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Since your target is the pain-free movement of your nerves, not of your muscles and fascia, you want very little sensation or stretch. The key to nerve gliding is to move gently within an easy range of motion. Optimal signaling is crucial if you want your immune and nervous systems to function at their best, which is another reason to add nerve gliding to your repertoire. You also may down-regulate local inflammatory responses, restore healthy blood flow to the hard-working nerve, and encourage more efficient communication between your brain and body. When you put these movements together you can encourage the sciatic nerve to move back and forth through its tissues more effortlessly. This action draws the branches of the sciatic nerve toward your knee. Then, as you extend your knee and point your toes, you’ll reverse the areas of tension and slack. This action draws the sciatic nerve and its branches toward your foot. For example, the sciatic nerve runs through the back of your leg, so in Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) if you bend your knee (raised leg) and flex your foot, you’ll put tension on one end of the nerve (by your foot) and slack the other end (by your knee). As you floss the nerve, you potentially allow it to move more freely so that it can communicate more efficiently with your brain. We have the ability to alternately put tension on different ends of the nerve to create a movement of the nerve through the tissues, often referred to as nerve gliding.
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To help you keep your nerves adaptable and protected, try the asana technique on the following pages based on an understanding of neurodynamics (the study of nerve movement through its surrounding tissues) and nerve pathways. So even small changes in tissue tension around a nerve can be enough to block nerve mobility and lead to compression that disrupts blood flow and nerve signaling back to the brain, contributing to pain. These tissues are bloodthirsty and rely on an important pressure gradient around them to maintain adequate blood flow. Sometimes, tone and tension around neural tissues can be a problem. The idea is that healthy nerves should be able to gently slide, elongate, and angulate within neural tissues (some nerves can move as much as ¾ inch) in order to adapt to different loads and minimize pressure that can worsen existing pain, alter sensation, or lead to new pain patterns. Preliminary research suggests that gentle movement of your nerves is vital to both managing pain and supporting the general health of your nervous system. With all of the new and emerging information on pain science, yoga students and teachers have the opportunity to apply modern research to their practices and help alleviate and prevent pain. Try this gentle sequence by Tiffany Cruikshank to target your nerves and protect their signaling powers. Your yoga practice can be a therapeutic tool for pain management and prevention.
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