MELT Mini Map For Motorcyclists

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1 MELT Mini Map For Motorcyclists The MELT Self-Treatment Tools needed for this monthʼs Mini Map can be found online at store.meltmethod.com. Depending on which tools you have on hand, you can start with the first option or skip to the second. Try both for maximum results! ASSESS As you complete these assessments, remember how your body feels. After you MELT, you will do these assessments again and be able to see the changes that MELT creates. Upper Body Assessment Lie on the floor, as shown, with your arms and legs straight and relaxed, palms face up. Breathe and allow your body to relax into the floor. Close your eyes and take a moment to sense what you feel. Notice your upper body. Ideally your upper back is relaxed and rests flat to the floor. Does one shoulder blade feel heavier or flatter than the other? Notice your arms and hands. Do they rest evenly? Take note of what you feel. Notice the bottom of your ribs. Ideally the bottom of your rib cage should feel weighted to the floor. Notice whether your low back curve feels more like a mid-back curve. Finally, notice whether one side of your body feels heavier to the floor than the other. Rib Extend (Length) Rest the bottom of your shoulder blades on the roller. Breathe in on the exhale, allow only your ribs to extend over the roller and open your breastbone to the ceiling; your core, lower back, and neck maintain their position. Take a deep, focused breath into the space between your ribs. Breathe in on the exhale, curl your ribs back to the starting position; your spine will press into the roller. Repeat 2 to 3 times noticing how it feels. Rib Side-Bend (Length) Side-bend your ribs left and right 2 to 3 times slowly and sense the space between the sides of your ribs while taking deep breaths. Try the upper back hydrate and shoulder blade hydrate and then come back to rib extend and rib side-bend to see whether you can increase the movement you have by hydrating the tissue around the spine and shoulders. 1 Longevity Fitness Inc. 2009

2 Upper Back & Shoulder Blade Hydrate Place your upper back against the roller, hands behind your head for neck support. Engage your core and round your back slightly. Lift your hips toward the ceiling, and position the roller under the top of your shoulder blades (top picture). Keep your elbows near your head and curve your back forward to expose your spine to the roller. Gently shear the tissue around your spine by side-bending your ribs or rocking forward and back, and breathe. Roll down your back a few inches and repeat this movement in two more areas, moving towards your feet but stopping when you get near the bottom of your shoulder blades. Once you reach the bottom of your shoulder blades, drop one butt cheek to the floor and turn slightly to one side so that the edge of one shoulder blade is on the roller. Lift your hips slightly and shear the shoulder blade like you did your upper back and breathe. Repeat on your other shoulder blade. Finally, Rinse the tissue by starting at the top of your shoulders and slowly melting down your back, curling forward as you move towards the bottom of your shoulder blades. Return in a faster motion back to the tops of the shoulders and repeat this rinsing technique 3 times. You can also lie directly on your side and shear the outside of the shoulder, ribs and you can even just compress the shoulder blade and move your arm around to indirectly shear. When you have sheared and rinsed down your back, then reassess with the rib length and see if your movement has improved with the two movements above. Neck Hydrate/Decompress Assess by lying on the floor in Rest Assess and turn your head left and right. Notice if you feel any pain and if you turn your head more to one side or the other. MELT by placing the base of your skull on the roller. You will feel the roller touch your neck but the goal is to shear the skull not rub on the neck. Relax and straighten your arms and legs. If your back is uncomfortable, bend your knees Hydrate: Breathe in on the exhale, MELT by pressing the base of your skull into the roller wait. Slowly turn your head left and right and see if you have any tension on either side of the skull. Shear the tissue by making small circles on one localized area of the skull then repeat that on the other side of the skull. To Decompress, move the roller more onto your skull so your neck is not touching the roller at all. Then slowly nod your head up and down by creating small face nods to decompress the upper two vertebrae (beneath the base of your skull). Repeat 5 to 10 times. Slightly turn your head right or left one inch and continue with the small face nods repeating on both sides. Reassess with your head on the floor in Rest Assess and turn your head again. Notice if you have increased your range of movement or if there is less pain now. 2 Longevity Fitness Inc. 2009

3 REASSESS Repeat the Upper Body Assessment. Lie on the floor with your arms and legs straight and relaxed, palms face up. Take a deep breath and notice how your body feels at rest now. Sense your upper body. Do your shoulders and arms rest more evenly on the floor? Does your upper back feel more relaxed and heavy on the floor? Does the bottom of your ribs feel more weighted to the floor? Shoulder Glide (Length) Breathe in on the exhale, MELT by allowing the weight of your arms to sink your shoulder blades around the roller. Donʼt bend your elbows, just let your arms extend up, reaching and lifting your fingertips up to the ceiling and then allow the shoulders to sink around the roller again. Repeat this 5 to 10 times. Notice if there is any crunching or cracking in the gliding motion of the shoulder blades. Neck Turn (Length) Lie lengthwise on the roller. Place your fingertips on the floor, crawl your fingers toward your feet until your arms are straight, and gently press your fingers into the floor without shrugging your shoulders or lifting your ribs. Breathe in on the exhale, focus your eyes to the right and slowly turn your head to follow without lifting it off of the roller or allowing your hair to rub against the roller. Turning your head away from your fingertips should increase the tensional pull from your head to your fingertips. Take two breaths and notice if your inhale increases what you sense down your arm. Repeat on the other side. Notice if one side holds more tension than the other and repeat the movement again on that side. Slide your hands out from your body into an A-frame position and repeat neck turn a few times to sense the tensional pull in your arms when your arms are further away from your body. 3 Longevity Fitness Inc. 2009

4 REASSESS Repeat the Upper Body Assessment. Lie on the floor with your arms and legs straight and relaxed, palms face up. Take a deep breath and notice how your body feels at rest now. Sense your upper body. Do your shoulders and arms rest more evenly on the floor? Does your upper back feel more relaxed and heavy on the floor? Does the bottom of your ribs feel more weighted to the floor? Front Line Length Bring one knee into your chest, interlace your hands over shin. Draw the other leg closer to the roller, press your foot into the floor, and pull back the other thigh. Your pelvis gets tucked towards the rib side of the roller as you maintain ample foot pressure into the floor. Repeat on other side. REASSESS Repeat the Upper Body Assessment. Lie on the floor with your arms and legs straight and relaxed, palms face up. Take a deep breath and notice how your body feels at rest now. Sense your upper body. Do your shoulders and arms rest more evenly on the floor? Does your upper back feel more relaxed and heavy on the floor? Does the bottom of your ribs feel more weighted to the floor? 4 Longevity Fitness Inc. 2009

5 RECONNECT: (ASSESS) Wrist Assessment Bring your elbows and wrists together, as shown. Open your hands so that your palms face the ceiling. Ideally, your hands should look like the letter T. If your hands look more like a Y, thatʼs a sign that thereʼs tightness running from your hands all the way to your neck and shoulders, which may be causing pain, stiffness, and poor posture. Grip Assessment Place a soft ball in each hand and squeeze three or four times, as shown. Can you easily create a powerful grip? Does one hand feel stronger? REHYRATE: (RINSING) Place your left hand flat on the floor or a table. Use the right hand to rub the soft ball over the top of and in between each finger of the left hand, as shown. (This also stimulates base of the palm on the top hand, hydrating the tissues of the wrist and relieving wrist pain.) Repeat on the other hand. RELEASE (KNUCKLE DECOMPRESSION) Wedge the small ball between two fingers, curl your fingers, as shown, and gently squeeze two times. Repeat between each finger of both hands, including between your thumb and index finger. Repeat the RINSING technique on both hands. RECONNECT: (REASSESS) Repeat the Wrist Assessment. Do you feel a change in the flexibility of your wrists? Do you feel less tension in your arms? Repeat the Grip Assessment. Can you create a more powerful grip with less effort? Does your grip feel more equal from hand to hand? 5 Longevity Fitness Inc. 2009

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