It’s raining outside, the holidays are approaching, and it feels like Spring but it’s the middle of December. Add to that any additional end of year stress from work and the holidays and your mind is off and racing.

Even when you go to bed your mind is spinning and your body can’t seem to relax to calm down which means that pain, injury and tension issues aren’t getting the stress relief they need in a good night’s sleep.

In a recent blog post I talked about how your body doesn’t differentiate between physical stress and mental stress. Here’s an exercise you can do to help calm your nervous system down to relax a bit.

Lie on your back with the roller under the full length of your spine and starting in a “hug” position (like in Part 2 of 3), take your arms up and over your head like you’re taking off a sweatshirt and then circle your arms like a snow angel down beside your hips. Cross your arms back over your body again and then repeat about 5 times. Then reverse the circle. Keep breathing and let the upper back fall into the roller.

*Not all exercises are appropriate for every body which is why modification for each individual body is something we stress with our private clients. If you have questions or concerns about whether these exercises are appropriate and helpful for you please contact me at [email protected].

Sweet Dreams!