Los Angeles chiropractor, Dr. Jeremy Brook, and Scott Singer of Street Sports Jiu-Jitsu Chatsworth, present a fundamental warm up routine perfect for combat fighters.

In Part 1, Dr. Jeremy Brook guides you through a full body lubrication sequence to optimize performance and minimize stress and strain. Emphasis is placed on creating movement in all the of the major joints of the body.

“After you have received your specific, scientific, chiropractic adjustment, it is necessary to FIRST move with intelligence….then stretch….then strengthen….and then ENERGIZE!” says Dr. Jeremy Brook.

Although the video is roughly 18 minutes, the entire routine can be completed in half that time.

As with participating in any workout program, use impeccable form and practice with samurai focus.

For all you frequent fliers out there, check out this video to minimize spinal stress while flying on an airplane, so that when you arrive to your destination you will have worked all the “kinks” out and be pain-free. Nothing is worse then spending your vacation struggling with pain, headaches, or extreme moodiness!

The now famous “Cervical Salutations” along with other movement and breathing sequences are demonstrated.

After watching this video you’ll begin to catch a common theme taught by West Los Angeles Chiropractor, Dr. Jeremy Brook, and that’s get adjusted… then move, eat, think, sleep, love, and breathe with intelligence to make sure your energy/ information gets deposited in the right places and the right concentration.

A chiropractor’s viewpoint on the health of Headstand for the spine. If you love to practice yoga you may desire to watch this short video. It could change your life…and the life force that flows through your body.

If you practice yoga in Los Angeles, Venice, Santa Monica, or in the nearby vicinity, come and get your spine checked at The Life Center. Your yoga practice won’t be sorry.

One could get buried deep in the biomechanics and neurology of the human body. Nevertheless, having a basic understanding of these two subjects can propel you to a higher level of health and connectedness.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a yogi, martial artist, pregnant woman, or athlete… you can take you life to the next level if you understand the basic elements that shape our existence. This knowledge results in less pain, fewer injuries, accelerated recovery time, and enhanced performance.

When we combine the science of the west with the philosophy of the east we get a complete person…a whole person…. not just a body, not just a mind…but a mind connected to the body through an intricate connection of nerves that are clear of interference.

What is most vital to your health and vitality is an understanding of the shape and orientation of your bones, joints, and muscles, along with the application of a holistic body-mind training program that addresses all aspects of your self.

That is why we offer workshops on yogic postures & anatomy, as well as core rehabilitative exercises, designed to improve flexibility, increase strength, and calm the nerves.

Call us or email us to find out when the next workshop is!!!

Re-posted from 2005 Blog

As many of you may know, I have been blessed with the opportunity to be an apprentice to Ashtanga Master, Chuck Miller. As his apprentice I have assumed the role as an “environmentalist,” making sure that flow is maintained in the asana room.

My biggest excitement lies in being able to have the permission to walk around the room and observe the intensity and integrity of the yogis’ practice.

For those that don’t know about Mysore Ashtanga yoga, Ashtanga yoga is a sequential, scientific form of yoga known as vinyasa, and is self-led. That’s right…no teacher. You control your cadence.

Vinyasa correlates breath with motion. Specific inhales or exhales fluidly link the entering into and exiting out of an asana or posture. The style of breathing known as ujjayi, steadies the mind and creates internal heat to release toxins and give the body more pliability.

Natural alignment and strength are natural byproducts. However, it all sounds great on paper….now the practioner has to turn that philosophy of fluid breath and movement into practice.

I jokingly coined the term, “Russian vinyasa yoga” (no offense to any Russian yogis) for those rushing their yoga practice. In asana practice, there exists a tendency for one to overextend and over exert. A certain amount of restraint is necessary to ensure that the yogi does not injure themselves….on purpose.

Vinyasa also means to move step by step. The concept of each movement and breath as part of whole dynamic process is symbolic to how we lead our daily lives.

Some times we all need to check in and make sure we’re not moving at 186,000 miles per second (the speed of light). In Los Angeles it is very easy to be like a rhinoceros in a rose garden. It may be healthier to be like the bee smelling the roses.

So just a suggestion… slow down. You may actually become conscious of some of your unconscious behaviors and patterns that are causing you to become subluxated in the first place.

By living a conscious life we are able to move healthier in our bodies, think more clearly, and connect to our innate intelligence.

So get adjusted to clear your channel…. Move your body skillfully to make sure your container is strong….Breathe consciously so the energy circulates… and make sure the food and  thoughts entering the body  are pure!

Chiropractically yours,

Dr. Jeremy Brook

For the first time in history, man is able to scientifically prove what the ancient disciplines taught in their sacred books about improving concentration and decreasing stress.  The key to overall physical and mental health lies with the spine!

You may not have even realized that your chiropractic adjustments and yoga practice may be the 2 most important things you do for the health of your body and mind.

As Yoga Sutra 1.2 says, “Yoga is the mastery of the activities of the mind-field” or yoga is about controlling the fluctuations of the mind.” But how do we go about this?

Phenomenal research by Dr. Jeremy Schmahmann, PhD., has shown how healing movement disciplines, such as chiropractic and yoga, are  vital for those striving to achieve total health. His work has shown that movement of the spine stimulates a part of the brain, the cerebellum, responsible for coordinating full body movement, thought, feelings, emotions and organ/ immune function.

Specialized receptors located in the joints of the spine, called proprioceptors, get fired when you move the spine, sending a message to the brain.

So what is a proprioceptor?  It is a nerve cell found in muscles, tendons and joint capsules which gives information concerning movements, position and alignment of the body. The highest concentration of proprioceptors in the body is in the spine, with the greatest amount being clustered in the upper cervical spine.

When a joint moves, the brain wants to know if the movement was healthy or not. This is huge when you realize that healthy movement of the spine is like ROCKET FUEL for your brain. All those sun salutations are doing just as much for your mind as they’re doing for your body!

Now, when joints slam or jam into each other, proprioceptors don’t fire.  Rather, noiceiceptors, or noxious stimulation receptors, get activated and the stress response is triggered.  Your fight or flight response is not triggered by a wooly mammoth or saber-toothed tiger, but by a stuck, jammed, or misaligned joint.

Believe it or not your jammed joints create the same physiological response as being put into a fight or flight situation. Your heart rate quickens, your cardiac output increases, there’s a flood of adrenaline, cortisol, and insulin and a laundry list of other negative responses. That’s all from a headstand or upward facing dog gone badly or hours slouched over a computer. Who knew?

Removing irritation or noxious stimulation from your spine with a dose of smooth, slow and steady movements will decrease your stress response and allow for a positive integration of your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Yoga evolved from being a secluded meditative practice in which the yogi’s asana arsenal consisted of a comfortable sitting pose, to a complicated system of movement and breath. The yogi’s of old knew that if they could minimize the noxious/ noiciceptive input into and within the brain they would be able to decrease the stress response and go deeper into their meditative states. They somehow figured this out without expensive MRI’s!

Healthy movement can exponentially improve your physiology and psychology just like Patanjali said. That’s why yoga is supreme when it comes to exercising your muscles and your mind. It provides the brain with the most essential nutrient for survival….MOVEMENT OF THE SPINE!

With a peaceful mind and strong body, we are able to enjoy life to the fullest and evolve to greater heights.

If we can continue to evolve mentally, physically and spiritually, then maybe we can usher in a new revolution….THE WELLNESS REVOLUTION! A revolution based on attaining maximum health, healing and wholeness.