Written by Osteopath Sam Bombos.
Meditation is a great tool that allows one to attempt to be in the present moment.
In todays society most are concerned with getting from A to B in the fastest time possible. Sometimes we find ourselves at our next appointment, school pick up or at the office and do not have any recollection of how we got there.
Sometimes we find ourselves in particular cycles – where we feel stuck, or where we feel we are moving but a lot of the time quickly in no particular direction. We become bored, we become dissatisfied, disconnected and discontent with what we find ourselves doing. Everyone experiences these feelings at different times, for different durations and for different reasons. What makes us decide to change? This comes from an internal driver – this internal driver has to be sparked and this usually happens when something, albeit an emotional event, a conversation, or a quote, resonates with you, acting as the mediator of change. Normally, when we find ourselves in this position we tend to look towards new things: we aim to meet new people, read and watch new literature/media to expand our thoughts, challenge them and allow us to reflect. We try to grab onto that spark, that sense of being in the now and experiencing the moment: the smells, the light and feelings all associated.
This concept is no different when applying it to movement. The body has this fine line between wanting and needing to feel safe when we move and needing to be challenged.
Movement is complex and movement is also internally or task driven. For example, you go to pick up a pencil, lift a box or perform a yoga pose, consciously you don’t sit there and think “I am now going to move my left hand, bend by left fingers and straighten my left elbow whilst I put more weight through my right foot”. This is all decided by the brain: it draws on previous patterns, moments, emotions, beliefs and memories where this movement or similar has been performed before and then compares it to all the information at that present moment deciding the best course of action.
As you can see, memory, emotion and perception are integral to movement – every time you access a memory the brain rewrites that neural pathway and every time you move your brain rewrites a “movement memory” pathway. If we continue to move the same way, repetitively, nervously and poorly, the brain becomes bored and lazy – rewriting that same pathway, short cutting and increasing the chance of injury. Similarly, how we reach out to people who challenge us when we feel stuck, the body and mind need to encounter varied and fresh movement to create new and better connected neural pathways.
When we encounter new movement or we are taught a new movement pattern, a degree of learning occurs. When we learn, we concentrate, improving our ability to be in the now, produce beautiful quality motion and mindful movement.
So, ‘get your move on’ because movement is integral to our being. It is how we affect the world – communication (speech, gestures), eating, hugging, walking – it is all movement! Move in as many ways as possible – slow, jump, dance, with/without resistance, twirl – and have fun being in the now.
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