S&S: 'Global' patterns
This collection develops ‘global spinal patterns’, where the spine is expressed as a unified, coordinated system rather than as discrete regional segments. Unlike local or integrated work, which builds control through differentiation and combination, global patterns emphasise the spine as a continuous whole, organised through either simultaneous or sequential movement across all regions.
Global patterns include expressions such as full spinal flexion and extension, global waves, and coordinated spirals, where movement is transmitted through the entire spinal structure as a single coherent event. In simultaneous patterns, the spine shares load and direction evenly across its full length. In sequential patterns, such as waves, movement unfolds through ordered intersegmental articulation, creating a continuous transmission of motion from one region to the next. Whilst these waves are built upon local rolling capacities, they are expressed here as global phenomena, governed by timing, direction, and continuity rather than isolated segmental intent.
This stage of practice develops a higher-order form of coordination, where the practitioner must manage timing, rhythm, and sequencing across the entire spinal system. Movement is no longer organised around individual regions, but around the propagation of force and motion through the body, requiring sensitivity to how initiation, amplitude, and direction influence the resulting global expression. This introduces a strong temporal component, where rhythm and pacing become essential to maintaining coherence.
A key focus is the refinement of global motor control and structural organisation, ensuring that movement remains efficient and uninterrupted as it travels through multiple segments. The practitioner learns to maintain balanced distribution of tension and compression throughout the spine, supporting the integrity of the body’s tensegrity system. This allows forces to be transmitted, absorbed, and redistributed effectively, reducing unnecessary local strain while enhancing overall movement efficiency.
In contrast to the more regionally-focused control of local work, global patterns develop the capacity to integrate the spine with the rest of the body, allowing movement to extend into the extremities. This includes coordinated expressions where the spine interacts with the arms, legs, and head, supporting larger-scale, full-body patterns and laying the groundwork for more complex coordinative tasks.
At a physiological level, these patterns continue to support the hydration, elasticity, and metabolic activity of spinal tissues, whilst also contributing to broader systemic functions such as circulation and respiration through their rhythmic, whole-body nature.
In application, this collection develops global coordination, rhythmic organisation, and full-body integration, enabling the practitioner to express the spine as a continuous, responsive system capable of transmitting movement with clarity, efficiency, and adaptability across a wide range of movement contexts.
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The 'Teacups' (medial & lateral)
THE WHAT & HOW:
A timeless context expressing a timeless pattern - mechanically, the 'Teacups' are a figure-8/"infinity" drawn in bilateral synchronicity with the arms. They pass overhead and underneath in both directions ('medial', initiating PROXIMALLY from the CENTRE of the body and transmitti... -
IN FOCUS: 'Teacups'
THE WHAT:
Taking an 'In Focus' look at an ancient & fundamental arm-pattern, the 'Teacups'. This movement can be incorporated indefinitely into daily practice, serving as a 'constant' against which to as how you are feeling and moving at this point in time. A as rhythmical, breathing form, it can... -
Spinal 'pumping', breathing, & craniosacral exploration
THE WHAT:
As simple & highly accessible, stand-alone context for mobilising both the local (cervicothoracic & lumbar) as well as global spine. The addition of craniosacral exploration also brings a further context of sensitivity & manipulation to be explored/practiced. As it incorporates active s... -
The 'Growing side-bend'
THE WHAT
The 'Growing side-bend' or "breathe & grow" is a specific breathing form which expresses the length of the body's lateral-lines. Effectively a LOADED stretch utilising the weight of the head and overhead arm, it affects not only the spine in the frontal-plane but also the rib-cage, hips,... -
In Focus - Spinal Waves
THE WHAT:
Taking an 'In Focus' look at the nuances of the sagittal & frontal spinal-waves (up/down & down/up) with focus on working toward 'rhythmicality' as a key perspective of practice for ongoing patterning, as well as physiological, developmentResource contents:
00:05 - On perspectives of...
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‘Down/up’ sagittal spinal-wave
THE WHAT
A fundamental 'spinal-wave' performed in the sagittal-plane. The initiation of this pattern is from 'down' (i.e. of the legs in connection with the ground) and transmitted sequentially 'up' the spine to the head-top. From here, it endlessly feeds back into itself in a CYCLICAL pattern wi... -
‘Hinging’ down/up wave
THE WHAT
A novel variation of the ‘Down/up sagittal spinal-wave’ incorporating a progressive hip-hinge & deepening of the torso toward the horizontal plane. As an effect there is SIGNIFICANTLY greater loading along the posterior-spine felt as an unavoidable fatigue, lending an innate conditioning... -
‘Up/down’ sagittal spinal-wave
THE WHAT
A fundamental 'spinal-wave' performed in the sagittal-plane. The initiation of this pattern is from 'up' (i.e. leading with the HEAD) and transmitted sequentially 'down' the spine to the spine into the ground. From here, it endlessly feeds back into itself in a CYCLICAL pattern with no s... -
‘Up’ & ‘Down’ spinal-wave switching
THE WHAT
The foundational 'Down/up' and 'Up/down' sagittal spinal-waves are now brought together in an integrated context which expresses switching between the two directions. The transition initially offers a minor coordinative motor-task requiring pre-"planning" of the switch and allowing time ... -
‘Down/up’ frontal spinal-wave
THE WHAT
After development of the fundamental spinal-waves & their 2 directions in the sagittal-plane (trajectory forward & back), we now bring focus to the FRONTAL-plane (trajectory side-to-side). Whilst the quality-standards & focus points concerning sequential articulation & 'rhythmicality' st... -
‘Up/down’ frontal spinal-wave
THE WHAT
After development of the fundamental spinal-waves & their 2 directions in the sagittal-plane (trajectory forward & back), we now bring focus to the FRONTAL-plane (trajectory side-to-side). Whilst the quality-standards & focus points concerning sequential articulation & 'rhythmicality' st... -
‘Up’ and ‘Down’ frontal-wave switching
THE WHAT
The foundational 'Down/up' and 'Up/down' frontal spinal-waves are now brought together in an integrated context which expresses switching between the two directions.Whilst any deficit in patterning & quality of the waves in their isolated directions will inevitably express in the integ...
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Directional sagittal spinal-wave
THE WHAT
A stationary, global spinal-wave context which now explores the angular-potential of the ‘sagittal’ spinal-wave by turning the head AND torso and “waving” in those directions. Despite turning of the body, the trajectory of wave is still distinctly SAGITTAL – what is introduced is simply ... -
Integrating global spinal-waves
THE WHAT
A static exploration of global spinal-waves utilising the fundamental 'sagittal' & 'frontal' wave planes of motion in combination with the 'up/down' and 'down/up' directions. As a quality standard, always aim to express rhythmicality & sequential articulation of the spine in all patterns... -
Transverse spinal “flagging”
THE WHAT
A spinal-wave context oriented around the TRANSVERSE-plane, i.e. rotation left & right around an axis. It integrates pieces isolated in the practice of 'transverse spinal-segmentation'. Notably, it is performed on ONE leg, whilst also offering a 'toe-supported' variation when in the proc... -
The ‘Compass’ wave (static & stepping)
THE WHAT
The 'Compass-wave' offers a convenient structure within which to frame the practice of global spinal waves, expressing them both toward and from the eight inter-/cardinal coordinates (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) in both 'up/down' and 'down/up' directions.As with all global 'spinal-wave...
