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Lower Back Pain Causes & Solutions The Monkey Squat (Position of Mechanical Advantage)

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Pilates Alexander Technique
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The name for this exercise comes from FM Alexander, who developed the Alexander Technique. The Monkey Squat:- Start Position (Standing Correctly):-
  1. Like all Pilates exercises, do this bare foot!
  2. Imagine that there is a buoyancy balloon in your head located above and between your ears. Let the balloon elongate your neck away from you shoulders. Feel the back of your neck elongate & your chin tuck slightly.
  3. Think "neck be free" - This will give your neck and shoulders permission to relax.
  4. Gently anchor your scapulas.
  5. "Attach" an imaginary weight to your tailbone. Your spine is now elongating between a weighted tail bone and a "lighter than air" skull.
  6. Your back still keeps its natural curve. Your pelvis should be in "neutral".
  7. Gently zip and hollow your lower abdomen.
  8. Unlock your knees.
  9. Place your feet hip width apart with your toes pointing slightly outwards.
  10. Let your foot arches form by pushing your toes and the balls of your toes toward the ground.
What it does
This is a core movement pattern which adult westerners loose. The result is an onslaught of uneccesary back pain. This action and similar ones need to be relearned. For example, most adults initiate the action of "picking up a coin" by flexing the lumbar spine rather than knee hip & ankle, with the result that the spinal joints are habitually taken outside of their "strong middle range(1),(2)".
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The Monkey Squat:
(Note the "forward and down" position of the subject's head! He needs to read items (2) & (3) in the start position notes! -
Start Position
Monkey1 		Action
Monkey2
The Monkey Squat:- Action
  1. Zip and hollow, and breathe in.
  2. Gently clench your buttocks.
  3. (Breathing out, and maintaining your long spine): Let your knees and hips bend at the same time such that your back and tibias are parallel with each other. You do not need to drop far. Two to four inches is sufficient.
  4. Breathe in.
  5. (Breathing out, and still maintaining your long spine): Return to standing, relax, and repeat the check list for "standing correctly".
  6. Repeat four to 10 times.
Watch Points
  • Let the head and neck move with the torso: Your head will be looking down slightly during the squat phase.
  • Don't let your knees collapse toward each other! - Form your foot arches, gently clench your buttocks, and let you knees move forward over your second toe!
 Picture of F M Alexander teaching the Position of Mechanical Advantage (or "Monkey"!) - The student is working hard to obtain a feel of buoyancy with minimal muscular tension. Monkey2
Reference
  1. B I Kodisch: Back Pain Solutions: How to help Yourself with Posture-Movement Therapy and Education Publ.Extensional Publ. Pasadena, Ca 2001 ISBN 0-9700664-5-7
  2. Bruce Thomson: OBP of Tennis Elbow
  3. B & W Conarble: How to Learn the Alexander Technique, 3rd ed. Publ. Andover Press, PO Box 6838 OH 43205 ISBN 0-9622595-4-3
© Bruce Thomson, EasyVigour Project scroll up^^^^.....