Stresses and Finding Your Way To Improving Your Balance
Stresses and Finding Your Way To Improving Your Balance
Stresses and Finding Your Way To Improving Your Balance
Come stand for a moment, feet comfortably spread, and notice the difference in your balance, comparing whether you close your eyes or keep them open and looking forward. Did something shift in your balance, feeling safer, and when, with eyes open or closed? Now notice the difference: with your eyes open, or even closed, but looking down, what shifts in your sense of balance? We all experience postural sway, which is exaggerated when we stand with our eyes closed. This postural sway is important and not something to try to control or hold. We all shift and move; a larger swaying becomes a concern, and a small area around our base of support is important and healthy. Creating subtle ways to notice differences is important, especially when you feel a bit off balance, whether it’s the weather, your overall mental and emotional state, or physical issues.
What’s the difference between being afraid to do something and playing in a safe environment to compare and challenge yourself a bit? Let’s learn together to find ways to enhance well-being. I chose to speak about this issue today as many of us are still bearing the brunt of the Artic chill that has covered our turf with “Snowcrete”. A new term here in the D.C. area, where everything is covered with snow that is iced over like concrete. Many people have arrived at the E.R. after slipping and falling and have broken their bones. Many times, I have had my students share how, amazingly, even if they slipped, they didn’t break and, in a split second, found ways to restore their balance, or they fell in a way that caused no collateral damage. I know this too as I’ve been hiking my labs twice a day in our old growth forest. Even when I slipped and fell, I felt like a little kid, no breaks, no pain, just found at that moment how my nervous system knew what to do in that split second and I found my way back on my feet and continued playing in this winter wonderland, watching how my dogs, slide, dive and pleasure in nature with us. The feeling of play, kindness, and feeling safe enough to explore, gently with love, for the ability to do something without being cavalier, offers the awareness of knowing and doing with ease.
“For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” – Carl Sagan
And that’s what love has got to do with improving the quality of your life!
If curious, start this way. Do you have wood flooring so you can follow the slats, or place some duct tape on the floor and walk the plank? Even while you are checking the width of the tape or the wood that might be 2 – 4″ wide, while you are walking on a flat surface on the ground, notice what happens in your nervous system as you attempt to stay within the borders of the tape or wood flooring, as long as the width is not too wide. You are walking forward. Do you keep your eyes down to see the line you are following, or do you start to hold your breath? Even so, with a wider width, do you notice you halt a bit more, not sure of your footing? If you have walking sticks or 2 dowel sticks, you can use them and see if that changes your balance.
“In my lessons the student learns to listen to the instructions while he is actually carrying out an exercise and to make the necessary adjustments without stopping the movement itself. In this way he learns to act while he thinks and to think while he acts.” Moshe Feldenkrais, ATM pg 160
Awakening awareness is a gift to play with daily, so that each of us, no matter our concerns, can begin to move with greater lightness and ease, regardless of age or the issues we need to attend to. It’s all a learning process: begin with a sensory experience, then let this experience wire in. From this experience, can you share and explain what you are learning to help another find what you are learning? Whether the issues are balance in movement, balancing mental and emotional health how we manage difficult times and overwhelming events, is crucial to enhancing the quality of our lives.
I hope I’ve earned the privilege of your time and attention this week.
Stay warm, happy, and healthy, and wishing you all a happy Valentine’s Day.
Peggi
