The Soma Centre - Articles

Articles by Carolan	It's all in the Mind, Body and Soul
	Pain in the neck
	Biomechanical testing at the soma centre
	Biomechanical Body Assessment
	Eight good reasons why men should do pilates!

IT’S ALL IN THE MIND BODY AND SOUL Today’s fitness conscious women are shunning the gym in favour of body and soul building exercise Yoga, Pilates, stretch, stability core training, spinning with yoga and now, lap dancing classes. The most widely used four letter word used in the fitness world now is, Yoga, as people begin to tune into there lifestyles and realise their stress levels are reaching boiling point they are turning away from Step, Aerobics and sweaty gym workouts and striking a Yoga pose to ease away the stress. Madonna, Jerry Hall and Sting first set the trend among celebrities and now Ralph Fiennes, Richard Gere, Jodie Foster and even Koo Stark are all at it. If you are keen to mix in celebrity circles then attending a Yoga class in a specialist club like the ‘Life Centre’, where Jemima Khan took pregnancy Yoga classes, you could find yourself rubbing Lycra with your favourite celebrity. If you haven’t booked your holiday yet perhaps you should consider spending a weekend or a week away at a trendy Yoga retreat in the sun, like the Windfire Centre in Ibiza. This could be just what you need to put you back on track and re energise your mind and body. If you think that Yoga is for hippie weirdoes and the post aerobic market you can be proved wrong! Dynamic Yoga or Ashtanga is an extremely athletic workout, you can get extremely fit and strong unlike weight lifting that makes your muscles hard, yoga develops soft toned and lengthened muscles that is better for the lymphatic system so you end up looking like a dancer rather than a body builder. Ten minutes into an Ashtanga class you start sweating this is because you are using all the major muscles in the body together and not isolating them, therefore more energy is required. In L.A. women wear cashmere sweaters and plastic pants to keep the heat in so as to detoxify the body as they exercise. Although this may seem a little extreme it is a good alternative to pounding away on a machine generating a repetitive strain injury from over kill. There are gentler forms of Yoga like Vini a gentle nurturing method which adapt movement and breathing to the individual, Hatha which focuses on relaxation, Iyenga that focuses on Posture and Kundalini which works deeply on breathing and the individuals life force (prana) and arousing the chakra often of a sexual nature. If your not an avid follower of what’s fashionable then exercise like dance classes, if you are the coordinated type are great fun for letting off steam and now you can completely lose yourself at the new trendy Third Space health club in Soho participating in Pole and lap dancing classes. Whatever turns you on! More Info …… The British Wheel of Yoga (the governing body of teachers) - 01529 30685 The Life Centre – 020 7221 4602 Details for the Windfire Centre – 020 8780 3050 The Third Space - 0207 439 7333


Pain in the neck? Working in exercise business means I am always active and continually focused on using my body effectively and functionally. I find that I am constantly grateful that I chose a profession that enables me so much variety and activity in my work unlike many people who through extended working hours of long periods of sitting and standing (often badly), suffer from back, neck shoulder pain and nagging headaches, Although we are continually encouraged to lead a more active lifestyle we also have to battle with juggling long working hours and family and social life. It is often the exercise that gets dropped when work and home demands start to put us under pressure and only when we experience nagging pain that we become aware that our bodies just aren’t coping. Here are some simple tips and exercises to release the pressure from your neck, head and shoulders and improve your life style. When sitting for long periods use a lumbar roll for support and make sure you use the chair’s backrest. Get up and move around as much as possible to prevent the lumbar spine from stiffening up. When lifting heavy object always bend the knees and use the power of your legs to lift not the back. If you carry a heavy bag alternate shoulders or arms to prevent an imbalance of strength. If you have a persistent headache it could be caused by tight sore muscles do not resort to pain killers, make an appointment to see an Osteopath or a sports masseur. GP’s are not very good with muscle and bones they often prescribe painkillers that will numb the pain but won’t get to the root of the problem. Check your posture in the mirror if your shoulders look rounded and your chin juts forward, this could be a sign that you are leaning over your desk to much and need to sit more upright. Try a Pilates or Yoga class once a week to help strengthen and make you more aware of how to use your body more efficiently. If your muscles are really tight try an Indian Head massage or Chavuti Thai massages which starts by stretching your body first and then uses large sweeping movements with the therapists foot from your shoulders to your legs to help drain away stress and toxins from the muscles that cause the headaches and soreness in the muscles. Available at the soma centre or info@somacentre.co.uk Exercises to release tension in the muscles Whilst sitting at your desk sit tall placing your left hand over your head and place your palm over your right ear. Gently pull your head towards the left keeping the right shoulder down, hold for a few seconds to let the muscles lengthen and then release and change sides. Jut your chin forward and then pull it back in feeling the neck muscles lengthen then lower your chin to your chest and then slowly lift. Repeat a few times. Reach your arms forward and linking the fingers and feel your shoulder blades separate. Then reverse by taking the arms behind you, link fingers and reach back, feeling the chest open. Stand side on to a wall arms length away with your palm on the wall. Turn your body away from the wall keeping the palm pressed against the wall so as to stretch the pectoral muscles. Repeat both sides.

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