I
apologize for my absence on this blog. My research has taken different
turn in the last couple of years, as you might expect in these times.
If
there is one thing that I have learned over the course of that time it
is this: get outside and walk more. Now that was sometimes hard to
accomplish during the heat of summer, especially since tick season keeps
me away from familiar paths. With that said, the weather is now
permitting me to walk more and to enjoy the seasonal changes once more.
I
thank you in advance for your patience as I navigate Bloggers new menu
and figure out what font and size I would like to use for future essays.
While this font is slightly smaller than I would like once published but looks rather large initially in the prepublish stage. One must make do with one has
available. Free without ads means less frills but that is okay with me.
I
read a Corwin Le Corre, creator of the MovNat exercise system, twitter
post the other day which had a great suggestion. Corwin suggested that
we stand more than we sit on a daily basis. Now he is not suggesting
that we just stand but he is stating that we sit too much.
Like
with any new movement, our tissues appreciate a gradual change over
time. Goals work. Every day stand a little more. It may seem silly but
keep track of these goals and changes.
We will talk more about subtle but profound movement additions you can add to your day. All movements matter.
What I find increasingly important over the years of research and experiential anatomy is that diversity of movement dictates more than we realize.
Notice your posture. How do you present yourself to a friend as opposed to a stranger? Do you always have your arms crossed in front of you? Do you notice or even care that your posture represents how you feel about yourself and the world?
What are you doing right now? Notice your breathing. Is your breathing something that you are ever aware of during the course of your busy day? Does it change with activities or even the weather?
How often do you sit? You would be surprised to find out that even if you are a daily walker, runner, exercise enthusiast....you still spend a large majority of your waking hours in one seated position in a chair.
How do you change these habits? Acknowledge them. Notice what you do daily and then alter your position to the floor or standing more. And, if you live in the area, attend one or both of my healthy movement classes coming up this September and October.
If you have any questions, please email me: yoginiofoz@gmail.com
Alignment really is the key to unlocking tension patterns in the body. As most humans are aware, we carry a lot of tension in our neck and shoulders.
What I would like to discuss today is that while stretching tight muscles is great, you might not be reaching certain muscle groups effectively due to your posture.
Misalignment patterns can have a cascading effect that may result in not only tight muscles but compression of the vertebral discs in your spine.
Let's look at the biomechanist, Katy Bowman, and her two photos below.
My hope is that you can tell the difference between the left picture and the right. When the arms are raised either straight or in this bent elbow position, it becomes very obvious that the anterior ribs are thrusting forwards. While this movement is very normal, it isn't healthy if we are in a rib thrusting position for most of the day.
This rib thrusting over time can be problematic due to the shearing force that is applied to the anterior spinal discs (which are fluid filled sacs between the bones of the spine).
If you default to this postural position, this constant compression can become chronic as the muscles adapt to your postural habits and the discs may burst or a nerve may start to pinch. Pain doesn't always result immediately but over time issues will become more dramatic and less likely to change with just proper alignment cues.
The reality is that if it took you decades of bad posture to get into this predicament, it will take some time to get you back into a healthier position. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, but I do believe that change will come with persistence over time. The first step is knowing what a neutral, healthy spine looks like.
Rib thrusting not only affects the bones but the soft tissues as well. Muscles, organs, nerves, arteries, and veins; it's all connected. Chronic misalignment in one area isn't isolated but systemic.
For the first few years, I was just taking the ribs back and lengthening the spine from the heels all the way to the crown of the head. That works as a first step in the process of observation and integration.
Now I not only think about the anterior, front body but have a new focus. Taking the posterior ribcage (approximately where the kidneys are located) back and up, again lengthening the spine from heels to crown of the head.
In the video above you will be introduced to an excellent exercise to discover how tight your shoulders REALLY are and to then how to work on isolating the shoulder movement while keeping great alignment.
Just
remember your tissues need time to repair. Short intervals several times
a day will help with the repair and strengthening process.
I hope this essay helps move you in the direction towards better range-of-motion in your shoulders. I will be spending the next several months introducing concepts relating to the shoulders and building on those ideas with each essay. My want is that you will leave with a better understanding over time. I do well with repetition, approaching the topic from a variety of angles to uncover little gems along the way.
Have fun and I will be back soon with more shoulder health tips.
