As a long time jock, my habit has been to gather myself for an effort much as a race horse collects itself preparing to burst from the starting gate. A sporadic mix of jogging and fast walking satisfied my impatient nature for a long while, though the accumulated years eventually slowed me down, not by intention, but by performance.
Creakiness of my movable parts gradually eroded my enthusiasm for getting started and sustaining a respectable pace. To help counterbalance the excesses of cardio vascular indulgence, and to stretch me out between keyed-up activities, I explored yoga.
During yoga practice, I am constantly impressed with how, instead of relaxing into a pose to gain the greatest possible stretch, my body tenaciously clings to the habit of tensing for effort. As I shift my awareness to the particular part of me being stretched in a pose, I discover that my muscles are clenched against the stretch, limiting the value to be gained from holding the pose. The effect of this discovery is profound. I become aware of a whole different concept of movement, to engaging and disengaging, to energizing or relaxing various parts of my body to achieve grace, ease and flexibility of motion.
Now the regular practice of yoga helps to reduce morning stiffness and complaining joints. Recently I added Pilates to my regular exercises to complement yoga in rebuilding my core strength for structural load bearing. By restoring the muscles that support my upper body to their intended condition, I will rebalance my posture and reduce stress on parts of my body not meant to bear weight. Good-bye creakiness!
Keep well. Our thoughts fly to you carrying messages of good will for you throughout 2009.
Copyright 2009
www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Posted January 2, 2009
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