BASIC USE OF THE TUNING BOARD
DURING STRESSFUL TIMES
“Because the Tuning Board will never be perfectly still, the individual is challenged to find, and quietly attune to, a relative stability, while surrendering rigidity, fragmentation, and holding patterns to motion.”
1: Introduction
Your Tuning Board can be an invaluable basic resource during any stressful time in your life.
When you are standing or sitting on a Tuning Board, its movement provides a loving and gentle flow of movement through the entire length of the body.
That movement goes quickly and deeply into the deepest parts of us, stimulating our breathing and our nervous system, and affecting our state of mind.
Standing for as little as 5 to 10 minutes per day entrains and repatterns our sense of embodiment toward balance, responsiveness and calm.
Our occiput and upper spine will begin to mirror the movement of our feet and ankles on the Tuning Board. This is the area of our spinal cord and brainstem where the respiratory control centers and the vagus nerve complex reside.
Especially when experiencing social isolation, it is important to keep our social engagement nervous systems in a state free of fear and stress. The Tuning Board is an important tool to help with this.
2: Ensure that you are familiar with Safety and Basic Use Instructions
Link to Basic Instructions for Personal Use
3: Suggested Exercise
1. First, stand behind your Tuning Board with your eyes open, and center yourself. Notice how you feel, how you are breathing. Try not to spend too much time fixating on any discomfort. Feel yourself in the space where you are.
2. Slowly and safely get on your Tuning Board (either standing or sitting, whichever you prefer) while your eyes continue to remain open.
3. Orient yourself to a neutral feeling where you simply can experience the movement that is being invited into and through your body.
4. Keeping your eyes open, notice if there is any area along your verticality that may not be allowing the flow to proceed. Notice your breathing.
5. Continue to allow the movement to play through your body as you connect the movement of your feet and ankles with the movement of your head and upper spine. Allow the motion to massage your upper spine and brainstem.
6. Gently play with the movement through your body while also receiving the flow that is naturally generated by the Tuning Board.
7. Continue as you become aware of your diaphragm releasing, and your breathing beginning to take on a feeling of ease and availability.
8. When you feel that your breathing is calm and resilient bring your awareness to a neutral state of mind.
9. Slowly step forward off the Tuning Board and stand quietly for a short while, feeling the continuation of the flow of movement and calmness of your breathing.
10. Repeat as desired.
I hope this has been useful as a basic resourcing guideline for you during these uncertain times. If you want further information about the Tuning Board please visit www.tuningboard.org.
