Aligning our sacrum
in Awareness challenges / Posture / Practice on Argentine tango, Awareness, Body awareness, Body awareness challenge, Dynamic tension, Exploration, Fluid movement, Grounding, Posture, Practice, Sacrum, Stretched spine, Technique, Visualization
A simple thing to do everytime you begin to walk
Last week, our challenge was to bring awareness to your sacrum and the ways that your sacroiliac joint moves.
Adjusting your sacrum in two easy steps.
This week, we have encouraged our students to make a more specific adjustment to their sacrum. This is a good exercise to do when you get up from being seated, when you are standing, and before you begin walking.
In a standing position, with your weight distributed evenly on both feet, pull your sits bones back just a little bit (a couple of inches will do). This will probably cause your weight to shift more toward your heels. If you look in a mirror, you will notice that your legs will be completely vertical and your hips positioned directly over your heels. You might feel like you are sticking out your derriere and your lower back feels slightly compressed.
Now, place your hand on your sacrum and rotate your sacrum down. If your hand is flat on the sacrum, with your fingers pointing down, your fingers will shift downward and slightly inward as you make this adjustment. You will also notice that your lower abdominals will engage to make this movement possible. Once you find it, it is a very easy adjustment to make.
Notice how you feel when you walk. Do you stand taller? How does your spine react? How does it affect your balance?
A second part to this challenge will be to do the same adjustment when you are sitting.
Sacrum alignment is important to tango technique.
Your sacrum is the keystone of your hips, and sacral health is imperative to our long term ability to move in a way that is healthy for our bodies! This adjustment in tango will help you find a solid foundation for movement in your core, you will be better able to use your pelvic floor muscles for stabilization, and it will aid you in creating internal oppositional tension (a full body stretch) and connection, which results in responsiveness and fluidity. Also, in daily life, you might notice relief in your back and neck, and even knees, if you are experiencing some pain.
Happy sacrum adjusting!
