Pelvic Clock

Why do this?
This is the single most important exercise you can do to align your pelvis. Once your pelvis is in alighment, you will be able to evenly balance and stack the vertebrae in your spine one on top of the other. This translates into being able to sit straight up and down and centered on top of your horse - equal weight in your sitting bones, equal weight in your stirrups, equal length of your legs, no more one sided-ness, no more tilting shoulders.

What it does for me:
This is a foundation exercise for me. After getting the hang of it, and it took me at least a month to really get the movement, I began doing the Clock both before and after riding. I still do. Before riding, this exercise helps to center and balance my body. After riding, the Clock helps to realign my pelvis and spine. No matter how "uneventful" my ride, the inherent spine to spine connection between my horse and me can, and usually does, cause my pelvis to become uneven. By doing the Clock while driving to and from the barn everyday, I can quickly and routinely adjust and straighten out myself for and from my ride.

Can be done in a variety of positions. Start in the most spine supportive position by lying on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. From that position, progress to sitting, standing, kneeling upright and kneeling while leaning back at 30-degree angle. Each position requires varying levels of mobility, strength and body awareness. Be kind to yourself and begin...

Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor,

Breathe in evenly through your breast bone and out through the bottom of your shoulders for 30 seconds.

Encourage a neutral, not arched, spine.

Imagine the Plus Sign, (+), joining your spine and pelvis. Stack your spine up and down vertically and level your pelvis horizontally from side to side, just like the Plus Sign.

Go for symmetrical range of motion.

Rest your arms as if hanging at your sides.

Imagine one hand of your clock at the 12 o'clock position. The 12 starts in the middle of your rib cage about 4 inches from the top of your navel. Imagine the other clock hand at the 6 o'clock position in the middle of your adbomen about 4 inches below the top of your navel. Imagine that the tips of each hand rock gently up and down, side to side, from the middle of your rib cage to the middle of your abdomen.

Think of the motion as being that of a teeter-totter. One tip moves back or down as the other tip moves forward or up. The motion is gentle and unforced. It does not matter how high or low the tips rock back and forth into your body. If one place or the other is stiffer or less flexible, allow the stiffer, less flexible place or side to dictate the range of motion in the opposite direction. Strive for equal rocking by encouraging top to bottom body symmetry. The range of motion on the stiff side will, without being forced, loosen and gain range as it "learns" to equal the more flexible side.

Repeat the top to bottom motion 15 times.

Move the clock hands to the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position. The tips will "touch" the horizontal plane about 4 inches out on either side from the top of your navel. Imagine that the tips of the two clock hands gently rock in and out and back and forth from side to side.

Again, think of the motion as being that of a teeter-totter. One tip moves back or down as the other tip moves forward or up. The motion is gentle and unforced. Again, allow the stiffer, less flexible side, if you have one, to dictate the motion in the opposite direction. Like the vertical plane, encourage an equal rocking and side to side body symmetry on the hoizontal plane of your pelvic clock.

Repeat the side to side motion 15 times.

Once you can move evenly and smoothly from top to bottom and side to side, move the hands of the clock cross-wise along each diagonal. You want to be able to move all the way around your pelvic region in this up and down, forward and back, side to side diagonal motion. Do 15 repetitions at each pair of numbers on your clock.

Once you are able to progress evenly and smoothly all around your pelvic clock while lying flat on your back. advance to a seated position to do this exercise. After being able to do 15 repetitions of the clock in all pairs of number positions while seated, try this exercise while standing. In all positions, remember to

• Encourage a neutral, not arched, spine.
• Breathe in through your breast bone and out through the bottom of your shoulders
• Imagine the Plus Sign (+) - stack your spine up and down vertically as you level your pelvis from side to side horizontally.

(To "see" if your pelvis is aligned, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Make a fist in each hand and point your thumgs up, like you were hitch hiking. Put the closed little fingers of your fists on top of the bony tips of your hipbones and look at your thumbs. You'll be able to see them. If your thumbs point up evenly, your pelvis is probably aligned. If they are not even and level, your pelvis isn't either. The more you do the Pelvic Clock the more even and level your pelvis and thumbs will become. Over a couple of months, you will be able to feel and see whether or not your pelvis is in alignment.)