5 exercises by Paul Bragg to restore the spine: reviews from doctors and photos

Exercises for the spine by Paul Bragg are widely used in the treatment of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. The technique was invented by a scientist who became famous for health-improving fasting, but he believed that the basis of health was a strong back and the absence of pathological processes in the spine. This is exactly what he wrote about in his next book. The peculiarity of the presented technology is its simplicity, which sets it apart from others. Patients are asked to do only 5 exercises, but regularly, in order to forever forget about problems or back pain.

Who is Paul Bragg?

This is an American showman, folk healer, naturopath and healthy lifestyle promoter. He believed that there are only 9 real doctors in the world: sunlight, clean water, fresh air, fasting (fasting), correct posture, rest, physical activity. As well as the human spirit (mind) and healthy eating. He became famous in the USSR after the books “The Miracle of Fasting” and “The Spine – the Key to Health” were translated into Russian.

Paul Bragg sincerely believed that to maintain health and a long life (up to 120 years!) a person only needs to: strengthen the body, develop the spirit, regularly do special exercises and avoid overeating. It was he who came up with the idea of how to stretch intervertebral discs to maintain joint mobility. He proved by his own example that his idea has the right to life, having lived to the age of 95 and dying only because an accident happened.

What is special about the approach?

Paul Bragg
The name of Paul Bragg is known from the fasting system.

But this is not the only path to health and longevity.

Brag came to the conclusion that the spine is responsible for the overall health of the body.

Having been involved in sports all my life, as a physical education teacher, I saw from life examples a direct connection between physical activity and health.

According to his autobiography, Paul Bragg began by improving the health of himself and his loved ones, and, having gained experience and skills, began helping athletes eliminate the consequences of sprains, car accidents and other injuries.

According to his theory and practice, you can begin to restore the health of your spine at any age, the main thing is to do the exercises regularly.

What are the benefits of exercising?

Paul Bragg's five exercises for the spine can not only restore the strength of the joints and their length, but also make life more fulfilling and joyful. Take for example the same cat that loves to stretch. How does she do it? It arches its back and thereby stretches the vertebrae. But the dog acts differently: it bends forward to the ground, raises its pelvis and stretches its front legs forward. After which he stretches and slowly returns to his original position. As a result, these animals are able to make a wave-like movement to stretch the spine. It is thanks to this kind of exercise that they manage to maintain flexibility, mobility and health until old age.

If a person begins to take care of himself and his spine in this way, then even by the age of 80-90 he will be energetic, cheerful, and youthfully mobile. He will be able to:

maintain a clear mind and sober memory,
avoid joint pain and improve posture,
make your muscles stronger and stronger;
make the spine more elastic;
start breathing correctly and deeply.

In general, just five Paul Bragg exercises to restore the spine, performed up to 2-3 times a week, will have a positive effect on a person’s well-being, allowing him to live longer and without back pain.

Basic principles of the technique

Exercises for the spine should be performed only after consultation with a doctor during a period of stable remission of any disease. During the process, rules designed specifically to avoid undesirable consequences and aggravation are strictly observed.

The main points that are important to remember when performing each approach are:

Gymnastics Niches for the spine

All actions should be smooth without tension or excessive effort, only in this case can maximum efficiency be achieved.
The intensity of the exercises should increase gradually, on the first day it should be done no more than 3 times, after which it should be gradually increased to 5, after a week one exercise can be performed 10 to 12 times.
It is imperative to monitor your well-being. If severe pain or discomfort occurs during the process, you should stop training and consult a doctor immediately.
Regularity of exercise is the key to achieving a boring result, so you need to do approaches at least 2-3 times a week.
The entire complex is performed from start to finish in one workout. You can take short breaks to rest, but you should not interrupt the activity in the middle.
You can increase the number of repetitions only when it becomes easy. If even after two weeks three approaches seems difficult, then it is still very early to do five.
The whole process should be enjoyable, otherwise sooner or later gymnastics will be abandoned. Therefore, you can do it to your favorite music or in the company of your family.

After the first workouts, patients often experience pain; this is not a cause for concern, as it is a normal muscle response to increased load. This happens if a person has not previously played sports or led a passive lifestyle. This does not mean that you should give up exercising; it is better to continue in the same mode, making all approaches smooth, without sudden movements.

There are about 640 muscles in the human body, and each of them must be periodically loaded so that they do not atrophy and cause the development of a pathological process. There are not many methods that offer 5 exercises to activate most of them, strengthen the spine, legs, arms, upper and lower abs. But Breg gymnastics is just that; it is useful to alternate it with walking, swimming and other sports exercises that strengthen the muscles in the body.

How to prepare properly?

The benefits of charging will be greater if you do it correctly. There is no need to immediately run and do exercises until your vitality runs out. You should approach their implementation carefully, without making any sudden efforts and commensurate the load with your own physical capabilities. This is important because you do not know the true condition of your intervertebral discs, spine and ligaments, as well as the extent of salt deposits. It would be even better if before classes you consult a doctor about any contraindications. If all is well, try to create a motivational reason. The stronger it is, the more you can achieve.

Indications for the use of Bragg Field exercises

Gymnastics for a healthy spine: 11 useful exercises

Bragg argued that all human diseases are caused only by problems with the spine.

He identified three reasons from which the spine suffers:

lack of regular exercise (physical inactivity);
injuries, incorrect posture, leading to the development of osteochondrosis;
depression and stress.

He paid special attention to positive thinking, proper nutrition and strengthening the muscles and bones of the body. Gymnastics is indicated for people suffering from regular back pain, osteochondrosis, scoliosis, protrusion and muscle pathologies

You should not practice in the following cases:

after operations (on the spine and internal organs);
during the period of exacerbation of bone diseases;
hypertension;
cerebrovascular accidents;
in case of severe pain.

To avoid harm, it is better to consult with a specialist about the possibility of doing such gymnastics, especially with advanced intervertebral hernia, which is a direct contraindication to the use of this technique. If there are no contraindications, then exercises will significantly strengthen and improve the health of the entire body.

How to start?

Paul Bragg's exercises for the back cannot be rushed. Therefore, during the first week it is better to do them slowly, gradually, without tension. At the first sign of fatigue or discomfort, you should immediately stop exercising. You can return to them the next day or a little later. When you feel that your body has become stronger and more flexible as a result of exercise, you can slightly increase the load. You may experience slight muscle pain. It's okay, it will pass soon. Well, now let's move on to describing Paul Bragg's set of exercises.

Main contraindications

Any methods of strengthening the spine have the goal of strengthening the system, but if done incorrectly, they can easily cause harm. In addition to following the rules of implementation, you must also make sure that there are no contraindications that prevent you from practicing this method. These include:

Acute back pain caused by pathological processes in soft or bone tissues.
The acute phase of any disease or inflammation.
Increased body temperature, regardless of the cause.
Increased blood pressure.
Chronic joint pathologies.
Rehabilitation period after surgery or prosthetics on the spine.

In other cases, it is worth consulting with a specialized doctor regarding the advisability of including equipment in a complex of therapeutic exercises. Sometimes it is allowed to conduct classes, subject to control of the process by medical personnel.

Paul Bragg's technique deserves attention due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Based on the principle of stretching the spine, it allows you to improve health, improve well-being, and increase blood circulation in soft tissues. This, in turn, stimulates the body's defenses, protects against disease, and ensures flexibility and mobility for many years.

Exercise No. 1. On the upper spine

This exercise allows you to eliminate headaches, normalize stomach function, and put the vertebrae in their intended places. It is recommended to do it smoothly and slowly. So: lie on your stomach on the floor, face down. Place your palms under your chest and your legs shoulder-width apart. Leaning on your palms and fingers and toes, lift your torso up, trying to properly arch your back. The buttocks should be above the head. Straighten your arms and legs completely, lower your head. Then smoothly lower your pelvis almost to the floor without bending your limbs. In this position, your spine will be stressed to the maximum. Now you need to lift your head and throw it back. Return to starting position.

Exercise 3

Now turn over and sit with your hands behind your back. Bend your knees, place your feet wider than your shoulders, and turn your toes outward.

Lift your pelvis up (2). The torso should be parallel to the floor. Then lower your pelvis down, but not all the way. There should be a few centimeters between it and the floor.

Raising your pelvis to point 2, take a full breath, and lowering it down, exhale deeply.

To complicate the movement, it is recommended to hold the hands differently than in the picture, but to place them parallel to each other, with the fingers “looking” towards the legs.

Clarification. At point 1, touch your chin to your sternum, and at point 2, throw your head back and stretch your chin up.

You should also gradually reduce the distance between your feet. The ideal position is for the feet to be parallel, slightly narrower than the shoulders.

Exercise No. 3. For relaxation

This exercise by Paul Bragg allows you to stimulate each nerve center, relieve the condition of the pelvic area, strengthen the muscles of the vertebra and restore the intervertebral discs. To carry it out, you need to sit on the floor, lean on your straight arms located slightly behind you, and bend your knees. Raise your buttocks so that your body rests completely on your limbs. Other parts of its surface cannot touch the floor. Return to starting position. It is recommended to do this charging as quickly as you can.

Principles and rules of gymnastics by Paul Bragg

Being a cautious man, Paul Bragg warned that you cannot exercise if you feel pain or fatigue - you need to stop and see a doctor.
The effect of the complex will be achieved gradually. The first 2 days of the complex exercises are performed three times, then 5 times, during 6-7 days the exercises are performed 10-12 times. If you feel better, you can do the Bragg complex 2-3 times a week and not stop there.

You may experience pain: a signal from muscles that have begun to work and grow. Continue slowly and smoothly, repeating 2-3 times.

The body is supported by the functioning of 640 muscles, each of which must be loaded. Losing muscle mass causes pain or discomfort. And you should do exercises for your arms, legs, upper and lower abs. Develops swimming and walking.

Exercise No. 4. To stretch the spine

This exercise helps to release the nerve endings of the spinal cord, normalize the functioning of the stomach, strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and abdominal cavity, relieve tightness between the vertebrae and blockage of small pinching. However, it cannot be done if you have a hernia or lower back pain. If there are no such contraindications, you should lie on a hard floor on your back, legs extended, arms spread to the sides. Then bend your lower limbs at the knees and pull them to your chest, clasp them with your arms. You should immediately try to push your knees and hips away from your chest, without letting go of the hug. At the same time, raise your head and touch your chin to your knees, or at least try to do this. Lie like this for 3-5 seconds, return to the original position.

Spinal function can be restored at any age. Paul Bragg offers five dynamic exercises. They are very simple and easy to do. Exercises of this complex do not cause fatigue. By constantly performing them after correction of the spine, you can not be afraid of subluxations.

Exercise to train the longissimus muscle of the cervical spine

A strong corset muscle - the longest one - always keeps the spine in order. The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen the longissimus muscle in the cervical spine.

Starting position: Lie face down on the floor, lift your pelvis and arch your back. The body rests only on the palms and toes. The pelvis should be located above the head. Head down. Feet are shoulder-width apart. The knees and elbows are straightened, which puts particular tension on the spine.

Raise your head and sharply throw it back. Do this exercise slowly. Lower your pelvis as low as possible, and then lift it as high as possible, arching your back upward, lower it again, lift it and lower it. If you do this exercise correctly, you will feel relief after a few exercises, as the spine relaxes.

Effect: This exercise affects that part of the nervous system that serves the head and eye muscles, as well as the whole network of nerves going to the stomach and intestines. Thus, by performing just this one exercise, we influence the sources of such ailments as headaches, eye strain, indigestion and poor digestion of food.

Exercise to train the longissimus muscle of the thoracic spine

Strengthens the longissimus muscle in the thoracic spine.

Starting position: The same as for the exercise of the cervical longissimus muscle. Lie face down on the floor, lift your pelvis and arch your back, resting your body on your palms and toes. Arms and legs are straight. Rotate your pelvis as far to the right as possible, lowering your left side as low as possible, and then to the left. Do not bend your arms and legs. Make the movement slowly and constantly think about stretching the spine.

At first, the exercise will seem very tedious to you. But gradually it will become easier and easier to do it, not because the muscles are strengthened, but because the nervous system is strengthened. Remember that this exercise will never be too simple for you, unlike the usual body swing.

Effect: This exercise is intended primarily to stimulate the nerves leading to the liver and kidneys. It brings relief in cases of diseases of these organs arising due to nervous disorders. Sluggish livers and hardened kidneys that have aged prematurely will begin to function well again as a result of this exercise.

Exercise to train the longissimus muscle of the lumbar spine

Strengthens the longissimus muscle in the area of its transition from the thoracic region to the pelvis.

Starting position: Sit on the floor, rest on your outstretched straight arms, located slightly behind your body, legs bent. Raise your pelvis. The body rests on spread bent legs and straight arms. This exercise should be done at a fast pace. Raise your body until your spine is horizontal. Lower yourself to the starting position. Repeat the movement several times.

Effect: In this exercise the spinal column is relaxed from top to bottom. Every nerve center is stimulated. The condition of the pelvic area is alleviated. The muscles attached to the spine, the most important for supporting it in an elongated state, are strengthened, stimulating the growth of intervertebral cartilage.

Exercise for training the ligaments of the psoas muscle with the gluteal muscles

Strengthens the longissimus muscle in the lumbar region.

Starting position: Lie on the floor, on your back, legs extended, arms at your sides. Bend your knees, pull them to your chest and wrap your arms around them. Push your knees and hips away from your chest without lowering your arms. At the same time, raise your head and try to touch your chin to your knees. Hold this torso position for five seconds.

Effect: The exercise gives particular strength to the part of the spine where the nerves that control the stomach are concentrated. In addition, it is effective for the entire spine, stretches it, and brings the body to a balanced state.

Exercise for training the ligaments of the gluteal muscles with the femoral muscles

Strengthens the ligament of the pelvic leg muscles.

Starting position: The same as for the exercise of the cervical longissimus muscle. Lie on the floor, face down, lift your pelvis high, arching your back, lowering your head and leaning on straight arms and legs. In this position, walk around the room.

Effect: This exercise is one of the most important for stretching the spine. In addition, it brings relief to the large intestine by stimulating the nerves that control it.

How long and how often should I exercise?

Performing exercises is strictly individual. At first, you should do each exercise no more than two or three times. Every other day you can increase it up to five times or more. Within a few days you will feel that your muscles are filled with strength, and your spine and ligaments become more flexible. Normally developed people will be able to easily perform each exercise up to 10 times in a few days.

How often should you exercise? First, you need to regularly perform the entire program every day. Once your body improves, you can reduce the practice to twice a week to keep your spine flexible and relaxed.

Static exercises for the spine

The starting position for all exercises is lying on the floor on a mat on your back. The arms and legs are relaxed, lying freely approximately parallel to the body. The body is also relaxed.

It is best to perform the exercises with your eyes closed, constantly analyzing the condition of the whole body, muscles, stretching and the absence of discomfort or pain. If dizziness occurs, you can open your eyes and slightly weaken the current exercise.

An analysis of the state of the body must also be carried out before and after the exercise. You also need to analyze the state of pressing the shoulder blades to the floor, the comfortable position of the legs, arms, head, bends of the knees, and more.

Bend your knees. Slowly and gradually press your lower back to the mat and remain in this position. Try not to strain your neck and chest. After 3 minutes, pull your stomach in to the maximum possible level, but without discomfort. You need to breathe not with your stomach, but with your chest, and not in full force, but a little at a time. After another 2 minutes, on the contrary, inflate your stomach. After 2 minutes, begin to slowly and gradually relax the stomach, and then the lower back until a completely relaxed state.
Bend your knees. Slowly and gradually reduce the shoulder blades to the maximum possible level, but without discomfort. The position of the hands can change in this case, since the position of the body should be comfortable, that is, they can diverge to the sides, bend slightly, and the like. Try not to strain your neck and lower back. Stay in this position for 7 minutes. Next, begin to slowly and gradually relax the muscles of the thoracic region and return the shoulder blades and arms to their original position.
Bend your knees. Slowly and gradually, without lifting your head from the mat, stretch your neck, trying to reach your chin to the chest. Try not to strain the thoracic and lumbar regions. Do not overstrain your neck muscles under any circumstances. Fix the maximum possible position for 3 minutes, then begin to slowly and gradually relax the neck muscles, the back of the head will slide along the mat to its original position.
Bend your knees. Grab each other's hands in front of the chest. The left hand clasps the right elbow and vice versa, the right hand clasps the left elbow. Start stretching your arms towards the ceiling as high as possible, but without discomfort, slowly and gradually straining the muscles of the thoracic region. In this case, you should feel even more pressing of the spine into the mat than in the second exercise. Try not to strain your neck and lower back. After 2 minutes, begin to slowly and gradually press your lumbar region onto the mat. After 2 minutes, try to inflate your stomach as slowly and gradually as possible. Hold the lumbar and thoracic region in this position for another minute. Then begin to slowly and gradually, without lifting your head from the mat, stretch your neck, trying to reach your chin to the thoracic region. Remain in the position of tension in all departments for another 2 minutes. Then begin to slowly and gradually relax the cervical region, and then the thoracic region, returning to the starting position. The lumbar region should be tense, the stomach should be inflated. After 2 minutes, begin to slowly and gradually deflate the stomach and relax the lumbar spine until the whole body is completely relaxed.
Slowly and gradually, without lifting your head from the mat, stretch your neck, trying to reach your chin to the chest. Try not to strain the thoracic and lumbar regions. Do not overstrain your neck muscles under any circumstances. Then pull your toes towards you, trying to stretch your entire spine. Try not to strain the lumbar and thoracic regions. After 2-3 minutes, begin to relax the cervical region, then the calves until the whole body is completely relaxed.
Slowly turn onto your side, bend your knees and slowly stand up from the mat.

Exercise No. 5. Walking on all fours

Paul Bragg considered this exercise one of the most useful for stretching the spine and returning its discs to their original place. In addition, it can normalize the functioning of the large intestine. To accomplish this, you need to walk with your limbs fully straightened, your pelvis raised high, your back arched and your head bowed along the entire perimeter of the room. Can be repeated several times.

How many times should I repeat?

All Paul Begg exercises must be done in combination. Above, under the description of each of the classes, you could see photos showing an approximate sequence of actions. Although no one forbids you to first crawl on all fours, then do a “bridge,” and then do the remaining 3. The main thing is not to overexert yourself in the first days. You need to start with 2-3 repetitions. And after that, increase their number as much as possible.

You yourself will notice that in this case it will be easier to get used to the exercises. First you need to do them every day. And after relief of the condition and a fantastic feeling of strength, the number of classes can be reduced to 2-3 times every 7 days. This will be enough to maintain joint mobility and keep the spine stretched and flexible. The first results can be expected within 2-3 weeks. They may not be significant, since in a few years it is impossible to eliminate all the pathological changes that have occurred over many years. But they will be, and that’s already wonderful!

Recommendations for implementation

As noted earlier, therapeutic exercises should be performed only after consultation with a professional doctor. Paul Bragg points out that training should be performed based on the characteristics and indicators of a particular person’s body. You cannot subject the body to heavy loads right away, as this will lead to “imbalance” not only of the spinal column, but of the entire body as a whole. The load should be increased gradually, in proportion to the strength of the body. After each task you need rest. In addition, it is recommended to conduct daily training at the initial stage of implementation. After achieving positive results, you can determine rest days for yourself. An even greater positive effect can be achieved if you combine training with swimming, since it also helps strengthen the muscle corset. It should be noted that the set of exercises developed by valeologist Paul Bragg is available in video. For those who find it easier to understand visual performance, we recommend watching the video and doing the training.

Remember: therapeutic exercise benefits your health and creates a positive vitality!

Treat your health with care and it will reciprocate.

How to control your posture?

It is worth remembering that to maintain a healthy spine, it is also important to monitor your posture. Paul Bragg noted this more than once in his writings. From the pages of his books, he recommended to all his readers to walk, sit and stand, monitoring the position of their own spine.

It was this naturopath who came up with the idea of how to determine which position is correct. In particular, you need to go to the wall, stand with your back to it so that your shins, feet, back of your head and lower legs are in contact with it. The distance between the lower back and the vertical surface should be 1 finger, no more. In this case, the stomach must be pulled in and the shoulders straightened. Maintaining this posture, you should walk along the room, slightly bending your knees and stepping with a spring. This is necessary so that the body can remember the correct position.

According to Paul Bragg, you need to sit in the following way: your shoulders are straightened, your head is slightly raised, your stomach is pulled in and tense, your back is pressed against the back of the chair. That is, in the way many of us were taught to do it in school. And one more thing: according to a naturopath, you should never cross your legs, as this can cause serious disruptions in the body, including blood stagnation, impaired blood flow and vascular constriction.

Indications for use of the complex

Bragg exercises are useful in the following situations:

Degenerative diseases, which most often result from tissue aging. After exercise, cartilage tissue begins to again receive a sufficient amount of nutrients.
Chronic inflammatory processes. By improving blood circulation, we increase the body's resistance against infectious pathogens.
Muscle tightness and spasms. These conditions occur due to the fact that the compressed intervertebral disc deforms the nerve root. By increasing the intervertebral distance, the nerve can be freed.
Protrusions and hernial protrusions. In the process of elasticity training, we prevent pinching.
Overweight. This is a special risk group for vertebral diseases. The back is constantly experiencing stress for which it is not designed. To help the muscles support the vertebrae, physical activity will be required.

People leading a sedentary lifestyle: office workers, etc. They are constantly in a tense position, which causes the condition of cartilage and muscles to deteriorate. In addition, untrained back muscles can no longer withstand the load while walking.

Recommendations

When you're just starting out, choose the exact number of repetitions that suits you. Exercise should cause some fatigue, but there is no need to work hard. At first, 2-3 repetitions will be enough, after a couple of days you can increase them to 5. The main requirement is to perform all the exercises only together and in turn.

At first, Bragg advises doing the complex every day. Within a week, positive dynamics will be noticeable. And after another 20 days of exercise therapy according to Bragg, you will be able to consolidate the results for a long time. You can achieve results even faster if you swim in the breaststroke style in the pool.

When the condition improves noticeably, you can switch to a more relaxed regime. To maintain back health, it is enough to do exercise therapy twice a week. This is enough to ensure that the spinal column maintains elasticity and a healthy distance between the vertebrae.

Restrictions and contraindications

Remember the following rules when performing exercises:

you need to move very smoothly and carefully, without sudden “jumps”;
You cannot roughly overcome the resistance of stagnant zones of the spine, at these moments you need to move gently;
there is no need to immediately achieve the maximum distance of movement;
When starting the exercise, sway slightly to increase the amplitude.

Exercise therapy, including from Dr. Bragg, is unacceptable during painful exacerbations. This may make the condition worse. Especially if inflammatory processes have worsened. In this case, the infectious pathogen and the source of inflammation can spread to nearby tissues and further.

In addition, you cannot engage in therapeutic exercises in the following cases:

Normal fatigue. The body needs rest; there is no need to overload it.
Nausea, vomiting, elevated body temperature. As well as any other negative symptoms that arise for one reason or another.
Oncological diseases. Physical activity can cause the tumor to begin to metastasize.
Recent injuries. Until the attending physician gives his permission, you should stop all activity and remain calm.

Reviews from people about the exercises

People who have tried the set of exercises invented by Paul Bragg write that thanks to them they were able to qualitatively improve their lives. For some, these exercises helped get rid of back pain, for others - to become more flexible, for others - to cure a hernia or tuberculosis, and for others they even got back on their feet. Many people write that relief does not come after the first time. To finally feel it, you need to practice for at least a month. Getting your health back is not a quick thing. In addition, at first it is somewhat painful. Because at the very beginning, old diseases begin to worsen. But this period is possible, necessary and important to overcome. Judging by the responses, it becomes easier immediately after it.

But doctors are in no hurry to leave positive reviews about Paul Bragg’s exercises. However, so are the negative ones. Maybe because none of the scientists really tested them. Or, as some people write, because the recognition of such complexes could deprive many doctors of their earnings and pharmacists of their profits. However, we would recommend not starting exercises without consulting your doctor. You don’t know what exactly is going on in your body, how things are going with the organs and blood vessels. And by relying on the Russian “maybe it will blow by”, you may not only not improve, but also worsen your condition.

Who are the classes recommended for?

Paul Bragg offers everyone who wants to strengthen their spine 5 exercises for the back. They are easy to perform for people of any physical fitness. They can be performed in the morning or evening, not forgetting to record the person’s height to ensure their effectiveness. It is useful for people suffering from the following problems:

Domestic or sports back injuries.
Sedentary lifestyle.
Increased load on one part of the body due to the nature of professional activity.
Constant stress, depression, anxiety.
Deformation processes in the spine.
Chronic back pain syndrome.

Due to its simplicity, training can be carried out with people of different ages and genders, regardless of their back problems. If there are serious pathological processes or previous operations, it is very important to consult with a specialist before starting classes about the advisability of using this particular technique.