JOINT RELEASE

GRACE technique relies heavily on the principle of suspension. An integral element of suspension is joint release, especially in regard to the spine. Experiencing joint release turns out to be difficult for many because of engrained joint stiffness. This article examines some of the issues involved with the goal of helping dancers.

Why is release important?

Muscles and joints can do 4 things: contract, stretch, release and collapse. We spend most of our time contracting our muscles and compressing our joints. If we are smart as dancers, we spend lots of time stretching. As humans in modern society we spend tons of time collapsing. Seldom do we actually release, especially in our joints.

Release provides these benefits:
  • Release is supremely relaxing and beneficial to our joints.
  • It repairs damage as it reduces stress in the joints themselves.
  • Circulation is increased and inflammation is reduced.
  • Nervous system response is improved.
  • It provides a deeper point of origin for movement, giving it more strength, dimension and intensity, while at the same time making it safer and healthier for the body.
On the other hand, if our joints seldom experience release:
  • Chronic underlying tension builds over time in the joints.
  • Circulation through the joint is affected, ultimately degrading health. This is especially important when the feet are considered. For instance, knee joint stiffness greatly affects the blood supply to the feet, putting them under increased stress and adversely affecting the most important part of a dancer's body.
  • The joint stress created increases the likelihood of injury or misuse of the body.
  • After years, joint replacement or other medical procedures such as spine surgery may be required. 
Chronic tension in the joints inhibits our ability to release them, significantly affecting the GRACE process. Those notably vulnerable include:
  • Anyone particularly active who has ingrained training habits that cause chronic low level tension. Professional dancers would qualify. Think of how difficult it is for a ballet dancer to learn the isolations of Middle Eastern dance.
  • Anyone older who is inactive displays chronic joint tension: Joints stiffen strikingly, especially with extended sitting.

Is it easy for you to release your joints? Do this simple test to find out. What we think we can do may not be what actually happens.

Test your ability to release your knee joints: Sit in a sturdy chair, both feet flat on the floor, with your lower back straight. Place both hands under one leg and lift it up. Feel your leg as a dead weight. Allow the lower leg to gently swing without effort. Then let the lower leg circle. Make sure the circles are small and gentle. Can you let your lower leg swing easily and effortlessly? Is your knee joint stiff? Maybe it's stiff moving side to side but not forward and back. Any stiffness you experience tells you that this issue needs your attention.

This knee circling exercise is amazingly effective at helping the joints let go of stress. Remember it. When we release our knees we improve our balance among other things. You can see a demonstration of this technique, along with the standing version here: Knee Circling.

Here is a description of all the release exercises recommended in studying GRACE. The are incredibly beneficial for everyone.

Release or collapse?

Pay attention to anything that causes stiffness upon getting up. It is not inherently relaxing though it may seem to be at first.

A major misconception happens regarding all of this. We often think we are relaxing and releasing our body when what we really are doing is collapsing. The effects are actually opposite. Release causes the joint to expand. Collapse causes the joint to compress. A good example of this is sitting watching TV on a sofa. We think of this as a mini vacation. Taking a break. Our body though is not releasing, a major clue being that we are stiff standing up after extended sitting.
  • When we are inactive, our muscles contract and shorten, restricting blood circulation and nervous system response. 
  • When we sit for a sustained period, our torso "dumps" its weight onto the spine, causing disk and vertebrae compression, a distinct issue with osteoporosis in particular. This "dumping" also affects breathing because the front of the rib cage collapses, diminishing lung capacity.
Sleeping is an interesting example: Our muscles certainly shorten when we sleep, noticeable especially in the leg muscles. Yet we also obviously receive much needed rest. What is clear, however, is that the joints do not release with prolonged rest. They tighten.

Qualities of release:

  • Weight plays a large role in the feeling of release: In the exercises exercises, one part of the body is held as if it is a dead weight, completely relaxed and in fact, collapsed. The more you can sense the heaviness the better. One example: I weigh 140 lbs. I estimate that each leg weighs 35. When doing the knee circling exercise above, I always think what it would be like to put a 35 lb. turkey in the oven. Try to realistically feel the weight when releasing.
  • There are different forms of release: One that comes to mind is the supreme feeling of Savasana at the end of a yoga session. Or the release you feel after a massage, or floating on water. There is the physical release of orgazm. Or how you feel after you reach the top of Mount Everest. This kind of release is wonderful. But it is not what I am looking for in GRACE.
  • Release in GRACE can only be experienced in motion, not in stillness.
  • In order to experience release, the movement has to be delicate and gentle enough for the body to feel and respond. This means the movement needs to not be intentional. Let the movement happen instead of willing it to happen. 
  • The primary goal of GRACE is the release of the spine: Joint release is a powerful way to imbue your body with health and well being and is particularly important regarding the soundness of your spine joints. 
  • Aim for perfection when moving in shapes: Pay special attention to shape abnormalities and transform them into beautiful curves.

How do you release a joint?

It has been my experience that the best way by far to release a joint in movement is to gently circle it. This determination has come after many years of perfecting the use of circling movement as a recuperative technique in teaching exercise for those older. Clear instructions are included for how to circle the knee joint and the hip joint in these video demonstrations:

The sequential effect:

A fundamental principle of GRACE is that release of the top joint of the spine causes the entire spine to release in sequence.

There is a very special quality that the nervous system has which is an important GRACE feature: When you release one joint, adjacent joints release as well. Ultimately, this ripples throughout the entire system. This is especially true with the joints of the spine. This is a cultivated ability but it is worth working toward because it creates a wonderful sense of well being. 

What makes release difficult?

Tension, or in other words, stiffness. Stiffness can be of varying forms.
  • You can be temporarily stiff when you first stand up. The stiffness goes away after you move around some.
  • You can suffer from chronic stiffness. Someone in a wheel chair who spends their days sitting with their knees bent, looses the ability to straighten their legs. That is very deep and chronic stiffness. 
  • You can also be chronically stiff if you move in habitual patterns and rarely change. So people who walk as exercise may be agile bending and straightening their knees but stiff trying to navigate side to side. Older people often suffer from lateral knee stiffness. This is actually a high fall risk.
  • Dance can make us stiff. We spend so little time releasing our joints that low level tension develops. Thinking, for example, of keeping your chest lifted, requires a measure of joint tension. That low level tension can be some of the most difficult to address because it is so ingrained.

Please understand that many standards of engagement are powerful and desirable. What is important is that a joint also be able to release. We loose that ability unless we pay attention to it.

Suggested strategies:

Circling exercises are wonderful for releasing and rehabilitating joints but sometimes special strategies are necessary.
  • ​When stiffness is chronic or joint movement choppy: Try being active, then stretch, then release, then stretch. Repeat the process as needed using different active movement techniques. With choppy joint movement, put your attention on smoothing it out bit by bit. It is important to be patient. Chronic tension takes time to dissolve.
  • If your joint hurts or if you are recovering from illness or surgery: Hinge motion is considerably more aggressive than circling motion. Therefore, it makes sense to use circling motion first after injury or illness. Start very small and move very, very gently.
  • If it hurts to circle your joint, don't do it!

Recommended order of release exercises:

For maximum GRACE effect:
  • The shoulder release: This exercise helps our body understand the feeling of release. It is the easiest to experience. Lean over a sturdy table resting on one arm. Tilt away from the table so that the free arm has plenty of unobstructed room. Allow it to move freely, first gently swinging and then gently circling. This is an excellent recuperative exercise for anyone experiencing rotator cuff problems.
  • Seated lower back release: Sitting with your legs apart on a sturdy chair, tilt your torso forward and place your elbows on your knees. Keep the head in line with the spine, keeping the spinal column straight but relaxed. Release the area below the back of your waistband, your lower back.
  • Seated or standing knee release: As outlined above. Both these exercises are major accessories in keeping knees healthy.
  • Seated neck release: This is where we start to concentrate on the most important joint in the body, the joint at the top of the neck. Full instructions are included in the GRACE Release Exercises.
  • Standing neck release: This is the whole point. This exercise causes the spine to release in sequence from the neck to the tailbone. Described fully in the link below.
Related articles from BALANCE NEWS and DANCER NEWS:
Joint Heaven:
Recuperating From Injury:
Anatomy of the Spine:
Stop Feeling Stiff:
​Neck Tension:
 Full tutorial on circling technique.
 Wonderful, effective process.
 Anatomy plus dermatomes.
 Stiffness is pandemic.
 Particularly pertinent with GRACE.
Other GRACE NEWS articles of interest:
GRACE, a new dance form:
GRACE and the Nervous System:
​A Question of Energy:
Suspension:
 Thorough description of technique.
 How it is connected to GRACE.
 How biofield science is related.
 An integral GRACE process.
Published June 1, 2026.