Have you ever dreamed of escaping to a remote island, far away from all that seems to be weighing you down? Now, imagine that whatever it is that has been weighing you down is suddenly lifted, without ever arriving to that island. The benefits are surprisingly life-changing for you as you can breathe more deeply, you are moving more freely, and you truly feel happier in your body.
Better yet, imagine if all it took was a closer look at you, your posture and your habits and then you committed to making that change you have yet to make time for.
A Thought: What would it look like for you to feel empowered to add or remove that one thing knowing it would improve your outlook and overall sense of well-being? What change immediately comes to mind for you?
Probable Cause
Sadly, we are all drifting far away from our natural-born physical self. Most of us are wound up mainly because of the digital dependency we find ourselves prisoners to, resulting in our biological being becoming severely short-circuited. Just think about how many times you chose to ignore, or maybe worked right through, that nagging neck, tingling arm or crippling wrist pain until you simply couldn’t take it anymore. You lost quality sleep, started popping pills that never seemed to touch it because the damage was too far gone. Soon after that, you were told you are an ideal surgical candidate. Truth: It didn't have to progress that far, but you chose to will it away when it really needed just a bit more attention from you.
Frightening Fact: “For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine for an additional 10 lbs.” Rene Cailliet, MD
Forward head posture is often what weighs us all down. The more our head juts forward of the centerline, the more muscles have to work against the force of gravity. This creates headaches, neck and back pain, and limited range of motion over time. I often remind my clients that our bodies have an innate ability of healing themselves. However, our behaviors and habits will impact the degree of our resiliency. I have witnessed many who were unable to comfortably assume the supine position (lying face up) on my treatment table without requiring a head support because their head was so severely flexed. Of course, this is not a quick fix by any means, as it took years of poor posture to lock it in place but, after several targeted myofascial release treatments on the table, isolated stretches with and without the foam roller on the mat, coupled with the determined effort by the client to perform exercises to strengthen their upper back, there was noticeable postural improvement; Clients were often amazed at how their bodies were able to realign over time and the domino effect it had on the rest of their body: no more headaches, a more restorative sleep and shoulders and a jaw that felt more relaxed. Truth: If we remember that our body always follows our head, head posture should always be our top priority.
Sudden Impact
Believe it or not, our digitally driven world is not only creating an imbalance in our physical being but also in our brain; yes, the neurochemicals responsible for feeling good get way out of whack, which is the reason we are hearing and experiencing more cases of depression, anxiety and pain. I bet if we cared as deeply for our spinal health as we care about what other people think, we would find our bodies much more upright and ourselves much less uptight. Challenge: Why not put this theory to the test ... like starting right now?
The Good News
There are many ways we can thwart the damaging impact on our physical body before it's too late, but certain key elements must exist:
Awareness: Recognize the triggers that fuel your pain, dysfunction, sleep disturbance, or limited range of motion and then take the necessary steps to eliminate the root cause.
Knowledge: The start of any major or meaningful transformations in our life begins with new information or a revelation. This, in turn, leads to a sense of empowerment and, the more empowered we feel, we tend to seek-out opportunities for self-healing and additional growth.
Take Action: So often we say or hear ..."I know what I should be doing but ...". This creates guilt and reinforces the lack of motivation that lies within. Instead, choose to be more pro-active when it comes to matters of your health as this will enable you to prevent any pain and suffering versus scrambling to find relief for it.
For example, choose to incorporate regular myofascial treatments into your schedule to facilitate the release of your fascia (the connective tissue) because, among the many benefits, it will:
Improve posture
Enhance athletic performance
Increase flexibility
Reduce pain levels and,
Boost the feel-good hormones in your body!
Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins (acronym 'DOSE') creates the blissful state of being that you experience when receiving a massage. The surge of these feel-good hormones released during bodywork are responsible for that dark abyss that you fall into while on the table, as well as the mental fog you experience when stepping off. If you are not feeling so good about yourself, your posture, your general health or life situation, take that one step you know is proven to improve your mood, circulation, and overall sense of wellbeing. Reminder: Take the time for you by carving out the time for your mind, body and spiritual healing.
In Summary
We have programmed ourselves to silence the warning signs while deeply engaged in handling our devices, and this is when we begin to lose grip of our body in space. A distorted posture will eventually lead to a distorted view of ourselves. The universe has been giving us all a very clear sign (wake-up call) reminding us that it’s about (damn) time we get back in touch with our innate physicality. In order to take that load off our shoulders, we must start by first recognizing, and then eliminating, any known culprits. It all begins with observing behaviors that propel us forward and making the necessary adjustments to defy the gravitational pull. Advice: Best advice I can give you is to keep your chin up, as there is hope, especially if you allow me to help you.
Action Step
Place a call to me and I will gladly assess your needs and then we will make the appointment to assess your posture and discuss how best to move forward. No need to go to a remote island to have the weight lifted as I will gladly help lift it up and off of you, and then help bridge that gap between you and what you desire. Virtual or in-person, realignment and relief are achievable.
"Choose to be at peace with your body, not at (constant) war."