Bone. Use them. Or lose them.
Bodies are not machines. While we refer to levers, frictions and forces, the body is different. Your body grows stronger as you use it, putting forces through your bones makes them stronger, not weaker. Every day that you stay still, your range of movement deteriorates, your lung capacity falls, your muscles weaken.
Use it. Or lose it.
Now, think of the past 24 hours. How have you moved your body? Did you walk further than from the car to the front door? Did you stretch more than your early morning yawn? Have your hips stayed flexed all day – sitting on a chair, a car seat or bending forwards? Day to day 21st century life demands so little of our bodies and our bodies are the weaker because of it.
Yoga once a week is useful, but it’s not enough. Going to the gym twice a week helps, but it’s the habits your follow every day that make the difference. It’s about balance, stressing your bones and your joints is not about punishment. A brisk walk for 30 minutes every day will help to keep your bones strong. Remember though that you need to strengthen arms too. When I started teaching I used to note how carrying your shopping home is stimulating your arm bones to renew. Student now rarely carry their shopping more than 5 metres, making ‘arm yoga’ even more important. Cat, on all fours, or balancing cat – one arm and one leg, even better (so long as you don’t have eye problems) down dog, or forearm dog every day. Consider arm balances like forearm balance or even handstand supported against the wall – useful even if you have neck problems as you keep your spine in neutral and do not add weight to the delicate cervical vertebrae of the neck.
Joints are where bones are held together with ligaments and tendons, like elastic bands keeping the bones in place. Without them, the skeleton would just be a heap of bones. Joints are surrounded by fluid to oil them, keeping them flowing freely, so you can move fluidly. Drink lots of water and eat good oils like flaxseed or oily fish to keep them ‘well oiled’. Joints need space to function well and they don’t need too much compression. This is why I suggest you ‘grow’ tall before you move into a posture to make space in the spine. It’s also important not to stretch limbs out of their natural joint – we tend to overreach with hands (as active, forward focussed westerners) and drag the upper arm bone out of the shoulder joint. It works more comfortably and wears less when the bone nestles inside the shoulder joint. Notice when you draw your knees into the chest on your back, careful not to squeeze on the knee itself. It’s a less stable joint, like your shoulder – not held so tightly by the elastic bands around it. For the same reason, be careful not to rest or ‘hang’ your heel off your knee joint in tree posture, as it will push the joint out of shape.
More than any set of anatomical do’s or don’ts, two things are important. One. Be mindful of how you move and the sensations movements cause aiming for a sense of ease, fluidity and space. Two. Move all your joints regularly, everyday without exception – twist, forward bend, back bend, side bend, upside down (like down dog).
Move every day. Today. Now.
Next time: Circulation – rhythm is life, and life is rhythm
Leave a comment
Comments feed for this article