Spinefitter Tutorial

Hi, everyone. It's Amy havens here for a quick tutorial and explanation and introduction to the spine fitter. And I'm offering this because it's I I just love this, and I'm a fan of technology and tools and props that have specific purpose. Right? So when the foam roller came along decades and decades ago, it was amazing. It still is amazing. It allows us to balance and build deep core control.

I think we would all agree, right, when we're lying supine. We can lie supine on this as well, but the challenges are different and the purposes are different. I will wanna start out with there some contraindications that apply to both. If you have osteoporosis, not the best props to be on, we can explain that later. This is a short tutorial, facet joint dysfunction, cervical spine pathologies. Herniated discs, things like that.

Be mindful and or probably more and talk to your pilates teacher. Go specifically to your studio and say, hey, I have some specific questions. Can you help me? This is an introduction. Alright? So just take a look at the two of them. You can see how tall this one is, how close to the ground this one is. So for some people lying supine, which is on your back, on top of the roller, that's kind of a tall order.

This is a little bit softer, to look at and say, hey, I can lie on that. So it's a little more friendly. But one of the bigger things we wanna talk about is the purpose. What is the purpose of the props? So balance control, deep abdominal connection, amazing balance work on this. Same here.

And we have look at all these balls. We've got these balls. This is based on, like, tennis balls in a sock, how this was created and the invention of this. But it's 28 balls. There's 14 on each side, about the height of someone's spine or length of someone's spine.

But look at this. You've got these indentations, these little holes that the spine can fit into, spine fitter. Right? And then these side portions are the balls that actually provide really delicious nourishing feedback for the tissues of the back muscles and also your facet joints of your spine. So let me talk about that for just a moment. I'm gonna turn to the side, and I I want you to do this with me.

Let me move this here. Move this in here for just a moment. And take your fingers to your back and just slightly bend forward so that you have a real feel for your own spine. I'm just gonna kinda go near my lower back spine. Those bony bones that you can feel right, to surface. Those are your spinous processes.

They stick out. Right? They're kinda sticky outy bones. To the side, feel those the tissue. It's a little bit spongy. Those are your muscles. There's a whole bunch of tissue here, layers and layers and layers of back muscle.

That run very deep up and down your spine. But when we lie down on these two props or even the floor, the spine has different contact to the surface, right, when you're lying down. Back side front. Right now, we're talking about our back. So when we lie down and we get the feedback of these two different props, you'll notice what they feel like.

What we're trying to do is and what this is designed for is to allow the spinous processes some place new to go. They go down in between the balls. Why? Mobilization? Segmental mobilization. We talk about articulation all the time in this method in practice. Wait till you try this.

If you have it already, it really allows for understanding and feeling how the mobility is created enhanced or supported. Alright? So I'm gonna do a little compare contrast. So first, you've got your your knowing now. These are my spinous processes. Off to this side, you can't really feel them as much. There's another sticky outy portion of your vertebra that are called the transverse processes.

Transverse means going sideways this direction. And then in between each vertebra, there's a joint. They're known as facet joints. Those often need mobilization. Lot of mobilization is gonna come here.

Not as much here. The facet joints. You get different kinds of mobility, but let's just take a look. Alright? So we'll get this up here. I'll just have you watch.

Now, right away, as soon as I start to roll myself back, I have to get into my control system, my abdominals, my core support, But what's making most contact on the apex, the top of the roller, are those spinous processes. And for some people, it doesn't bother them at all to lie down like this. For some people, that doesn't feel fabulous. You know, we can put mats or towels or yoga blankets or things on top to make it softer. We know there are soft rollers on the market that also are okay to be on.

But notice that the what I'm sensing, and I think you're just gonna sense, those vertebra are touching the top of the roller, but those back muscles and the facet joints are not in contact with this prop. Okay. Lots of amazing things happen here. You know that we've done this for decades. So let me just do a compare contrast and I will do the same movement on the spine fitter.

So you can really see I think right away, you'll notice. The right and the left side of the body, right, starts at the sacrum or the sitting bones here. Sacrum is right here. My coxite considers right here. That's gonna go right in here is the goal.

And if I'm not in there, this immediately can give me this signal of, hey, hey, go to the right, go to the left. You're a little off center. Much more than that. So let's see if that shows up true for me. Uh-huh.

I can already tell. Help. It's because the balls are up. That's right. I'm going over. This feels so good already. Oops. Mhmm. Alrighty.

I do wanna make sure my head is on. Okay. And I don't know if you can see that from the side view. I think you can. We don't have to worry about our curves or change the curves of our spine. My cervical curve, is it cervical curve? My ribs are down. My lumbar is my lumbar.

But what's in between those little, balls that indentation, that's where the spinous processes are down, down into those little crevices. Right? So if we did things like, let's say, a chest expansion or chest lift. This for wood motion, those spinous processes are going back and into the indentations, providing that mobility. And the balls also providing feedback on those arrector muscles, and it's all in the benefit of mobilization. What else is happening guys is just being here, there's space between the balls. So every time I make a maneuver, whether it's the bridging or the chest lift, there's a teeny bit of stretch that's going on in between each one of those movements.

When you get on, you'll understand what I mean it's hard maybe to see what I'm, what that is by watching it. But just the sure nature, it's like there's a little stretch in the tissue before a movement, a stretch, and then a movement and a stretch, and a movement. Much more than just on the mat or on the foam roller. One more thing I wanna highlight here, two things. The cervical benefit.

So here at the base of the the skull. Right? We've got this occipital ridge. We've got this occipital ridge, and then we have the occipital bone way up here. Watch this. You can get those balls right on the rim of your skull. Quite a dense area of muscle tissue that can get a little bit, thickened with tension and needs some mobilization. Right? So not just the joints getting mobilization but the tissue. So you can do little things like say yes.

Say no. A little little rotation. And the weight of my skull rolling right across the ball surface of the spine fitter. You can identify if maybe there's one of those sides that has a little more thickness or tension. You could stay there and just kinda work that It feels great. I mean, if you don't need to go to a massage therapist, you can do your own with this.

Okay. And then lastly for this very short tutorial introduction to the spine fitter is our lymphatic system. And so much of our lymphatic system, we have lymphatics all through our body. This amazing vessel we're in, but quite a bit is through and lives and is housed through our sternal clavicular armpit region. Okay? So I love and it is beneficial. You can just out stretch your arms. And take deep breaths and be receiving such a benefit from this prop, this tool for your overall wellness.

You will notice your breathing will start becoming more full bigger and yet softer. Diaphragmatic breathing, which we know is a beautiful thing to practice. That brings in our parasympathetic nervous system welcomes that calms your system down. Healing happens there. Clarity happens there.

Calm and the rest and digest part of the the system. Right? So why not go grab yourself as fine fitter? They make them in different colors. I've I can find out or have found out. And Get on one. So thank you for joining me in this short introduction to the spine fitter.