Feeling Better In Your Body As You Grow Older
As children, it would be really great if education taught us how to have healthy posture and stay in it with mindfulness, while feeling relaxed and balanced in our bodies. Sitting and standing in alignment is very important to keeping the body working efficiently, but also in keeping strain out of all the body systems. Believe it or not, this includes not only the muscles, but the organs, the fascia, the central nervous system and everything else.
As Americans, I have noticed that we tend to lose our posture unless we are engaged in some type of specific exercise regiment. In other countries, there are people who live out in the woods or forest with a simply life who walk and squat and keep things naturally balanced. But most of us here in the USA don’t. We have chairs that we sit in all day, computers that we bend toward, and we tend to do repetitive movement that excludes the multi-dimensionality of how fluid we can actually be.
As I have aged, I have noticed so many limitations of how I move. This has not just been something that happened over night. It is a culmination of years of habit and accident traumas with compensations. At some point, our bodies give way to working less optimally. Also, on many levels we run on autopilot and forget what doesn’t feel good anymore.. If we are not conscious though, we begin to progressively lose our posture , and people often end up with imbalances and pain. But I am here to say, that no matter how out of shape or how much chronic stress you are feeling, there are things that you can do to feel better. Don’t give up just because you are growing older. After all, we are living, the better choice compared to the alternative. Why not make our quality of life better rather than worst?
With our bodies changing over time, the first thing that I find to be important is to take a sensation gauge through our bodies. Check in with ourselves to notice what is going on with our inner landscape of our bodies. Do we feel pleasure, pain, warmth, coolness, fluidity or stiffness in our bodies? The thing is, the body often does communication when something is out of dynamic health. But first we have to acquaint ourselves with these signals that are constantly being sent to the brain. Too many of us tend to ignore them. Once this is done, the following our some of the things that can help bring more youth back into the body:
1. Breathe. I know this sounds corny. But most of us don’t breath using our diaphragm correctly. Bringing mindfulness to your breath and body will begin to bring awareness to your inner sensations, where you feel present or not, and what feels fluid or stiff. Bringing in oxygen and allowing the waste of carbon dioxide gas to leave is vital to the healthy of your body. It also brings down stress levels when done properly and keeps our blood circulation in better condition. No matter how much one exercises and stretches, without breathing well, the tissues don’t function as well. So breathe. And if you don’t know how to work with your diaphragm and your breathing is shallow, there are all kinds of breathing classes available to learn.
2. Stretch. I went and took a Yoga Teacher Training about two-three years ago. One of the best things I found out was how out of shape I was. I knew I was overweight. But the years, and the accidents had taken their toll, and my youth was no longer available to bounce me back quickly. But I did learn how to stretch, do certain poses and how to relax more deeply into my body. Gentle yoga if you are new to it can bring a lot of Awareness to how you use your body or not. Other really great classes to take are Feldenkrais, Continuum, Pilates or Gyrotonics. They all are mindful and bring motion to the body, and motion is a great thing, especially when done in a relaxed way. One key though, is that whichever type of movement you choose, do something that helps you with spinal twists. Most people need to go outside of their normal movement patterns with gentleness and slowness-sometimes with micro-movements- to find more freedom inside.
3. Doing something for the cardiovascular system like walking, swimming, or the elliptical. Moving and breathing at a faster pace, while challenging yourself is great for you. If you have a medical condition though, check with your physician to see what is best for you this way.
4. Bodywork. In this I include Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, Structural Integration, Chiropractic and of course there are more. Sometimes, when we have waiting too long or we have been in some type of physical dysfunctional place due to an accident or such, we need help. With bodywork there are many difference specialties, and each practitioners usually offers a unique blend of how he/she can help you. Some of the questions you need to ask your body is: A. Does light or deep touch seems to help you the most? If you don’t know, go on an exploration with different therapists and notice what helps you the most long-term. Personally, I find that any work that touches into the fascia is most effective. B. Ask, does your therapist help you feel relaxed and safe. After all, one doesn’t want to go see someone who adds more stress, right? The body always feels better when it is at peace… even while in motion. C. Set up a series of sessions. Sometimes one session will help, but most often, especially with chronic pain, give yourself the gift of 10 so that the body can shift over time and release restrictive patterns, and also help you integrate the work. You are worth it and will appreciate it in the long-run.
5. Integrate all of this. If you are not breathing correctly, the exercise won’t be optimal, nor will the stretches. If you go get massages but are unwilling to stretch or exercise, you will feel better but may not maintain the benefits as well. Anyway, you get the message. It’s important to stay mindful of your body daily, especially as you get older.
It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, or how young or old. Bringing attention to your body with mindfulness and discovering new ways to be in it is actually exciting and can bring you immense pleasure. Even if you only start to explore your breath, you can notice how good it feels to massage your inner self through the gentle motion of that.
I am close to 60 years old now, and my breath was the missing key for me. It was a big obstacle until recently. Now, it is bringing all of the rest of this together. I feel the tissues around my spine loosening up , and I am finding more motion internally. I also notice that I am also wanting to eat healthier now, and have started with some intermittent fasting. I am not sure why, but there are also psychological aspects about taking in good things to our lives and the body at play here as well. Probably, some of this comes from our early life- nourishment and nurturing issues. I will say though, that working with all of these things in the last few years has slowly helped me to feel better in my body. And truly, if you want to have wellness, it is a daily practice. You can go to a practitioner who will help you greatly with certain things. They may open the doorway for you, but it is up to you, how you want to live your life, and it does take an intention to take the time to care for yourself. What better form of love is there than to do this?
Sharon Hartnett CST-D
703 509-1792
www.craniosacraltherapistcolumbus.com
