At SenseBody, we use various neural mechanisms
to release tension around the bones, restore natural skeletal alignment,
and re-educate the nervous system itself.
Among these, the mechanism known as reciprocal inhibition
is one of the most powerful tools available during movement.
When understood and consciously applied,
it amplifies the positive effects of every exercise.
Below is the three-phase process of alternating contractions as practiced in SenseBody.
Phase 1: Reflexive Reciprocal Inhibition — “Awakening Movement”
When the agonist and antagonist muscles are alternately activated at a quick tempo,
Ia inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord suppress the excitation
of the antagonist’s α-motor neurons.
This reflex, called reciprocal inhibition,
momentarily releases unnecessary tension
and enhances the nervous system’s ability to switch between patterns.
In SenseBody, this is the “pre-activation phase”—
a preparation for neural awakening.
The aim is not to produce power, but to restore responsiveness.
A few rounds of short, alternating movements open neural pathways
and increase receptivity to the re-education phase that follows.
Phase 2: Neural Re-education — “The Slower You Move, the More the Brain Changes”
Once the nervous system has been activated,
we begin the process of pandiculation—a somatic technique of slow, conscious contraction followed by gradual release.
The γ-motor neuron system, which monitors muscle length,
readjusts its sensitivity, allowing the muscle spindles to normalize their responses.
This calms excessive α-motor activity,
and at the cortical level, the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and primary motor cortex (M1)
work together to form new neural circuits that reset muscle tone.
The purpose here is simple yet profound:
to let the brain learn the movement of releasing effort.
Phase 3: Integration — “The Time When the Body Aligns Itself”
After pandiculation, we pause.
One breath… then another.
In this stillness, the brain is quietly integrating new sensory information.
Signals from the muscle spindles and tendons return to S1,
while the insula, cerebellum, and vestibular system
collaborate to re-establish optimal balance under gravity.
Within the subtle sway of breathing,
the entire body reorganizes itself.
In this moment, we are not resting—
we are allowing the nervous system to weave movement and sensation back together.
SenseBody refers to this as the “Integration Phase.”
By using the principle of reciprocal inhibition,
we encourage release through movement itself,
helping the bones to align effortlessly along their natural gravitational line.
Understanding the nervous system means
turning movement into medicine for the body.
That is what every SenseBody exercise ultimately seeks to achieve.
“Stability within motion. A body that stands with gravity, not against it.”
— SenseBody: Aligned with Gravity, Alive in Motion