Holiday time equals more travel time and more sitting for me. When I sit for longer periods, I notice that my hips talk to me more than normal. Sometimes it’s one, other times it’s both that are uncomfortable. One day it’s on the right side and another day it’s in the left. 

Since being back in school, I’ve noticed 3 things from a body perspective. I’m sitting and reading on a screen for extended periods of time and my breath is more shallow. It’s always better for me to have the kinesthetic sensation when figuring out how to feel better in the body, depending on the circumstances. I imagine this is what a body that works at a desk job might feel like. 

The exercise for this month has transformed the results I’m able to get with my clients. It brings you back into your body, slows your brain down and eases that initial layer of bracing tension. It’s pretty clear by now that I can’t shut up about the nervous system. Everything I’ve learned about the body after 14 years in the field has led me to understand that the nervous system is key in making change. In order to affect the nervous system positively, safety is the way. 

This is the first summer since the pandemic where it feels like NYC is back to normal (if that’s even a thing). It seems like people are really taking a much needed break to find their balance. I’ve found myself procrastinating on adulting things because I know my life is gonna to shift big time with the start of September and grad school. 

I was home in July visiting my family and my mom was recovering from an injury in her ankles. I watched her walk to the car with me on the way to my nephew’s taekwondo class. 

I noticed that her legs were rotated from her hips which looked like toes to the side instead of facing forward. I asked her to try and push off with her big toe to see how that felt. It didn’t give her pain, so it was ok to explore. This also had her move her legs into a more parallel position instead of the rotated one she was in before. 

I love getting pings of helpful things I can share with you in everyday life. The other week I caught up with a friend I haven’t seen since before the pandemic. Meeting up with people where you can pick up where you left off reminds me that time is irrelevant. As I was sharing about something new I’m learning, they were reminded to do their nerve stretches for their shoulder rehab. 

The more bodies I’ve touched, the more I understand the feeling of anxiety in someone’s tissues. The body is braced in certain areas, specific to the person and their holding patterns, which can make it challenging to take deeper breaths. My focus in these situations is to relax the person’s nervous system, so deeper breathing comes naturally. 

Fascia is one of the coolest parts of the body. It’s like a supportive sleeve for the muscles and bones to rest in. If you’ve ever worn a wetsuit, that’s way thicker, but a similar feel. If you pull down around one thigh, you can see the effect in the opposite hips, belly and chest along with the same side lower leg and foot. If one part of us is affected, other parts will show up to support the balance of strength so that the injured tissues can rest and heal. It’s nice to know that there’s community in our body like we have community in our life.