Chronic back pain is one of the major physical sources of debility today.

According to some sources, one in six Americans and Australians suffer from the complaint.

For many of us it may just be that we experience back ache regularly. Today, many of us sit at the computer too long, our shoulders are hunched, we get a stiff neck and tired lower back.

Whether the discomfort is severe back pain, or just aching from prolonged fixed posture, we want to relieve the pain. Chances are that we but don’t want to get into a habit of taking pain killers, but don’t know what else we can do that is going to ease the agony and not have side effects.

There is a simple answer. It comes from the methods of the Alexander Technique: the answer is to lie down for ten minutes on the floor! Yes, it’s true, a simple method of lying down on the floor for 10 minutes can alleviate the pain of chronic back conditions, as well as the temporary discomfort we feel from poor posture or prolonged sitting positions..

Daily practice of semi-supine brings many benefits; and best of all, it’s easy. The only thing you need is a quiet room (nice if it’s warm), and a couple of paperback books.

It’s not just any old way of lying down: it is a particular posture called semisupine. It is part of the Alexander Technique, and it is widely used by other disciplines, such as Yoga.

What Is Semi-Supine?

Semi-supine is simply lying down on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees raised. The knees and feet are placed approximately one and a half hip widths apart.

You may need to trial with how far apart you have your knees, till you find out what feels most comfortable and stable for you.

Your head needs to be supported by something firm. A popular choice for this is a phonebook or a couple of paperbacks; and a hard-stuffed cushion is also fine.

The support needs to be at a height that draws the cervical (neck) vertebrae into a flat alignment.

The benefits of the posture come from having the spine flat against the floor. You can help this by sliding your hands under your hips or buttocks and pushing them away. Whilst laying in semi supine, you can place your hands near the hips, on your lower abdomen.

Working With The Posture.

There are two things to maintain while lying in the posture: being relaxed and being alert.

When you lie down and relax, there’s a natural tendency to drift off into sleep or semi-sleep.

So an important part of the method is to keep bringing your awareness back to how your body is feeling. You can give attention to how your body is pressing against the floor.

You can give attention to which parts of your spine are in contact with the floor, and then think of your body sinking into the floor at these places. Just think of your body being soft and relaxed and settleing into the floor. It’s like just giving yourself up to gravity.

After a few minutes you may find that you need to make some small adjustments as your back begins to relax and lengthen.

A session of 20 minutes in semi supine will give the full restorative benefit. But just 5 or 10 minutes is still really effective in relieving pain and aches.

If you practice this once a day that’s great (you can do it more often if you wish); and three times a week is still beneficial.

Get Up Slowly..

When coming out of semi supine, don’t just leap up and go.. You need to roll slowly out of the posture, rest a while, and then sit up slowly with awareness.

The method is to move one arm out to the side and then roll over in that direction.

What You Gain:

The main effect of semi supine position is to relax the spine, as it settles into a flatter shape. This helps to realign and relieve the pressure on nerves that is causing your pain. By releasing and freeing up the neck your head can rotate better, relative to the neck,and the spine can lengthen.

Whenever we’re standing for a while, the discs between the vertebrae get squashed. Lying in semi-supine for 15-20 minutes helps to restore the back’s optimum alignment. The discs are able to fill with fluid, and that restores their ability to keep the spine flexible and working smoothly. A few minutes in semi-supine can be remarkably restorative. It’s astonishing how much physical and mental rejuvenation can be achieved in a short period of time.

Postures that we habitually take up, or work in, set up patterns of rigidity and tension. This results in our muscles not being able to function properly.

Tension reduces our efficiency, quite simply because muscles are working against the added load of tension. That takes up energy. So, another benefit of relaxation through semi supine is: more energy.

If you have regular back ache, then a simple means of resting and restoring yourself is a vital part of treatment and recovery. Semi supine is exactly what you need to achieve a simple and effective means to do that.

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