"Every day I walk out into the world to be dazzled, then to be reflective"
-Mary Oliver

 

 Dear ,

    As the year draws to a close, winter months offer a still, peaceful setting for reflection, meditation and counting our blessings.  What a year, what a journey!

 

Consider this: our bodies function best when they are in a  proper state of alignment.  The spinal curves and the arches of the feet absorb the shock of walking, running or jumping. There is minimal stress in the joints and the movement feels graceful, smooth and relatively easy. It's nature's grand design.

 So what happens when the body experiences postural misalignment?

To start with, muscles have to work harder to keep you upright as you move about. This in turn manifests as tension in specific areas and more compression and decreased range of motion in the joints. Now, with less movement, joints receive much less nutrition, which can result in chronic aches and pains, as well as degenerative joint disease - osteoarthritis. And there's more trouble brewing: with joints moving less, your muscles and tendons have to work even harder.  Thus the vicious circle is created.

What does this have to do with being tired?

"When proper alignment is lacking, your physiological systems are required to work harder, consuming more energy and functioning less efficiently, leaving you feeling drained when you shouldn't." says Dr. Christian Guenette of Back2Health center in Vancouver.

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Coming next month:

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