the floor. Whole Body Moves lengthen your muscles, which is what motivates a lot of my students to continue using this program. They discover that their long muscles make them look leaner. As pleased as they are about the potential health benefits of this method, they love their improved shapes even more.
Your posture and the way you move have a big impact on your overall appearance. When you stand straight and move with ease, you look and feel younger. Most people only ever use a small group of muscles, but The Miracle Ball Method will help you “find your parts”, as I like to say, and show you how to encourage forgotten muscles to move in new ways. Pay attention to the way you walk throughout the day, and notice how you practice your ball therapy.
As you walk, concentrate on your leg joints, think about your upper back, and lengthen your neck. If you are conscious of the way your body moves, you will be able to change it.
Elaine Petrone – The Miracle Ball Method
Whole Body Moves are designed to make your body move as an integrated whole. You will probably feel muscles stretching that you’ve never felt before, especially the hamstrings, those surrounding the hip joints, and those in the back. This is normal and to be expected, so don’t be alarmed if the feeling is awkward to you.
Try to distinguish between the pain associated with the use of unfamiliar muscles – good pain – and the pain associated with strained muscles – bad pain. If this doesn’t make sense to you, think of good pain as similar to the pain associated with an intense massage – it may hurt a little, but it feels good at the same time. This good pain is the kind you have to work through; if you don’t continue to move, you won’t break your cycle of pain.
Whole Body Moves may resemble stretches to you and, indeed, they will stretch your body. I generally avoid using the word “stretch”, because I find people push and push when they stretch, and their muscles shorten as a result, instead of lengthen. As you do the Whole Body Moves, focus on using your weight to pull rather than using your muscles to push. For example, if the Whole Body Move involves you standing up and bending at the hips, hanging your hands toward your feet, you should let the weight of your shoulders and torso pull your hands closer to your feet, rather than engaging your muscles in an attempt to reach for the floor. Whole Body Moves lengthen your muscles, which is what motivates a lot of my students to continue using this program. They discover that their long muscles make them look leaner. As pleased as they are about the potential health benefits of this method, they love their improved shapes even more.
Your posture and the way you move have a big impact on your overall appearance. When you stand straight and move with ease, you look and feel younger. Most people only ever use a small group of muscles, but The Miracle Ball Method will help you “find your parts”, as I like to say, and show you how to encourage forgotten muscles to move in new ways. Pay attention to the way you walk throughout the day, and notice how you practice your ball therapy.
As you walk, concentrate on your leg joints, think about your upper back, and lengthen your neck. If you are conscious of the way your body moves, you will be able to change it.
Elaine Petrone – The Miracle Ball Method