What should we be focusing on before, during, and after our adjustments?
Thanks, as usual, to my lovely practice members and their comments and questions, I have recently begun to more deeply consider what a person “should” be doing before, during, and after their adjustments.
Now I know some of you might be reading this and are already becoming panicked (especially the “upholders” and the “obligers”– and if you don’t know what I mean by that CLICK HERE!). Breathe! This discussion is NOT going to leave you with that dreaded “I’ve been doing it wrong!” feeling. This is actually a very energy rich topic that can be considered from multiple perspectives (far beyond what will be possible in this blog).
Your care is a participatory process. As in, I cannot do it for you. Even though it might seem, especially at first, that I am fixing you or otherwise waving a magic wand over you during your adjustments, this is actually NOT the case.
It is through the process of receiving Network Spinal chiropractic care, on a regular basis over time, and through gaining knowledge and perspective at our workshops and community events (and through these blogs!), that it hopefully begins to dawn on us that your spine and nervous systems are actually doing the work! Care doesn’t happen TO US so much as BY US, THROUGH US, and AS US. The more awareness we have around that, physically, in life, and otherwise, the bigger the impact the care care have.
At our first “Bright Souls Gathering”– our regularly held gathering for the creatives, leaders, and influencers who contribute the most energy and aliveness to the New Day community– one of our practice members asked, “Can we have a workshop that’s about how we can prepare for our adjustments every week? So that we can get the most out of it?”
Another practice member, upon hearing this, expressed some confusion and alarm. “We’re supposed to prepare for our adjustments?! Isn’t it better just to lay down, relax, and be open?! That’s what I do!”
And hence, the idea for the December Bright Souls Gathering was born
Since that day, I have been paying special attention to the ways this topic has surfaced in the practice. For example, I use a special process to help prepare you for your first and second adjustments. Nobody taught me this; I made this up along the way as I got more experience in practice and began to see this as a way to optimize results and leverage us for success. You might remember it:
“Take these first few moments, laying on the table, to bring your awareness through your whole body. Feeling your feet. Your legs. Your hips and lower back. Your spine– from your tailbone, up to the back of your head. Arms and shoulders. Head and face. Feeling your breath. Feeling areas of tension, and feeling everywhere else. Just getting a good sense of everything and what it feels like, so that you can compare at the end and know what feels different to you. I have the things I’m checking for, that tell me the adjustments are working, but I want you to have things to be checking for as well.”
“The things you want to feel for the most are feeling more and more relaxed, like your body is getting heavier or like your spine is getting longer. Feeling areas of tension release or move. Feeling your breath get deeper. This is key. If you feel your breath get deeper without you doing anything to force this to happen, you can know FOR SURE that this is working, we are hitting the nail on the head, your nervous system is reprogramming, and you will leave here better than you came in. Last but not least, if you feel like you need to move, stretch, or reposition how you are laying on the table, make sure to do that, since it will help the process along.”
Now, the idea is that this way of preparing would become a normal process for you, and that I would not need to say it out loud every day.
But we all need reminders sometimes! I noticed recently, as I said all of this out loud at the beginning of someone’s second adjustment, the other more experienced practice members in the room were visibly breathing and following along with my instructions (hashtag the benefits of the group adjusting environment!).
In addition, as we move through and integrate the seasons of Discover, Transform, and Awaken through the months and years in care, there might be other ways to prepare ourselves and get focused before, during, and after adjustments. The more I have thought about this, the more ideas I have!
I can’t wait to hear from you and share with you about this at our upcoming Bright Souls Gathering! Our next gathering will take place on Thursday, December 7th at New Day, from 7-8:30pm. Snacks and refreshments will be served.
We have some time to percolate on this topic before the gathering. So in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. Do you remember, from when you were brand new in care, that process I shared above? Do you remember to us it? If so, how often? If not, what other ways, if any, do you get present to your spine, nervous system state, and body before, during, and after your adjustments. Please comment below!
