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Piriformis and its role in sciatica – an article for studentsPiriformis syndrome is described by sufferers as “agonising”: often experienced after long periods of driving …2022/04/25Back Pain, Piriformis2022-04-25 04:11:37
Arm across body – standing version​In this exercise, the rear-most shoulder muscle (posterior deltoideus or ‘rear delt’), and the muscles …2021/10/11Exercise Techniques2021-10-11 22:00:58
Relaxing is letting goOlivia here. In April 2015, I started a thread on the ST Community Forums with …2021/08/02Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2021-08-02 04:21:14
Limbering, stretching and mobilityThis is a revised version of a brief post that first appeared on the Forums …2021/07/28Exercise Techniques2021-07-28 14:15:56
SledgeHammer StretchingBy Olivia Allnutt The SledgeHammer Stretching method was developed by myself and Dr Joe Hope …2021/03/25Exercise Techniques2021-03-25 03:25:10
A note to a colleague – What does “stored emotion” mean?My friend wrote, I’ve recently been drawn to and encountered the issue of stored emotion …2020/10/29Philosophical2020-10-29 15:40:35
Begin Meditation | Stretch TherapyThere’s an old Zen saying, not attributed to anyone in particular, that goes like this: …2020/07/28Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2020-07-28 08:27:37
The Secrets of Stretching | Stretch TherapyLately I have had quite a few inquiries that go something like this: I need …2020/06/03Exercise Techniques2020-06-03 04:12:40
10 free Stretch Therapy videos over 10 daysBetween 24 March and 2 April 2020, each day we released here* one free Stretch Therapy video program! …2020/04/04Exercise Techniques2020-04-04 16:12:32
The vexed question of “enlightenment”A student who has done a number of Goenka-style 10-day Insight meditation retreats, and who …2018/10/10Philosophical2018-10-10 17:43:54
The Pancake: reflections on mastering the essential anterior pelvic tiltBy Olivia Allnutt The ‘Pancake’ is an exemplar exercise in flexibility, and much strived for. …2018/07/18Exercise Techniques2018-07-18 15:07:40
BreathingWe received the following question recently: “Do you have any articles online on the importance …2018/03/03Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2018-03-03 17:09:05
What gets stretched?A question from a workshop attendee, asking whether we are planning to cover “tissue release” on an …2017/05/26Exercise Techniques2017-05-26 01:01:45
This or that? The question of whether binary is the only (or optimal) optionOn the eve of running a Deep Well Being workshop in Brisbane, my thoughts turn …2017/05/09Philosophical2017-05-09 17:51:00
Sensible Eating; a chapter from Stretching & PregnancyChapter from Stretching & Pregnancy, 2001/2016 Some basic concepts It is helpful to begin with some …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:39:03
Do you want to diet? Don’t! Detailed analysis of why diets fail, and what to do instead.In this article, I consider alterations to one’s ordinary eating routine as a means of …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:37:40
Maintaining the scholar; a presentation given to the Graduate Program,As post-graduate students, you will have listened to lecturers or Professors talking about how to …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:36:53
The downside of the high heel (what your Jimmy Choos are doing to you!)The average person’s most common problems are (in order of likelihood) tight necks, tight upper/middle …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:34:10
What makes a good massage good? Interoception, proprioception, and touchThe first time an expert massage therapist lays his or her hands on you, you …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:33:18
How can I improve my golf? The key sense of proprioceptionOf all the many skills you need to have to be good at golf, few …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:32:10
Staying agile and pain free as you age (written for “The Retiree” magazinePublished in “The Retiree”, Autumn 2011 edition As a culture, we are obsessed with our …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:30:55
Unlocking the Yoga Poses, or what stops you doing a pose perfectly?Originally prepared for Australian Yoga Life magazineThis note provides a deeper look into how the …2017/04/15Exercise Techniques2017-04-15 04:27:23
Choices and consequences; how this life is organisedCorrespondence with a student teacher raised some interesting responses, so I thought I would post …2016/08/11Philosophical2016-08-11 17:59:00
Questions from a dance teacher, who works with childrenQuestions in black, answers from Kit Laughlin in gray I have Kit’s latest version of …2016/07/28Exercise Techniques, Stretch Therapy Method2016-07-28 17:52:16
On the eve of going live with the new siteBehind the scenes and most recently while most of you were on holiday, the triumvirate …2016/01/19Philosophical, Technology2016-01-19 13:58:00
Feeding the Beast (how to survive the pressure of the internet in the 21st century)We have a Facebook Profile, and Facebook Page; the former a personal space that I add things to …2016/01/17Philosophical2016-01-17 14:05:00
Where are the wise?Two books I have read recently have had a massive impact on me: Yuval Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of …2015/02/06Philosophical2015-02-06 18:02:00
A (brief) introduction to video, for stills photographers(The same text appears as a front page article, www.getDPI.com; thank you Bob, Jack and Guy) …2014/09/09Technology2014-09-09 13:32:00
What use is stretching?On the eve of releasing the new Stretch Therapy products I find myself reflecting on …2014/06/06Exercise Techniques2014-06-06 08:03:00
Behind the scenes on the “How to sit for meditation: setup exercises” shoot.Some of you will know that I have been co-presenting at a number of traditional …2014/03/26Technology2014-03-26 13:37:00
Do some good, have some fun, make some moneyCrudely put, these are the orienting principles of my personal philosophy, or modus operandi. The order …2014/03/20Philosophical2014-03-20 18:06:00
The genie is out of the bottle, and she ain’t going back any time soonThese last few weeks have been my all-time, fastest–deepest, learning experience (apart from the time …2014/03/04Philosophical2014-03-04 18:09:00
I grind my teeth and have jaw tension—what can I do?This is a common problem, and I have been asked for advice many time, so …2014/02/22Exercise Techniques2014-02-22 08:42:00
Why living longer is a *potential* benefit to allOn his wonderful Physical Alchemy blog, Dave wrote: One of my teachers once said to me: “All …2014/02/17Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2014-02-17 08:25:00
How does that feel?The most common question from teacher to student is, ‘how does that feel?’; where do …2014/02/12Exercise Techniques2014-02-12 08:08:00
Photography 101 in (hopefully) digestible instalments, Part TwoContinuing from the earlier post, the next variable to consider is shutter speed. Shutter speed The foe …2014/02/11Technology2014-02-11 13:44:00
How and why we do things in Stretch Therapy the way we doWe have a completely open system in Stretch Therapy. By ‘open’ I mean it that …2014/02/06Exercise Techniques, Philosophical2014-02-06 18:11:00
Stretch Therapy™ Fascial Release technique for pancake/straddleI have simply copied the description from the YT channel here, to set the scene, …2014/01/27Exercise Techniques2014-01-27 08:53:00
Where does tension come from?Today’s blog was inspired by recent correspondence. This is how it emerged; my comments are …2013/11/21Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-11-21 08:56:00
Why I readAn odd title, perhaps, but I was inspired to post briefly this morning by an …2013/11/16Philosophical2013-11-16 14:08:00
Photography 101, in digestible instalments. Part one.I have decided to write this primer for two friends who have recently acquired decent …2013/11/10Technology2013-11-10 13:47:00
5 x 10″ free handstands today: a watershed, and thanks Yuri and Charm!I wandered down the street looking for a kids’ playground here in Atlanta today. The …2013/10/30Exercise Techniques2013-10-30 09:01:00
Issuing the 90-day goblet squat challenge: notes from VancouverONLY in California Seen on the air bridge: could there be any more useless, sign-of-the-times …2013/09/14Exercise Techniques2013-09-14 09:03:00
How Microsoft’s Albert Carter took control of Olivia’s new MacBook Air, and deleted stuff…This is such a 21st century story. Imagine my annoyance as someone in a land …2013/09/02Philosophical, Technology2013-09-02 14:12:00
Has anyone heard of this scam? Mark Cole, and buying a car from Rio De Janiero…Miss O is selling the Mighty Mirage, and it is advertised on the local Gumtree (an ebay …2013/08/31Philosophical, Technology2013-08-31 14:16:00
“How to get a body like a cat”, and “Becoming a supple leopard”For many years, I promoted the Posture & Flexibility work we did at the ANU with the …2013/08/16Exercise Techniques2013-08-16 09:15:00
How choices constrain options: the arrow of timeIn this life, there are choices and consequences. A relevant folk saying, from Mexico: “Pay …2013/07/23Exercise Techniques2013-07-23 09:18:00
Regaining side splits and the 90-day blog challengeLet me go on public record here and say I am very grateful to Dave …2013/07/14Exercise Techniques2013-07-14 09:23:00
The Single Leg Squat progressionsI have edited and posted the second part of the lower body ‘Monkey Gym Fundamentals’, …2013/07/13Exercise Techniques2013-07-13 09:38:00
Speed skater and Cossack squat combinationI uploaded a 13′ segment (so, a live-like-you-are-there, unedited segment) from a recent Monkey Gym …2013/07/12Exercise Techniques2013-07-12 09:45:00
Sleep positions and the vexed question of the pillowGigi asked: Optimal sleep position(s)?Pillow(s) or sans? So, addressing these points in turn: start each …2013/07/11Exercise Techniques2013-07-11 09:20:00
More on sleep and relaxation, and Yoga NidraThe recordings of the scripts that I’ve linked to in my last post are all …2013/07/05Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-07-05 09:49:00
Sleeping, useful tension, and the breathHow many of you have trouble sleeping? If the reading group of this blog is …2013/07/04Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-07-04 09:54:00
Pro video cameras are deadToday Paul Janssens came around to my studio and I gave him his new camera—a …2013/06/29Technology2013-06-29 13:54:00
“The new attitude is gratitude”Now repeat that with a Flavor Flav-style cadence: sounds pretty good, doesn’t it. This assertion …2013/06/26Philosophical2013-06-26 14:22:00
Anger (or whatever one’s default reaction is)A friend and I have been talking about default emotions, but what I will talk …2013/06/23Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-06-23 18:14:00
“Encatment”; the noun form of ‘encat’ (v., Eng., forward formation)Chéz Allnutt–Laughlin, certain circumstances allow either of the occupants to be excused familial responsibilities, momentarily. As …2013/06/21Philosophical2013-06-21 14:26:00
Become *the* expert on yourselfI have had a number of questions on the forums recently about rotator cuff problems. …2013/06/20Exercise Techniques2013-06-20 09:57:00
Closing the MG at the ANU, part IIIAt this precise moment I am getting outside of coffee number two. It is ‘pissing …2013/06/17Philosophical2013-06-17 14:43:00
What is love, actually?I wonder if (like the relationship between pain and suffering I wrote about in an …2013/06/07Philosophical2013-06-07 14:30:00
Closing the MG, part II: the final Advanced Stretching (“P&F”) classPreceding the final Advanced stretch class was the advanced Monkey Gym circuit: run by Olivia, …2013/06/05Philosophical2013-06-05 14:49:00
Principles of Stretch Therapy™This is simply a copy-and-paste/retouch from my main website, but a number of people have …2013/06/03Exercise Techniques2013-06-03 09:59:00
“How’s that workin’ for ya?”I had a magnificent example of kissing off my own life this morning. I was …2013/06/02Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-06-02 18:17:00
Closing the Monkey Gym at the Australian National University, part IThe advanced crew had an incredible work out last night. Readers of the Stretch Therapy …2013/06/01Philosophical2013-06-01 14:52:00
Talking about meditation practise, and relation to daily lifeThe following is part of an exchange with a very experienced meditator who has concentrated …2013/06/01Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-06-01 10:02:00
Emotional generosity, and “checking out”A correspondent wrote it occurs to me this beautiful day in Hawai’i (another one) that …2013/05/31Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-31 10:05:00
Doing the best you canIt must have been the recollection of drinking cognac with my teacher that brought this …2013/05/29Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-29 18:25:00
“Taking care”, “mindfulness”, and “being angry, for two or three heartbeats”djinoz wrote: I’d be interested in a post that expands the ‘mindfulness’ into ‘taking care’ …2013/05/28Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-28 18:33:00
“Be Here Now” (Ram Das), and the ‘Five minute consult’ (ex. MAD TV)I’m sitting in my bed in my house and slowly drinking coffee number two. Those …2013/05/27Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-27 18:35:00
Why “Stretching Mindfully?”, part twoToday there is a tremendous amount of writing about mindfulness, or Sati.  The article that I have linked …2013/05/24Exercise Techniques2013-05-24 10:11:00
Why “Stretching Mindfully”?A quick Google search on the term ‘mindfulness’ revealed “About 10,270,000 results”. Mindfulness (sati) is …2013/05/23Exercise Techniques2013-05-23 10:14:00
The title of my next “book”: Stretching MindfullyI have decided that the future of the printed book is grim indeed. In other …2013/05/22Exercise Techniques, Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-22 10:20:00
Watching how mindfulness disappears and reappears IIToday I thought I would share a few tips that I have found to be …2013/05/21Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-21 18:41:00
Watching how mindfulness disappears and reappears II am finding that the first cup of coffee in the morning is the ideal …2013/05/20Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-20 18:44:00
The 90-day blog challenge and the 50-year testI am extremely grateful to my friend and colleague Dave Wardman for challenging me to …2013/05/18Philosophical2013-05-18 07:34:00
Frozen shoulder treatment, supraspinatus impingement, and poor practitionersYesterday I had a wonderful opportunity to work with a woman who came to see …2013/05/16Exercise Techniques2013-05-16 12:39:00
Working the sounds of an excavator scraping rocks into your meditationI always do some kind of Yoga Nidra practice before I get up in the …2013/05/14Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-14 12:44:00
Sleeping and dreaming that you are meditatingIf you have ever attended a meditation retreat, you will likely have had the experience …2013/05/13Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-13 13:06:00
A note about “Supervenience”I was studying medical anthropology and logic, as well as human ecology at the Australian …2013/05/12Philosophical2013-05-12 07:39:00
The title of my next ‘book’, and the video “What is stretching about, really?”Just a quick one today, too; time is tight and when on the road, one …2013/05/11Exercise Techniques2013-05-11 13:14:00
What is stretching, and what does it really do? Part II have seen quite a bit of research in recent months on stretching and the …2013/05/09Exercise Techniques2013-05-09 13:18:00
“What is stretching about, really?”, part III will be teaching the next two days, so will have limited time to blog. …2013/05/08Exercise Techniques2013-05-08 13:13:09
Why does mindfulness need attention?It occurred to me that the assumption of the desirability of mindfulness begs a question before further …2013/05/05Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-05 07:52:00
The virtues of the squat toilet, and why we need not be deprived in the West!OK; I sense a thread of scatology in this week’s posts. As this is what’s …2013/05/03Philosophical2013-05-03 14:57:00
Noting mindfulness in daily life (especially first thing in the morning!)Well, the only conclusion is that there isn’t any: I watch how I turn on …2013/05/02Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-02 07:56:00
Mindfulness in daily lifeOn the retreat I have just returned from it became blindingly obvious that there is …2013/05/01Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness2013-05-01 08:00:00
Notes on how to use Stretch Therapy, written for an experienced coach who is a new user of Stretch Therapy (Chris Sommer)To help you get the firmest possible grasp of the principles that underlie the approach …2012/10/11Exercise Techniques, Stretch Therapy Method2012-10-11 03:39:33
The amazing Vibram Five FingersOn Mt Arrawang last week, a fellow walker looked at me in amazement and asked, …2012/09/04Exercise Techniques2012-09-04 13:25:00
Barefoot walking and running your way to healthOne of my students from many years ago, James from Albuquerque, has been insisting for …2012/09/04Exercise Techniques2012-09-04 13:22:00
Supervenience, massage and stretchingPrepared for the Australian Association of Massage Therapists, April 2004 Massage is often the first …2004/04/15Philosophical2004-04-15 07:42:00
Pro-Active Occupational Health and SafetyPrepared for the inaugural COMCARE National Rehabilitation Conference; Canberra, November 2003. In this paper, I …2003/11/15Back Pain2003-11-15 14:20:49
Piriformis and its role in sciatica – an article for practitionersThe effectiveness of treating trigger points in the buttock area is well known. In this …2001/03/19Back Pain, Piriformis2001-03-19 11:00:35
Hidden causes of back problemsHidden causes of back problems Journal of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. This …2001/03/01Back Pain2001-03-01 14:23:55
Hidden muscular causes of neck and back painAbstract prepared for Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia Conference, November 1999 The three ‘big …1999/11/01Back Pain1999-11-01 15:29:30
The role of iliopsoas in neck and back pain & its treatmentPointers, Journal of the Shiatsu Association of Australia, 1998. An exploration of the global significance …1998/10/26Back Pain1998-10-26 11:04:22
Neck and back pain: are conventional treatments effective?Briefing prepared for A Current Affair, 1997 The background information that led to three appearances …1997/06/26Back Pain1997-06-26 12:05:52
Getting back to work with back painMany studies have shown that the prognosis for a full return to work after time …1990/10/30Back Pain1990-10-30 16:15:23
Low back pain: Review and PrescriptionPart 1 Introduction Writers, philosophers and surgeons share a common dilemma: in order to be …1990/07/01Back Pain, Piriformis1990-07-01 14:14:45
Integrating diagnosis and treatment for massageHow does the practitioner integrate diagnostic processes (such as leg-length testing and assessment of patterns …1989/07/26Back Pain1989-07-26 11:09:18
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