Hello beautiful friends,
We’ve arrived! It’s 2023. Is anyone else breathing a big sigh of relief? It's been pretty heavy going the last couple of years hasn't it? At times it's felt a lot like wading through mud, up to our necks, blinded by fog at intervals and warding off unexpected ‘missiles’ from every direction, whilst all the time, the earth was shifting seismically under our feet. It’s been intense. I’m aware that many others, like me, have experienced big and challenging events at a personal level and then we’ve also all had to deal with the massive upheaval of life through the pandemic. And now as the calendar turns once more I can sense a new norm is emerging ... with less innocence, greater vigilance, and a big dose of renewed clarity as many of us have been motivated to shed and refine our values in the light of the revelations felt and the shifting sands of the global society we now find ourselves in. Never was there a greater need than now, to connect with our Centre, our inner reference point, our intuitive compass, to act from our heart with a full body ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and to nurture a healthier respect for our body. If you’re ready to commit to tuning into your body and taking greater care of your physical health, let me share a way to make the path easier for you.
Just choose one thing, one small act, and start there.
You don’t have to know it all or do it all. You don’t have to be perfect!
Sometimes we don’t start something because we think we don’t know enough or we don’t have the time to do it “properly”. I know I'm guilty of that. But we can choose just one thing and start there. You can apply this to anything in your life and today of course, I'm going to talk about posture.
Posture is as simple as it is profound. The beauty of it is that it starts simple.
The first and most essential ingredient in creating good posture is to be aware in the moment, a skill we all have immediate access to and that grows with just a little regular 'watering'.
What's also great news too is that you can practice aligning just one part of your body moment by moment and it will have an impact on the whole of you.
For example if you poke your head forward "into the next day" as I like to say, (ask your partner or a friend to observe you) and you practice aligning your head by drawing it back, you'll automatically find that your chest becomes more upright too. This in turn places your shoulders in better alignment which adds yet another dimension to reducing tension in your neck and shoulders.
A little attention every day to one aspect of your posture and you’ll slowly reap benefits throughout your entire body.
Here’s some conditions that are related to common postural imbalances where you could start to make a positive change in your posture, enhance your mobility and nurture a healthier relationship with your body in 2023.
1. Neck pain? Do you poke your head forward? Draw your head back and soften your chin down to align your head and carry it upright over your chest. Do this every time you remember, every time you see yourself in a mirror or a any reflection. And let others remind you inadvertently! When you see someone with their head forward, quietly align your own. 2. Thoracic spine or shoulder pain? Do you slump your chest and round your shoulders? Lift your chest in standing and sitting. Keep your sternum (breastbone) upright and broaden your collar bones. Secondly, imagine you have a firm rod attached to the front of your body from your pubic bone to the top of your sternum, so that as you bend and reach, you need to flex at the hip joints and not by rounding your spine. This is called 'hip-hinging'. Remember the image of that rod in front of you and learn to hinge at the hips and keep your spine straight. You'll have an abundance of opportunities to practice this. Start noticing how often you bend. 3. Lower back pain? Does your pelvis tilt forward? Soften your knees in standing, lift your pubic bone and lower your tailbone to take the pressure out of your lumbar spine and into your abdominals – they love it! You could also practice tilting your pelvis forward and backwards regularly. Do this either laying on your back with your knees bent up or standing with your hands on your knees. This promotes increased mobility between the pelvis and lumbar spine to assist you with moving out of your fixed posture. It can also ease back pain by increasing blood flow. 4. Hip, knee or foot pain? Do you stand with your feet close together? Practice widening your feet to the length of approximately one of your feet every time you stand still (and unlock your knees). Also align your knees over your feet. Ensure the knee caps are not turning inwards. Remember to just choose one. Make it easy. Make a start. Small movements practiced regularly over time reset your neural pathways and establish new neuromuscular patterns. Every time that you remember to realign yourself, is a moment – a few seconds, minutes or ten minutes – that your body is in a more healthy position and out of an imbalanced position which is causing strain on your body. Don't diminish these small actions. Repeated regularly, they add up to profound and lasting change. Choose one thing and begin in now. Commit to making a difference.
"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.... Whatever you can do or dream you can, Begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. BEGIN IT NOW." Goethe
I repeat, "Whatever you CAN do", begin it now.
And if you want to learn more and refine your postural alignment practice, book an appointment today.
With love and inspiration for a new aligned you, with the freedom of movement and vitality to live your life to the fullest and a brighter future where we live our 'dharma' (truth and purpose) in full sovereignty and authenticity.
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