Freeze!

Don't move a muscle!

Most researchers agree that regular exercise and stretching is one of the best prescriptions against chronic pain and diseases associated with ageing. That is great news!

But what about alignment? Does it have a part to play?

One of the benefits of exercise is that the rhythmic contraction and relaxation of muscles acts like a pump to aid your heart in circulating blood, (and lymph, and nutrients) through the body.

However, when movement in an area of your body is restricted by thickened connective tissue, the pumping action of the muscles is inhibited.

This then restricts the flow of cleansing fluids and nutrients through the bloodstream. The misaligned area becomes a two-fold target: for injury because of its restricted flexibility, and for disease because of congestion and accumulation of toxins.

If your building blocks are out of alignment, you will tend to work your body along the patterns of stress already embedded in your connective tissue, and, without proper alignment, you can actually reinforce your imbalanced habits with exercise.

Let's take a closer look at those building blocks, and get a first-hand experience of fascial patterns and restrictions:

Right now, more than likely, you're sitting in a position that is usual for you.

So, let's make this moment a mindful moment, and take a look at the structural design of the way you sit.

Start by noticing the orientation of your pelvis (this is where we started in class as well!):

~ Are you sitting more onto one buttock than the other?

~ Does one hip feel more compressed by the weight of your torso?

~ Are you sitting forward on your thighs or back on your tailbone?

~ Is one leg crossed over the other? Which way?

Now notice the orientation of your rib cage in relation to your pelvis:

~ Is your rib cage closer to your pelvis in front or in the back, on the right or the left side?

~ Where are the tips of your shoulders in relationship to your chest?

~ Is one shoulder higher than the other? more forward than the other?

~ And your head: is one ear higher than the other? more forward?

Now reverse your sitting pattern:

cross the other leg over, shift your weight onto the other buttock, curve your spine in the other direction, raise your other shoulder, and adjust the tilt of your head. Make as exact a reverse replica of yourself as you can.

How does this feel?

If this reverse sitting feels anywhere between terrible and very strange, you are among the majority of people.

The first sitting pattern, the comfortable one, is your body's preferred way of organizing itself. Your connective tissue (fascia) has accommodated to this pattern of compression and rotation in your body, so your slightly off-kilter sitting position feels secure, normal, and maybe even balanced to you.

Your habitual fascial patterns dictate more than just sitting: they are present in each and every move you make.

Unless you've built the awareness of how you use and move your body, you'll tend to work your way along the patterns of imbalance already embedded in your connective tissues:

~ in stretching, you are likely to overstretch the side that moves easily, thus catering to your restriction.

~ in strengthening, you'll tend to push yourself to the limit of your already stronger  side.

This kind of imbalanced body usage can, and often does lead to injury.

This is why the most important thing you can do is develop awareness of how you move and also how you breathe. Everything else is build on that foundation.

• how you sit down / get up
• how you sit when you tired
• how you sit when you are tired but trying to sit correctly
• how you walk up / down the stairs
• how you sit in your vehicle
• how you walk - what moves, what doesn’t
• how you are breathing when you are eating? working? driving?
• where do you breathe predominantly - chest? ribs? belly?
• are there any conditioned habits as to how you are suppose to stand, walk, sit, breathe?

Recognizing your patterns and releasing tension is a crucial first step.

From there, it is important to create new neuromuscular options so that your old habits hold you back no longer.

Once the tension is released, the body has to find a different orientation so that the fascia can readjust. This is done through conscious practice of new movement patterns - and this is why I'll see you on the mat!