A Little More Conversation, A Little More Action!

Have you ever considered the way your body interacts with the ground, and how this affects movement, pain and if you might pick up an injury?

Our body talks to the ground beneath us in two ways. I think the first direction is quite obvious, the other possibly less so.

Direction 1:

• We transfer our weight from our body down into the ground. . 

Direction 2:

• We allow the firm support of the ground to come up into our body to support our joints.

It's this two way communication between our body and the ground that allows our body to be longer, lighter, removes unnecessary load out of the joints and allows the muscles to let go of held tension.

This makes movement more efficient, more enjoyable and we're less likely to pick up a wear and tear or stress type injury.

Let's go a little deeper into how this helps our movement, reduces pain and lessens wear and tear on the joints.

Direction 1:

• We transfer our weight from our body down into the ground. 

The more weight we can give away to the ground, the lighter our body feels, the less load our joints have to bear and the less hard our muscles need to work to hold us. This enables us to release habitually held patterns of tension where it isn't required for normal posture.

This transfer of weight down into the earth or floor gives us a sense of being grounded and stable.

Direction 2:

• We allow the firm support of the ground to come up into our body to support our joints.

In addition to transferring our weight downwards, we also need to give ourselves permission to receive the firm support of the ground underneath us. This means the firmness of the ground can support our joints and take some of the effort from our muscles. 

As human beings, when we have a supportive environment around us, which could be physical or a supportive home / social / work environment we feel innately safer. This also happens to our body when we allow ourselves to receive the support of the ground below us.

Our body feels more supported and safer, giving permission for the muscles to let go and relax more readily. This gives us a sense of lightness and being able to orientate outwards into the space around us.

This two way communication between our body and the ground enables a two way lengthening to occur so we can find both stability and a sense of space and freedom in our joints. Once there's space in the joints we're able to explore a bigger range of motion for increased mobility and ease of movement. 

Taking the joints through their full range of motion is essential for the long-term health and integrity of the cartilage on the surface of the joint. Fully opening and closing the joints stimulates joint fluid production for lubrication and pain-free movement.

In order for this two way communication to occur between our body and the ground our joints need to be open and mobile. If one joint is closed or lacks movement capacity this will prevent or reduce our ability to transfer the weight down into the ground or to receive support up into the body.

We might compensate by holding all the weight in that closed joint, or shifting the weight over to the other side, which now has to carry more load than it was designed for.

Can you see how this might start to create wear and tear on a joint, or change our posture and movement patterns, leading to muscle tension, soreness or injury?

Sometimes an injury may lead to a joint becoming closed and blocking the transfer of weight through that joint.

Say for example, you sprain your ankle. Whilst the ankle is hurting your muscles will naturally tense to brace the joint, reduce movement and prevent further damage or pain. You may limp to offload the injured area. However, once the injury has healed sometimes the body doesn't automatically revert back to how it functioned previously. 

What was once a helpful and natural adaptation to assist recovery now becomes a maladaptation that begins to cause stiffness, tension and ongoing pain. 

Without realising you're still avoiding transferring weight through that ankle and foot, so now another structure has to take up the load bearing. Maybe it's the knee or hip. Alternatively you might shift the weight onto the opposite ankle so you may get pain or stiffness on the other side.

Then you get an injury or pain out of the blue that doesn't seem to be related to anything that you did recently, but it's origins began all the way back with that original ankle sprain. 

How do we prevent this from happening?

Awareness really is key. Once we become aware we can begin to make strategic changes if and where necessary.

Try this simple exercise to increase awareness and assess how your body communicates with the ground:

• Stand with your natural posture and engage the ground with your feet. If you have a soft mat, like a yoga mat, this can make the exercise easier to feel.
• Close your eyes if possible
• Observe your right and left foot standing on the floor. Does one foot feel heavier or lighter than the other foot? If you're standing on a soft surface such as a yoga mat, notice if one foot is making a deeper imprint than the other foot.

This will give you an awareness of whether you have more weight going down one side than the other, or if you're indeed symmetrical. You may also get a sense of if you can feel whether the weight is tending to stop at one joint, and whether this is the same or different on your left and right side.

NEXT STEPS

• Come to a Stretch, Yoga or Pilates class with me - here you can spend time observing how your body responds to different movements in a guided sequence
• Attend a half-day mind-body retreat - these are deeply relaxing, fun, social small group experiences typically held in various locations within easy reach of Worthing, West Sussex. The next one is on Sunday 10th September from 1pm to 5pm - bookings are open now (last 2x spaces available).
• Subscribe to my email list to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivered directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

To find out more about my classes and retreats, or to join my email list you can contact me via any of these channels:

• Email at norma.pearson1@ntlworld.com
• DM me on Facebook Messenger 
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.