Right now, as you are, freeze (don't worry, not for long - it's spring already)!

Don't move a muscle!

More than likely, you're sitting in a position that is usual for you.

How bout we take a look at the structural design of the way you sit?

, wait!

Try it out before you go to "But why?" or "There she goes again!" land.

There is a method to my madness!

Start by noticing the orientation of your pelvis:

~ 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 (yah, I know - who even does that!!!):

~ 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?

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. Right, ?

But habitual fascial patterns dictate more than just sitting: they are present in each and every posture we take, and every single move we make.

Unless you've built awareness of how you use and move your body, you'll tend to work your way along the same 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.

If the building blocks are out of alignment, we work our body along the patterns of tension already embedded in the connective tissue (after all, we don't even know how to move in a different way!), and, without proper alignment, we continue to reinforce imbalanced habits through exercise.

The misaligned areas then become a two-fold target: for injury because of their restricted flexibility, and for disease because of congestion and accumulation of toxins. UGH!

When I say all of this to my clients, , they often nod their heads and say, "well, that explains a few things..."

Doesn't it?

The more pliable our connective tissue is and the more freely our muscles can move, the more adaptable the body will be to any movement we need to make, especially a sudden, unexpected one - such as slipping on a patch of ice or tripping over a child's toy left in the hall.

When any joint is restricted by a thickened fascia, we can't move that part of the body freely - this reduces not only the range of motion or strength, but also our ability to calibrate our balance (more on proprioception next week!). We are more likely to fall, and tensed tissues are more likely to injure, tear or break.

Ready to join the movement revolution? Join us on the mat!