Do you notice the spot in your body where you hold tension? You know, the one where muscles are engaged without you knowing? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, try focusing on something. For me, it can be doing the dishes or reading something where the details are important. Other situations could be when you’re having an uncomfortable conversation or being vulnerable in some way.
So after you’ve been focused, close your eyes. See if you can breathe through your belly. Does anything in your body want to unclench? For me it’s my hips, but it could be one shoulder, your spine, your jaw, feet or hands.
When we brace or clench our hips, our body is trying to force stability. Maybe the thing we’re focused on pulls us off our center physically, emotionally or mentally. With the dishes, there’s weight in front of the body and movement, so there’s a lot that needs to stabilize. I used to lean on the kitchen sink but I got out of that habit because it gave me low back pain.
When we brace or clench in an uncomfortable conversation or when we’re vulnerable, there’s a lot of fears that can come up with what’s happening. We don’t have control over how other’s receive our words and sometimes we can mess up or act without thinking how things will land.
I notice often when I work with clients that I’ll need to restabilize their pelvis after an emotional release or something big that came up in session. Sometimes the unconscious ideas we have, shift our center, once we let go of what doesn’t align with us. Sometimes once we share an experience that we’ve kept hidden, it loses the power it had over us and the shame we felt along with it.
There’s no way to know what’s just under the surface and how we might feel about it once it’s shared. I usually suggest that people write down what they feel or set aside time to explore what came up, even if it’s 10 minutes.
The physical act of writing moves what’s in our mind, out of the body. If ever you’re circulating about something or have the same thought or fictitious conversation in your head more than once in a week, write it down. Many people say they don’t want anyone to find their words or read them when I suggest writing/journaling. If that’s the case with you, a locked note in your phone or burning the paper after, is a great way to move the stuck energy.
When the brain is in circulation mode, it’s not looking for a solution. It’s looking to prove your thoughts as true, even if they might not be.
So back to the hips.
The release I show in this month’s video is for the type of hip pain that moves. Sometimes it’s in the front, or moves to the side or feels really annoying in the back of the hip and can also move into the low back. You’ll need a tennis ball and to be gentle with yourself.
And if anything in this newsletter resonated with you, I see you, I am you. When your body doesn’t feel safe, it does what it needs to, to get through whatever’s stressful. It’s ok to check in with how you feel after a hard experience. Your younger self will thank you.