Relaxercise: A Simple Movement Practice I Recommend to My Clients
Probably 12-ish years ago, a newfound mentor told me about the Relaxercise book. He said to order it, and I could tell he knew his stuff, so I did. It took me a bit to actually get around to ordering it, and then when it arrived, it took me at least a couple of months to take the time to read any of it.
I had the idea that the text inside was going to take too long to read, and that I’d need an hour or more to really get started.
Boy, was I wrong.
I opened it to the Table of Contents and picked a chapter. He hadn’t told me which chapter to start with, so I just chose the one that sounded like it might help. And it made a difference.
The next time I got on his table, I proudly announced that I’d gotten the book and started doing the exercises. That’s when he told me to start with Chapter 5. So I went home and did the exercises in Chapter 5.
What is Relaxercise?
Now, when I say “exercises,” I mean movement work. This isn’t a get-your-yoga-pants-and-cami-on-cuz-you’re-gonna-get-sweaty kind of exercise. With Relaxercise, the smaller the movements, the better. You breathe with each motion, go slowly, tune in to the smallest parts of your body, and begin to feel the tiny joints of your spine become free and juicy.
I got such good results from Chapter 5 that I started exploring more of the book. Each chapter takes about 10–20 minutes if you take your time. By the time I finished all of the spine chapters, I could sit in my chair and turn around so far I felt like an owl.
Why I Keep Coming Back To It
Over the years, whenever my body feels stiff, I eventually get the book out (usually after plenty of procrastination), do the exercises, and end up feeling exactly the way I did that first time — wondering why I waited so long. It’s amazing.
Now I tell my clients, “If you do these exercises, you won’t have to see me so often.”
Of course, when I slipped on the ice last winter and took a rough tumble down my deck steps (you should’ve seen the Ring camera footage!), I needed some real bodywork from real practitioners — more than one — to get back to normal. But during the four months it took to get someone to fully address my very jacked-up sacrum, Relaxercise kept me functional. I was able to keep working with clients and get through my days, even while the wonkiness in my pelvis had me wearing a knee brace.
The Feldenkrais Method Behind Relaxercise
Relaxercise is based on Moshe Feldenkrais’ work, and he has a pretty fascinating story. As I remember it, he began in martial arts, then injured his knee. He noticed that certain movements reduced his pain, and he essentially taught himself how to move around the injury and stay mobile — until he injured his other knee. Long story short, he developed a whole system of movement that keeps the small joints of the body free and available, so the larger muscles don’t have to take over and do all the work.
Why These Movements Are So Effective
His work has been taught to bodyworkers for decades and has proven to be remarkably effective. Some practitioners even teach classes for non-bodyworkers, much like yoga or Pilates. I took one of those classes once and found it delightful. I left feeling relaxed and deeply present in my body.
That presence is a big part of why this work helps so much.
Each movement is repeated several times, with specific things to notice in your body as you go. By the time you complete a typical chapter — usually 10–15 movements — you’re very aware of where motion is easy and where things feel stuck. When those joints begin to free up, movement becomes more effortless and far less painful.
How I use this Relaxercise With My Clients
I order several copies of this book at a time (hopefully I don’t regret telling you all about it and driving the price up). I usually pay no more than $10 per copy. I give them to clients because it’s such a simple, effective way to help them get into their bodies — so that when they come back for their next session, they can actually participate in the work.
At the end of a first session, I’ll often write inside the front cover the chapters I want them to do, once a day for a week. For a typical client, it looks like this:
Chapter 5 — once daily for one week
Chapter 6 — once daily for one week
Chapter 1 — once daily for one week
Chapter 3 — once daily for one week
I’m not much into rigid protocols, but this sequence offers a nice progression. By the time you finish Chapter 3, you’ve opened up motion in the pelvis (including the SI joints and pubic symphysis) and restored flexion/extension, sidebending, and rotation in the spine — all essential for healthy walking mechanics.
A Note On Walking Biomechanics
When your pelvis moves freely during walking, it gently mobilizes the organs in the pelvic bowl. The colon gets movement support for elimination. The bladder, uterus, and ovaries (or other pelvic organs) are encouraged to move freely relative to one another, which supports overall pelvic health. This movement comes from the joints of the pelvis themselves — more on that in another blog sometime.
Motion is lotion.
Move it or lose it.
Living things move; dead things don’t.
As we walk, the sacrum “wags,” and that motion transfers upward: L5 moves relative to the sacrum, L4 relative to L5, L3 relative to L4, and so on — all the way up to C2, where motion is limited by dural attachments to protect the brain.
This is what’s meant by spiraling vermicular undulation: rotation combined with flexion, extension, and sidebending — like a worm. In health, we have all of these motions when we walk. Injury, inflammation, and compensation reduce available motion over time, which is why these tiny, mindful movements are so powerful.
A Simple Tool With Big Impact
I give these books away so that nearly everyone who leaves my office has one. I could tell clients to order it themselves, but I know from experience that many won’t — or they’ll procrastinate once it arrives. Instead, I take a few minutes to show them Chapter 5 before they leave, so getting started doesn’t feel like a big deal… even though it really is a big deal.
This kind of work can open the door to self-care, self-discovery, and real agency in one’s own body. It’s incredibly empowering.
So get your copy of Relaxercise here, try the chapters yourself, and then consider sharing this gift with your clients.
A wonderful therapist I recently met kept saying, “When you love your body, it loves you back.” It’s true — and this little gem of a book can be a surprisingly big way for clients to begin that relationship.
