Moving outside our comfort zones is daunting. It requires courage to break away from the repetitive patterns that give us a sense of safety and control. The journey starts with honesty about what you're experiencing in your body, which is essential to building the faith you'll need to trust yourself as you move in directions that serve you.
Listen to Your Body
If it hurts, don’t do it! Or at least, do less of it. Engage in movements that are tolerable and recognize that if a particular motion feels scary and has a significant emotional story attached to it, take it one step at a time. You might need to revisit that movement repeatedly until it becomes less intimidating and you start reaping the rewards, such as improved posture and reduced discomfort.
Commit to Change
Making progress requires changes. The more we stay within our comfort zones, the smaller those spaces become. Simply attending appointments with me won’t make you more mobile. These sessions are spaces for learning, but the practice is yours alone. I can assign beneficial movements by reading your posture, but your body is your responsibility.
Beware of Over-Reliance on Technology
Many people rely on technology to understand their bodies, leading to a disconnection from their own physical experiences. This can foster a mentality of "something is wrong with me" rather than working with the body. Chronic inflammation, for instance, might result from pushing ourselves to physical limits in unsustainable ways.
Balance Exploration and Caution
There’s a difference between moving outside our comfort zones with curiosity and building confidence as the practice builds and overdoing it to the point of harm. I encourage each and every one of you to take your time. There is no arrival - other than turning off pain (which still only indicates the elimination of the risk of injury) mobility work is a life long practice and should be treated as such. Expanding our bodies dynamic range of motion is like slowing down aging; there is strength and longevity in length and decompression. Flexibility means being able to place our bodies in various circumstances/positions and knowing we’re capable of navigating our way out.
Courage and Faith in Movement
It takes courage to move in unfamiliar ways and faith in ourselves to know what movements serve our bodies. Being honest about what your experiencing and acting on what's in your control through breath and intentional dynamic movements is the kindest thing you can do for yourself. Embrace the challenge, listen to your body, and find the balance between pushing self inflicted limitations and respecting our bodies boundaries.
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