In the last article, we talked about how beautifully adaptable our bodies are—and how massage can provide new sensory information when we've gotten comfortable in patterns that may no longer be serving us.
But that curiosity doesn't have to stop when we get off the massage table.
Our everyday lives tend to ask us to repeat the same movements again and again. We sit. We stand. We walk forward. We reach for the same things. We stare at screens. We move through familiar patterns because they're familiar.
Now, my neighbors will tell you they see me walking backward through the neighborhood wearing a weighted vest. That's actually how some people recognize me. Grin.
Our bodies are capable of so much more than we sometimes give them credit for. Just as we vary the demands we place on our bodies when we're building strength, we can vary our movement—changing direction, position, range and even speed—to give our bodies different experiences.
We can rotate. Reach. Bend. Shift from side to side. Move forward and backward. Move slowly. Move with support. Combine movements in ways we may not have explored in years.
And you don't have to force any of it.
You can simply get curious.
What happens if I move this way?
Does it feel good?
Does it feel strange?
Is one direction easier than another?
Do I notice something I didn't notice before?
Maybe you love the movement. Maybe you don't.
That's information too.
We're not forcing the body to let go.
We're reminding it that it has choices.
Want to Explore?
That's exactly what we'll be doing in my Stretch & Relax class at That's the Rub.
While putting this class together, I had to teach myself how to squat deeply, sit in 90/90 and rotate my hips through a fuller range of motion.
At first, some of it was painful. I didn't force myself through the pain. I worked with where I was, practiced the fundamentals and gradually explored a wider range.
Now I can comfortably sit in a supported Seiza—something I thought I would never do after my ACL repair many years ago, I didn’t have the flexibility before my injury, at all. That was a lifetime ago.
Just because a movement hasn't been available to us for a long time doesn't necessarily mean it's gone forever. Sometimes we need to return to the fundamentals, work with the body we have today and give it time to discover what may still be possible.
This isn't about seeing how far you can stretch or forcing your body into positions it doesn't want to go. We can explore movement in different directions and slow things down enough to notice what we're experiencing.
Some movements may feel familiar. Others may feel completely new. You may discover an area that moves more freely than you thought—or one that's been quietly avoiding a particular direction for a very long time.
We're not looking for a right or wrong answer.
We're gathering information.
Stretch & Relax is limited to six people so there is room to explore, ask questions and receive individual attention.
If a group isn't your thing—or you have something specific you'd like to explore—I also offer one-on-one sessions where we can focus the movement around your body, your goals and your intentions.
And even if you never take the class or schedule a session, try something the next time you're moving:
Instead of asking how far you can go, ask what you notice. Then tell your massage therapist what you discovered.
You just gave us something new to explore together.
That’s the Rub,
Lisa
