Simon Borg-Olivier, Co-Directory Yoga Synergy

Welcome to the Spinal Synergy Course 

We hope you will gain immense benefit from your studies and practice.  Enjoy the course!

In the navigation, you will find the levels of Spinal Synergy. If you have never done spinal movements because you have never studied with me in person, then I suggest you start with level 1 and don’t skip any level as you proceed to make sure your practice is safe and effective.

To make the most out of this course, it’s best to follow a few simple guidelines.

Guidelines for practicing spinal movement sequences

• Move actively into postures (At least initially, use your own muscles to come into postures, not external forces such as gravity, one limb pulling another, or momentum)
• Lengthen your body (Especially keep length in the fingers, neck, and lower back)
• Relax your body (Especially your pelvic floor, neck and your face, and breath in a way which makes you easily inhale from the lower abdomen)
• Breathe naturally (Inhale into your pelvic floor and lower abdomen, make passive exhales with no additional muscle tension, breathe as little as you comfortably can, and forget the breath if you can, just like when you are asleep).
• Move smoothly and fluidly from your core or centre (Your core or centre is between your naval and pubic bone, diaphragm and pelvic floor, and top of your hips and your tail bone around L5-S1), with natural breathing.
• Only do what you can in a completely pain-free way.

About The Clicking System

Simon uses a clicking system most of the time to enhance the visual teaching he is doing in these classes.

‘One-click’ means follow comfortably what Simon does, subject to no pain. Move in the direction he moves, but not necessarily as far as he does.

‘Two-clicks’ means just keep doing a comfortable version of the movement or activity that Simon have begun, but don’t necessarily follow his movements if he goes deeper.

And ‘three-clicks’ means ‘move freely’.

If there is breathing during the sequence:

‘One-click’ means follow comfortably, subject to no pain.

When ‘two-clicks’ is used, it refers to compressing/contracting your body, which usually makes air go out slightly (exhalation), then the ‘one–click’ at that time refers to expand, which usually causes air to come in (inhalation).

‘Three-clicks’ means just keep doing a comfortable version the movement or activity that Simon has begun, but don’t necessarily follow him if he goes deeper, or faster, or bigger in his version.

‘Four-clicks’ means move freely.