It's old news that moving
your body is essential to health, but do you really know why? Movement
stimulates your central nervous system increases oxygen flow to the
brain, improves circulation, and flushes fluids into and out of cells, among
other benefits. In fact, the flexibility of your body is directly correlated
with the flexibility of your mind. As Mary Ann Foster states in her book,
Somatic Patterning, "mental
constructs and cultural conditioning create physical fixations that support and
maintain rigid beliefs and ideas about who and what we really are." In
short, if you want to change your life, move your body!
Studies have shown that increased circulation resulting from movement
contributes to the health of the
mitochondria
of a cell, the power-houses of the cellular world where all your energy is
generated in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). They are also active in
other cellular processes, such as the control of the cell cycle and cell
growth, and have been implicated as playing a positive role in the human
aging process
as well.
Movement also enhances our sense of self and the space around us.
Physical movements are determined by proprioception -- the perception of our
bodies in space and gravity. There are tiny proprioceptors in the muscle cells
of our bodies that gauge tension levels and make constant adjustments to keep
us upright. When you stretch muscles, the proprioceptors initiate what's
called the "stretch reflex," causing the muscle to contract once it
reaches a certain length, preventing the fibers from tearing and injury.
Consistently moving in new, innovative ways generates new neurological patterns
through stimulation of the mind-body connection.
For your joints, motion is like adding oil to a creaking hinge. Repeated
movement of the joint warms up the synovial fluid and lubricates the joint
capsule. It also creates awareness at the level of your proprioceptors, so
moving each joint fully and completely reduces muscle guarding, which
translates into increased range of motion, reduced pain, and greater
adaptability for your entire body. You will notice, as you begin to explore
joint mobility, that your balance and coordination improve, and your reflexes
may quicken.
You have a map in your brain that determines your body's potential for
movement. Different areas of the body take up greater or lesser amounts of
space on this map depending on how much sensory input the brain receives from
any given area. The hands and feet, for example, take up a huge portion of your
Body Map because so much information is received from them. This mapping system
is plastic in nature; sensory input from manual therapy as well as movement
serve to change and enlarge this map, giving you increased capacity for
movement. The Body Map in your brain is not only limited to the space inside
your body; it actually includes the space around you as well.
Emilie Conrad, founder of Continuum Movement Therapy, believes that the
redundancy of our lives - endless repetition of tasks and activities with
little outlets for
creativity -- could be a contributing
factor in neurological degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's due to the
lack of neurological stimulation. Additionally, regimented or repetitive
movement, such as that used to operate a computer, can create compression, or muscle density, within
the bodily tissues. Compression creates an environment of dissonance where
fluid is not able to flow into and out of the cells; this kind of situation
does not cause disease, but it can create a state in which disease can
thrive.
For example, cells that do not have sufficient fluid flow to wash away
waste products may become increasingly acidic, and cancer cells thrive in an
acidic environment. Additionally, areas of the body experiencing extreme
compression are functionally isolated from the whole organism, meaning the flow
of movement in the body is blocked.
With these thoughts in mind, it is imperative to your continued health
and well-being to continually develop new ways of moving your body and
stimulating your mind. Instead of focusing on "exercise" this week, I challenge
you to spend at least a few days focusing on the idea of adding creative
movement into your life. Buy a "fun" CD of the kind of music you like to dance
to and put on the music while you work at the computer or wash dishes, letting
your body move to the music in whatever ways feel good. You may find that you
actually feel more balanced and energized as you work. As your body moves, and
you tune into the music, you may actually notice that any mental fog clears as
your right brain is stimulated by the music and that the rhythmic movement of
your body begins "dancing" with your mind in an enjoyable way.
My best wishes for your better health through creative movement,
Maggie
Because so many of you have
expressed a desire for more in-depth learning experiences, we are continuing to
experiment with longer teleseminars, e-courses and e-workshops. This month 