“Are there disadvantages/advantages to breaking up an hour’s daily practice into several shorter sessions throughout the day? What suggestions do you have for grouping 2-3 specific exercises for this kind of practice for the most benefit?”
It can be very helpful to break up your practice into smaller and shorter sessions throughout the day! If you make your practice work for you you are more likely to follow through.
Here are some suggestions for pandiculating throughout the day:
- You can do a 10-minute “wake up” practice to prepare you for the day
- Pandiculate at your desk in a short seated practice (we have a terrific routine in our Pain-Free at Work video lessons)
- In standing during a work break (we love Reach to the top shelf)
- An evening practice – the one piece of advice I always give is to make sure you pandiculate before going to bed to “shake off” the stress of your day. I guarantee that you will sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed.
As far as grouping movements together there is an easy guide for that – release the muscles of the front and back first before going on to side bending or full body rotation. Why? Because the front and back are the muscles most used when we stand and move forward in life. They work really hard! You can do Arch and Flatten, Arch and Curl, the Flower, Diagonal Arch and Curl.
Follow any of those movements with side bending and/or rotation (Side Bend, Washrag, Hip Hikers, Steeple Twist) and there’s your practice!