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by Donna Brooks

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Bone Health: A Well Aligned Skeleton in Motion

Does your basic movement intelligence help or hinder your fitness?

Research shows that bad posture and inefficient movement  predict how quickly you could find yourself in a nursing home. I don’t want to see that happen any time soon and neither do you.

A well aligned skeleton safely sustains all types of pressure, movements and vigorous activities that nourish bone growth and keep muscles toned without being tight.. The key is creating a well aligned skeleton in motion.

Breaking some bones in my own foot was a wake-up call. Even though I have had an Iyengar  focused Yoga practice  for several decades, I wasn’t aware of how my weight stopped moving through all the bones of my right foot when I was moving- whether walking, running, dancing or just house cleaning. This caught up to me in a painful way!

I Thought Movement Was About My Muscles

It’s easy to think movement is all the balance between muscular strength and flexibility. That is because we can see how overly tight or weak muscles affect our posture and give us pain. It’s harder to feel what is happening through your skeleton.

If you are relying too much on your muscles  you will find yourself gripping, pulling, tugging, clenching or tightening  to get around or feel comfortable. A common example of this is pulling in your tummy to alleviate lower back pain. This is  a common habit even in people who have a strong “core”.

In fact, much of the constant tension people seek to antidote comes from relying too much on muscles  to propel yourself around.

You can let your bones bear the weight. Really, it strengthens them and helps you glide through life.

Everything is Better When Movement is Satisfying. 

Your body experiences a kind of two way force that builds strength, alignment and agility with each step you take.  You step down through your bones and they also receive a counter pressure from the earth. This bearing down and bouncing up makes  movement economical, pleasant and your bones stronger.

The secret to moving this way  is simple. You need to let go of old habits and re-awaken the natural movement intelligence of your body.
We all know exercise is good for us. We weight train, run, swim, do Yoga and dance. We  really hard to do everything right. But finding your weight move through your bones can be elusive.
What are some good indications you are moving through your bones?
  • You have the  the exquisite  feeling of  a firm yet flexible axis.
  • You feel power, strength, agility  and a sure foot as you run, walk or play a sport.
  • You find ordinary movement  flowing and rhythmic
  • Twisting, spiraling and rotating are pleasant motions and don’t need to be avoided or done gingerly.

Movement is meant  to be satisfying!

And, when we are satisfied we do more of what we enjoy. As you recover your natural movement  you will spontaneously be more active. You will happily build that strength, agility and balance with each step you take.
Scroll down and watch this brief clip of me helping two ladies find the a no-stress, no strain Tadasana (Mountain Standing pose or just recovering your natural height) here: http://www.originalbodywisdom.com/    

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