In the northwest we say that summer begins on the 5th of July- so this really is quite timely ☺.
For many of us summer is a time to slow down a bit. Without early wake ups for school and vacations for many working adults, it is easier to make time to smell those proverbial roses. We hear over and over again that slowing down is good for both our physical and mental health.
In this article I would like to specifically address how slowing down is a critical to improving our movement. Sometimes the need to improve how you move is obvious as is the case with many children who have special needs, adults with neurologic conditions or performers and athletes of all ages who have reached a plateau.
Other times it may be less clear. Very frequently improving movement is key to resolving a wide variety of pain complaints. Some children who struggle in school for reasons that are unclear have movement issues that when resolved improve academic performance.
Our brains, not our muscles are the “chief operating officers” when it comes to movement. That said there is a closed loop whereby information from our movements is fed back to the brain. When the brain receives good quality information we can improve how we move. This aligns with current scientific thinking regarding neuroplasticity.
The eminent neuroplastician Dr. Michael Merzenich has studied exactly what needs to happen for positive brain change. He has collaborated extensively with my teacher Anat Baniel. Dr. Merzenich says that Anat in articulating her “NINE ESSENTIALS” for improving movement has given us practical tools to move with greater ease and comfort. One of her “essentials” is SLOW.
Habits are essential. Imagine if you had to consciously think about every step you take all of the time. That said, for better or worse, habits are well habits, meaning that you do “the thing” the same way every time often quickly and never really thinking about or more importantly feeling the details. So perhaps these habits are are not always useful? In order to move in a non-habitual way you must SLOW DOWN.
Now imagine you have pain in shoulder every time you reach for a glass in your kitchen cabinet. You don’t think very much about how you reach. It’s habitual. You just know that movement hurts. Either you figure you can live with it or you go to a provider to get your shoulder “fixed”.
Here is what I know from personal experience, as well as from working with clients. If we use more of ourselves like our shoulder blades and backs and ribs when we reach, we are less likely to end up with shoulder pain- or if we already have it- it will be more likely to go away.
I invite you to try this experiment.
Next time you need to reach for something first just do it habitually. Take a quick inventory of where you sensed movement. Now reach again very slowly and see if you can sense and include movement in your shoulder blades and back and expansion of your ribs as you reach.
Was it easier to get to the object? Over time the new way of reaching becomes habitual and you can do it more quickly and efficiently.
If you or your child is working to learn a movement that is current not doable it is also critical to SLOW DOWN and become aware of the feeling or all parts of the movement. I have hands on tools to support this process.
If you or a loved one is struggling with movement that is challenging or painful I would love to speak with you. You can give me a call at 206-842-4608.
