Restorative OS

Categories: Blog Sep 27, 2021

And now, a guest post from friend and OS Professional, Richard Macaulay. 

I would imagine that most if not all people reading this blog know that OS is a development movement system. It largely adheres to the 3 pillars of human movement, is incredibly nourishing and restorative, and only asks that you start where you are and trust the miraculous nature of your design.

There are no rules with regards to reps, sets, speed of movement. You can simply explore yourself.

I remember once mentioning an Abraham Lincoln quote on the OS page .... "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax." I followed it by saying that for me, this is OS....not an ax that chops, shapes, etc (although it can be), but for me, a tool that sharpens the ax.... to sharpen me - my curiosity, my ability to learn, grow, explore, create and play.

One way I found that OS benefited me and allowed this to happen, is that it allowed me to see all types of movement in their often similar/sometimes different approaches and how we can learn from every single one out there.
One of these movement practices that has always held interest for me is Yoga. Yoga is such a generic term for what is in reality, different practices with different focuses.

They all hold their own mystery, appeal, grace, complexity, charm, and wisdom.

One that I have found through my exploration into how I move, is 'Restorative Yoga'. Now I don't want to do this form of yoga any injustice....so I will just say that to my knowledge this yoga practice explores holds from 5 to 20 minutes....but not just the holds, but our connection to ourselves and how we react to the movements.

Long story short...I started applying this exploration and curiosity to my OS resets. Now, some resets naturally lend themselves to this. Regressed/baseline movements, lower down the developmental pyramid work really well.

Here is an example of a few I tried in my last session:

• Lying on your back, diaphragmatic breathing with arms held in the Y or T position for 2 minutes

• Shinbox - sitting in the shinbox with/without using hand for support, sit as tall as you can, relax and breathe for 2 minutes on each side

• Prone nods and rotations - 1 minute each position:

- hold the eyes and chin towards the chest

- hold the eyes and head to the ceiling

- look over each shoulder and hold the position 

• Arcing windsheld wiper - 1 minute each side with arm paused around sticking point overhead

• Tall glute bridge hold - 1 minute

• Child pose - 1 minute

My clients and I use the term "hanging out". This refers to us finding positions (never into pain), pausing, breathing deeply, and just...."hanging out".

What we have found was that sets, reps, and load didn't matter. All that mattered was the time we were willing/able to give...Time for ourselves ... time to breathe ... explore ... be.

Try this for yourself and see what discoveries you can make. Get into positions inside of your RESETS and "hang out." As with all things OS - don't force anything, never work into pain, start where you are, with the movement capabilities you have now (which can change from day to day), and just explore how your body feels and reacts to a little "Restorative OS".

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