Live Whole Health #142: Seated mindful movement

How often do you think about your spine? If you have had a spinal injury, then likely you think about it a lot, but if you haven’t then you might not think about it so much. The spine is an important and supportive structure in the body that helps you sit, stand, twist, bend, walk, or do other movement. The spine also supports various muscle groups in the body. In addition to strengthening the muscles surrounding the spine to help protect it, it can be helpful to keep your spine in mind while doing different movements.

There are a variety of ways that you can bring subtle and mindful movements to your spine. Some of these spinal movements may include gentle back bends, forward folds, side bends or twists. It doesn’t have to be an intense movement or stretch. Gentle movements and stretches can be more supportive and helpful in improving strength and flexibility of the spine.

Are you incorporating mindful movement into your life? Join Yoga Teacher Matthew Sanford and Greater Los Angeles VA Physician Indira Subramanian, MD in this 9-minute video, which includes a seated mindful movement practice.

You can also check out the other sessions in this series here on #LiveWholeHealth – VA News or in the following series of links:

• Connecting Mind & Body Session 1
• Connecting Mind & Body Session 2
• Connecting Mind and Body – Session 3
• Connecting mind and body, Session 4
• Connecting mind and body Session 5
• Connecting mind and body Session 6

Your mind and body are not separate from each other. Your mind affects your body, and your body affects your mind, perhaps more than you realize. To learn more about the power of the mind and the mind-body connection, check out these Veterans Whole Health Education Handouts – Whole Health (va.gov).