Mind-Body Ritual: Core Cross Crawl

Core Cross Crawl - Dynamic Balance

Position

Laying on back with knees bent and core engaged

Breathing

INHALE through the nose

EXHALE through the mouth

Intention

Develop core coordination. Right-left balancing. Dynamic consistency.

Practice

  • •Hollow your abdomen and maintain a low back curve throughout the whole practice
  • •You should always be able to feel space between your low back and the floor because you are utilizing your deep core to stabilize your lumbar spine against your limbs moving
  • •Bend knees to hover above your hips
  • •Hips and knees should both be at 90 degree curves
  • •Squeeze your shoulder blades together and engage your arms directly in front of your chest with a slight bend in the elbow
  • •You can pretend you are squeezing a big ball in front of your chest
  • •You should feel a full core engagement along your whole torso

Movement Execution

  • •Let one leg drop down slowly and the opposite arm reach backwards towards the ground
  • •Keep your core engaged and your low back elongated during this movement
  • •Attempt to engage your deep core so much so that your pelvis remains flat and squared up on floor throughout the motion
  • •If you feel the pelvis/spine moving and compensating, that is your cue to REDUCE the amount of motion you are bringing your limbs through
  • •Stop the movement right before the arm/leg hits the ground (or at the point where you lose stability) and come back up to the initial position
  • •Maintain core engagement (abdominal hollowing) throughout this full motion
  • •Keep face and neck relaxed
  • •Try to ensure that the movement and engagement is coming mostly from your torso (as opposed to hip flexors and shoulder muscles)
  • •Continue to alternate left arm-right leg and right arm-left leg cross crawl pattern until you begin to lose good form and core stability (back no longer flat against floor)
  • •Complete this exercise for 12, 24, 36, or even 72x
  • •Just count each rep, don't worry about how many on each side

Benefits

Use this exercise as a deep core and dynamic stability exercise.

Also, it is wonderful right-left brain-stimulating neuro-exercise to generate enhanced brain balance and awareness.

This "cross-crawl" patterning is how babies begin to develop connectivity between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

From the True Self Series - Empowerment Movement Module

Shine Family Chiropractic