What is Pandiculation?

By |April 21st, 2022|Clinical Somatic Education, neuroscience, pandiculation|

You can listen to Sarah's podcast on this topic here: What is pandiculation? Pandiculation is generally defined as the act of stretching oneself and yawning, especially upon waking. However, our automatic pandicular response has far more significance than simply prompting us to stretch and yawn. As you'll learn in this post, pandiculation is [...]

What Really Causes Muscle Cramps?

By |May 25th, 2021|athletic training, gamma loop, muscle cramps, muscle tension, pandiculation, specific conditions, stretching|

What really causes muscle cramps? Muscle cramps have long been attributed to electrolyte depletion and dehydration, especially when they occur in athletes. However, research does not support these theories, and instead points to altered neuromuscular control and muscle fatigue as the culprits. In this post, I'll summarize the research and explain why muscle cramps [...]

New Video: Why Stretching Doesn’t Work

By |March 15th, 2021|learn the basics, pandiculation, stretching, videos & graphics|

In this video, I explain the two reasons why static stretching isn't effective for releasing muscle tension and relieving pain: Because static stretching activates your stretch reflex (myotatic reflex), and because it doesn't change the learned messages that your nervous system is sending to your muscles to stay tight. You can learn more in these [...]

What is the Stretch Reflex (Myotatic Reflex)?

By |January 15th, 2021|Clinical Somatic Education, gamma loop, muscle tension, neuroscience, pandiculation, stretching|

You can listen to Sarah's podcast on this topic here: What is the stretch reflex (myotatic reflex)? From a young age, we’re taught that stretching is a necessary part of any workout routine. If we’re involved in sports or physical training, we stretch to warm up, cool down, and during breaks to help [...]

How Muscular Learning Leads to Pain and Degeneration

By |November 9th, 2020|Clinical Somatic Education, muscle memory, muscle tension, neuroscience, pain & pain relief, pandiculation|

How Muscular Learning Leads to Pain and Degeneration Chronic pain is invisible, and can be all too easily ignored by people who haven’t experienced it. But if you suffer from chronic pain, you understand the stress, helplessness, depression, and fatigue that accompany it. You might deal with financial hardship as a result of missed work [...]

Unlocking Your Body: Your Personal Process of Releasing Tension and Pain

By |June 24th, 2019|aging, Clinical Somatics exercises, learn the basics, muscle memory, muscle tension, pain & pain relief, pandiculation, your personal practice|

Unlocking Your Body: Your Personal Process of Releasing Tension and Pain Many people ask me how long it will take them to release their chronic tightness or get out of pain. I wish I could answer this question, but the truth is that everyone's patterns of muscular tension and pain are so unique that [...]

What is the Gamma Loop?

By |April 29th, 2019|Clinical Somatic Education, gamma loop, muscle memory, muscle tension, neuroscience, pandiculation, stretching|

You can listen to Sarah's podcast on this topic here: What is the gamma loop? The gamma loop (also referred to as the alpha-gamma loop) is a feedback loop in our nervous system that regulates the level of tension in our muscles. The way the gamma loop works can get a little confusing, [...]

Why Stretching Doesn’t Work

By |February 1st, 2019|athletic training, Clinical Somatic Education, neuroscience, pandiculation, stretching|

You can listen to Sarah's podcast on this topic here: Why Stretching Doesn't Work From the ages of twelve to twenty-one, I was a ballet dancer. It was all I did and all I wanted to do. Being extremely disciplined, I stretched for half an hour every night before bed so I could get more [...]

Go to Top