Indulge in Pandiculation to Reset Muscle Tension

Pleasurable full body yawning-like
contractions called pandiculation are the nervous system’s natural reset for
muscle tension. Human beings are the only mammals that don’t automatically pandiculate
their entire lives. Cats do it about 40 times a day to stay supple.
Experts say to try
indulging in two or three minutes of lazy pandiculation before getting out of
bed in the morning. The body knows what to do. Make it pleasurable, without any
discomfort by arching the back, twisting, and curling up.
The contraction sensation fills in the sensory
map our brain creates of the body. The relax phase helps the brain control over
movement patterns disrupted by stress, repetitive strain, injury, trauma or
habituated ways of thinking and being.
Eric Cooper is a clinical somatic educator in Manchester
specializing in somatic neuromuscular re-education. For appointments and more
information, visit InspireSomatics.com.