One thing that has brought me a ton of joy during this year of pandemic and revolution and climate emergencies is our foster cat, Brenda Perkins. No, we did not pick her name, the shelter does that! Our own cats would be called Lepton and Muon – they are nuclear particles, since you’re asking, and yes, we are science nerds!

Spine Ripples

Living with a cat has provided an opportunity for me to observe her movement (of course!) and compare it to my own as well as the Pilates exercises. If you’ve done Pilates or yoga before, you’ve probably enjoyed the Cat/Cow exercise where you’re on hands and knees then you flex (cat) and extend (cow) your spine, moving it almost like a wave.

Now when I saw Brenda Perkins do that, I noticed a few differences, namely:

“….a cat as it rises lazily, opens its eyes, slowly looks around, and gradually prepares to rise after a nap. First it gradually rises on its hindquarters and then gradually lowers itself again, at the same time sprawling out on the floor, leisurely stretching its forepaws (with extended claws) and legs. Observe how closely how all its back muscles actually ripple as it stretched and relaxes itself. Cats as well as other animals acquire this ideal rhythm of motion because they are constantly stretching and relaxing themselves...”

This quote is from Joseph Pilates’ book: Pilates’ Return to Life Through Contrology. Mr. Pilates was aware of this movement and although he did not use the term, he knew that for creatures with spinal columns the act of ‘pandiculating’ was very important for the health of their nervous system and musculoskeletal system.

What is Pandiculation?

Pandiculation refers to the contraction and release of muscles, probably what most people would term stretching. Done with focused attention on deep contraction and controlled relaxation, pandiculation helps to reset muscle tone and switch the brain from rest mode to attentive mode.

Usually humans involuntarily do this on getting up -you’ve probably experienced it yourself - upon rising from bed, you “yawn and stretch and try to come alive” (had to throw in a little Dolly Parton 9-5 lyric there #sorrynotsorry). Keep doing that, do it every morning if you can!

How and why should I Pandiculate?

Thanks for reading this far! My point, finally is that if you want to get the best start to your day as well as truly create flexibility in your body, try pandiculation (stretching and moving your spine all around!) upon waking up. Throughout the day if you feel a muscle in your body tense up, then:

1. Slowly contract that muscle into deep tension without pain.

   • For example, for shoulder tension, lift one shoulder up very high so that you can feel it tensing strongly.

2. Very slowly release the muscle and I MEAN super-slowly! Maybe count to 10 as you relax it. This gives the brain a chance to regain control of the muscle.

3. Pause and feel the muscle in complete relaxation. Repeat as needed.

You can do this with any tense muscle anywhere in the body. Just remember to keep the pandiculation pain-free and slow, slow, slow.

Let me know how Pandiculation feels for you at nicole@sheldrakepilates.com

Yours in health,

Nicole