Lesson Seven: Prone-Lying Face Down

The ultimate energy balance throughout the body can only be achieved by pressing the energy channels on either side of the spine. Energy flow in this area affects all the organ systems and the overall health and well-being of the body. The powerful manipulations demonstrated in this lesson will strengthen the spine and help to treat all kinds of back problems.

Sen channels on the back

          There are two lines on each side of the spine. The inner one is about two finger-widths and the outer line four finger-widths from the midline of the spine. This is l - Chinese Bladder meridian.

           In Chinese theory the Bladder meridian starts on the eye and ends on the outer edge of the little toe in one continuous energy channel. In Thai bodywork, pressing is done from the feet up to the buttocks. l - starts between the ankle bone and the Achilles tendon, then runs up the midline of the back of the leg.

1.  STANDING FEET TO FEET PRESS

          Balancing your weight on your toes, lean backwards to press your heels into the soles of your partner’s feet. Use a gentle to-and-fro rocking motion with your feet. (Note: make sure you have adequate padding beneath his feet for this exercise.)

• Aids flexibility of the foot and improves blood flow as the metatarsal bones are splayed apart.

2.  PRESSING THE BACK OF THE LEGS & BUTTOCKS

Touch Method One: Palmar and Thumb Pressing Assume a kneeling position and palmar press several times up both your partner’s legs simultaneously from the ankles to the lower margin of the buttocks. Now press with your thumbs up the center Sen channels of the legs. Repeat once or twice.

Touch Method Two: Butterfly Pressing Butterfly press up each leg in turn several times.

• Improves blood and lymph circulation and also release myofascial adhesions.

Do not use the deep palming or thumbing method on areas with obvious varicose veins.

• 1.  STANDING FEET TO FEET PRESS   

           Pressed: All intrinsic muscles of the feet   

• 2.  PRESSING THE BACK OF THE LEGS & BUTTOCKS  

           Pressed: Gastrocnemius, soleus, hamstrings

3.  PRESSING HEEL TO BUTTOCK

           Press your partner’s right foot back as far towards the buttocks as is comfortable. At the same time, use the heel of your right palm to press along the Sen which lies just outside the margin of the tibia (shin bone).

• Eases pain and tension in tight and spasming quadriceps; improves ankle and knee mobility.

4.  PRESSING THE THIGH & PULLING THE FOOT
        Grasp your partner’s foot with both hands and place your right foot across the back of his thigh, close to the knee crease. Pull the lower leg vertically upwards and hold for a few seconds. Move your foot to different positions up the thigh between each vertical pull.

• Eases sciatic pain and relieves pain and tension in the hamstring muscles; aids ankle flexibility and stimulates the Sen channels.

5.  FOOT CRACKER
        Still standing, tuck your left foot in snugly behind your partner’s right knee and press his foot down towards his buttock.

• Improves mobility of the ankle and knee joints; eases tension and spasming in calves and hamstrings.

6.  STANDING BACKWARD LEG LIFT

          Facing your partner’s feet, grasp his right ankle and then lift his leg backwards as far as is comfortable.

           Now repeat Techniques 3 – 6 on the other leg.

• Eases lower back and hip pain, and sciatica.

7.  PRESSING FEET TO BUTTOCK

Touch Method One: Press both your partner’s feet down towards his buttocks and simultaneously pull down on the balls of his feet.

Touch Method Two: Cross your partner’s legs and press both his feet down to his buttocks. Recross his legs in the opposite way and then repeat.

• Increases mobility of the feet, ankles and knees.

• 3.  PRESSING HEEL TO BUTTOCK

           Stretched: Tibialis anterior, quadriceps, foot flexors   

• 4.  PRESSING THE THIGH & PULLING THE FOOT   

           Stretched: Tibialis anterior, foot flexors     

           Pressed: Hamstrings     

• 5.  FOOT CRACKER     

           Stretched: Tibialis anterior, quadriceps, foot flexors    

           Pressed: Hamstrings, gastrocnemius       

• 6.  STANDING BACKWARD LEG LIFT     

           Stretched: Iliacus, psoas major, quadriceps, Sartorius

• 7.  PRESSING FEET TO BUTTOCK

           Stretched: Anterior tibialis, quadriceps, foot flexors, soleus
8.  REVERSE HALF LOTUS PRESS
          Bend your partner’s right leg into the Half Lotus position so that the top of his foot lies across his left thing just behind the knee crease. Now palm and thumb walk along the outer Sen of the flexed leg.

• Improves energy flow through the knees and thighs.

9.  REVERSE HALF LOTUS LEG FLEX
        From the same Half Lotus position, grasp your partner’s left foot, as shown, and push it down towards his buttock. Then with each push forward simultaneously press his other thigh.

• Stimulates blood flow and lymphatic drainage, and treats painful and spasming hamstrings and sciatica.

10.  REVERSE HALF LOTUS LEG LIFT

      Retaining the Half Lotus position of the legs, grasp your partner’s left foot with both hands and stand up. Place your right foot carefully across his lower lumbar area and lean in on it without using your full body weight as you lift his leg.

• Improves flexibility in the hip and knee joints. Treats chronic pain in the ilio-sacral region.

          Only with a highly flexible partner will you be able to lift his leg to anywhere near the vertical position.

11.  KNEE TO BUTTOCK/BACK BACKWARD LEG LIFT

Touch Method One: Place your right knee into your partner’s right buttock and lift his leg with your hand just above the knee. Use your knee as the pivot against which to lift his leg.

Touch Method Two: With your right hand across your partner’s lower lumbar area, lift his right flexed leg against the pressure of your hand.

• Helps those who suffer from lumbar and hip pain, and sciatica.

• 8.  REVERSE HALF LOTUS PRESS

           Pressed: Hamstring, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius, peroneus longus

• 9.  REVERSE HALF LOTUS LEG FLEX    

            Stretched: Tibialis anterior, quadriceps, psoas major, adductors,                                   Sartorius   

            Pressed: Hamstrings, vastus lateralis      

• 10.  REVERSE HALF LOTUS LEG LIFT    

             Stretched: Psoas major, quadriceps, iliacus   

              Pressed: Sacrospinalis 

• 11.  KNEE OR HAND TO BUTTOCK/BACK LEG LIFT  

             Stretched: Gracilis, quadriceps       

             Pressed: gluteus maximus

12.  FOOT TO BUTTOCK/BACK BACKWARD LEG LIFT

         Hold your partner’s right foot with both hands and lift his leg. Now place your left foot across his lower lumbar area and lean back to pull the leg against pressure from the foot.

13.  BACKWARD SEESAW LEG LIFT

    Sit lightly on your partner’s buttocks, taking most of your weight on your feet. Grasp his right knee underneath and, with both hands, lift his leg towards you as far as it will comfortably go without causing pain. Hold for at least ten seconds.

• Eases tension and pain in front of the thigh, and helps sciatica and lower back pain.

14.  INTIMATE CALF & THIGH PRESS

     With your partner’s right leg over your legs, sit between his thighs. Use your forearms to press along his thigh and calf simultaneously from ankle to buttock. Repeat.

             Then lean in carefully with your elbow and knead the entire buttock area. Then repeat Exercise 8-14 on the other leg.

• Treats sciatica and lower back pain and relaxes tense muscles in the leg.

• 12.  FOOT TO BUTTOCK/BACK BACKWARD LEG LIFT

             Stretched: Iliacus, psoas major, quadriceps 
             Pressed: Gluteus maximus, sacrospinalis

• 13.  BACKWARD SEESAW LEG LIFT  

             Stretched: Psoas major, iliacus, quadriceps, Sartorius     

             Pressed: Gluteus maximus      

• 14.  INTIMATE CALF & THIGH PRESS  

             Stretched: Gluteus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis    

             Pressed: Gluteus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis      

15.  PRESSING THE BACK FROM A KNEELING POSITION
Touch Method One: Palmar Presing Kneel on one leg astride your partner. With your palm heels on either side of his spine and fingers directed outwards, use both hands to palm deeply and very slowly up and down the Sen of his back between the sacro-lumbar and upper thoracic regions, as shown. Keep your arms straight at all times and use your body weight to generate the required pressure. Finish off by palming his arms.

Touch Method Two: Thumb Pressing Use both your thumbs simultaneously to press the first Sen channels of your partner’s back, which are located about 2 cm (3/4 in) from his spine on both sides.

Touch Method Three: This is a variation on Touch Method One where you kneel on the back of the thighs just below the buttocks to palmar or thumb press the whole back.

• Stimulates energy flow through the back. Releases tense and fibrotic fascia around back muscles and eases lumbago, sciatica and pain due to slipped disc.

          Exercise care when carrying out the Cobra exercises. There be should be no trace of jerkiness in the movements as these must, at all times, be smoothly executed for reasons of safety.

         Many people will experience real discomfort if you attempt to raise their shoulders more than an inch or so from the mat. This stretch should only be performed on those who are fit and fairly flexible. Do not attempt any of the Cobra techniques on partners heavier than yourself, on the elderly or those with intervertebral disc problems.

16.  KNEELLING CUSHION COBRA

         Kneeling on your partner’s thighs, grasp his wrists and ask him to grasp your own wrists. Lean back to use your weight to lift his upper body into a Cobra position. Hold for at least ten seconds.
            Modern living provides few opportunities for backward flexion of the spine. To ensure that your partner’s spine remains health and pain-free, you must do both forward and backward flexions.

• 15.  PRESSING THE BACK  

             Pressed: Erector spinae, trapezius, rhomboideus minor & major,                                 quadratus lumborum  

• 16.  KNEELING CUSHION COBRA  

             Pressed: Hamstrings     

             Stretched: Pectoralis mafor, deltoids, rectus abdoninis, psoas,                                      iliacus, serratus anterior

17.  SITTING STOOL COBRA

Touch Method One: Flex your partner’s lower legs 90˚ so that the soles of his feet are pointing upwards. Sit down carefully on his feet and support your main body weight on your own feet. Palm press the back as described in Exercise 15. Lift his arms back and place his wrists across the tops of your thighs. Bend forward and place your hands under the front of his shoulders and lift them from the mat using your body weight as you lean backwards. Hold for thirty seconds. Then repeat twice.

Touch Method Two: This time your partner interlocks his hands behind his head. Repeat the lift, holding his shoulders as in Touch Method One or under the armpits.

18.  STANDING COBRA

           Considerable balance is needed to perform this technique correctly. Stand on your partner with one foot placed on each of his thighs. Your toes should be directed to point outwards and the arches of your feet should cover the lower margin of his buttocks. Lean forward, grasp his wrists and he yours simultaneously and, with your arms straight, leans backwards so that your weight is pivoted onto your feet. Now lift him into a Cobra position. The ability to tolerate backward flexion of the spine varies greatly so much care must be taken on the first lift to determine how far you can go. Each lift should be sustained for up to thirty seconds. Repeat twice.

• Strong, sustained backward flexion exercises the articulating joints and associated muscles between the vertebrae, particularly the lumbar ones. Spinal mobility and flexibility is improved, tension and pain in the lower back and between the shoulder blades is eased, and increased shoulder mobility results. Energy flow in the Sen channels of the back increases.

            Many people will experience real discomfort if you attempt to raise their shoulders more than an inch or so from the mat. This stretch should only be performed on those who are reasonably flexible. Do not attempt any of the Cobra techniques on partners heavies than yourself, on the elderly or those with intervertebral disc problems.

Pressed: Hamstrings   
Stretched: Pectoralis major, deltoids, teres major, rectus abdominis, psoas                     major, iliacus, trapezius, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, serratus                     anterior

19.  WHEELBARROW

        Grasp your partner’s ankles and lift his legs whilst, at the same time, positioning one foot over his sacrum and your toes just touching his lower lumbar area. Apply light pressure only. Give the maximum lift that will stretch the front of his thighs effectively without causing discomfort. Hold this position for about thirty seconds.

• This technique gives the hip joints a rather grater backward rotation than they would normally experience. It aids hip mobility and helps to relieves sciatic pain.

20.  CROSSED AND LATERAL SCISSOR STRETCHES
        The methods used for these stretches are identical to those used for the Crossed and Lateral Scissor Stretches with your partner on his side with one small exception: your foot is positioned across his lower spine. Repeat on the other side.

• As for Crossed and Lateral Scissor Stretches in the side position.

21.  KNEE TO CALF PRESS

               Sit on your partner’s sacrum or lumbar region. The exact position is determined by the requirement that your knees should be able to press into his calf muscles. Grasp the front of his ankles and lift them towards you, positioning your knees so that his calf muscles are pulled against them.

• Relaxes spasming calf muscles and improves energy flow in the lower leg.

22.  INTIMATE COBRA

                  Kneel and slide between your partner’s thighs, lifting them as you go so that they come to lie across the front of your hips. Grasp his arms just above the elbow and have him grasp your forearms. Lean back with your body weight to lift him into the Cobra position. Hold for at least ten seconds.

• 19.  WHEELBARROW   

             Stretched: Psoas, iliacus, Sartorius, rectus femoris  

• 20.  CROSSED & LATERAL SCISSOR STRETCHES    

             Stetched: Pectoralis major, Sartorius, psoas major, iliacus
             Pressed: Erector spinae

• 21.  KNEE TO CALF PRESS   

             Stretched: Quadriceps, psoas      
             Pressed: Gastrocnemius, soleus   

• 22.  INTIMATE COBRA

             Stretched: Psoas, iliacus, supra- & infraspinatus, serratus anterior,                                pectoralis major, deltoids, rectus abdominis