My condo was flooded, so I moved to a hotel for three weeks. Then I moved to a temporary apartment on 17th ave. This is only the second time in the past five years I have lived in a place with hardwood flooring. I sometimes practice hanten ukemi in front of the TV, so I tried it in this place for the first time and guess what? I grinded (ground?) my spine after a few moments!

Maybe the soft, cushy mats are misleading. Right fast I had to modify my hanten ukemi (which is the rocking ukemi where you switch legs) so that I make contact with a generous arc on my back like an upside-down U. In the U, the white space would be where my spinal column is. That is, for myself I need to rock on one side of my back, cross over at my shoulder blades, then rock back on the other side. This works the obliques! Maybe that is why I have never rocked like this before.

Just sharing my experience. Hope you have an experience like this so you know what it feels like when I discovered after years of rolling there is still something basic to improve.

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