Minding Your Balance
Class #3 - Winter Workshop 2019
Feel the Weight!
Uptight: The Instability/Tension Connection
- Tension increases instability and decreases the flexibility needed to maintain dynamic balance.
- Out of alignment posture causes tension as it recruits extra work from muscles and connective tissue
- Tension in a fall increases the risk of injury
Weight Underside
- Relax! Tense up muscles from head to toe (feel "uptight") and then release the tension, feeling weight drop with gravity while maintaining good posture.
- Arms & Hands - Feel the "underside" weight of the arms; initiate actions from the underside muscles rather then tensing up arms and shoulders. Besides helping maintain good balance while reaching and grasping, it's great for opening jars and cutting carrots!
General Notes
Experiences from the Week
- Centering to help fall asleep
- Centering awareness to alleviate hip pain when taking lots of stairs
- Moving the body as whole when emptying the dishwasher
Stabilizing Posture: Tension/Relaxation Awareness
- With feet side by side, lean forward from the hips and notice where you feel tension; then step forward to move your base of support under your upper body (bring your gaze straight ahead); notice the feel of release and relaxation throughout the body.
- With feet side by side, lean backwards from the hips and notice where you feel tension; then take a step back to move your base of support under your upper body (bring your gaze straight ahead); notice the feel of release and relaxation throughout the body.
Weight Underside Applications
- Stepping up (step stool, curb, stairs) - feel weight drop vertically through your hips and legs
- Reaching up - maintain awareness of weight falling vertically through your base of support
- Moving from standing to sitting and vice versa - don't lift the shoulders
- Carrying stuff; lifting stuff (see *Blog Post link below)
- Reaching forward
Quote of the Day
"Doing less to accomplish more" Tim Hebbert
Mind Body Techniques for Better Balance
- Weight Underside - relax! Feel your weight drop with gravity
- Compare to be Aware - shift your weight from side to side (and/or front to back) to find the feel of balance between the two extremes. Do the same moving just your attention from side to side or front to back. Do you feel your body move?
- Center - place attention at your center of balance. Remember that center is a vantage point from which to act, not a place to lock attention.
- Center Axis - when turning around, imagine pivoting the center-axis of the body.
Keep In Mind
The awareness of the workings of mind and movement that we explore in class may be new but the experience itself is part and parcel of how you have moved all of your life. Think about situations in which you typically feel centered, grounded, and weight underside as well as those in which you tend to feel unstable and less coordinated. Let your own experience be your teacher!
Practice & Application
Explore Centered Movement
- Daily Activities - Falling asleep; Taking the stairs; Standing on one foot while drying the other one after a shower; Keeping balance while standing riding the bus/train; driving in heavy traffic; walking the dog
- Household activities - Emptying the dishwasher; shoveling; using any tool; carrying laundry (or anything else); moving furniture or boxes, shoveling snow, vacuuming, et al
- Exercise & Sports - working with weights, stretching, yoga, tai chi, et al
- Walking anywhere!
- Challenges - slippery or uneven surfaces, taking the stairs, poor lighting,
Practice Practice Practice!
Developing better balance skills begins with awareness.
Check-in with yourself in simple moments - sitting at the computer, watching T.V., walking to the kitchen for a drink of water.
Take a moment to center or feel weight underside any time of night or day!
Play with the techniques and awareness while doing ordinary daily activities as well as while doing things you enjoy.
More Resources
Weight Underside Arm Movement: Check out this Cool Video on the adductor muscles to learn more about how the arms are connected to the torso.
*And here's the Blog Post about awareness and balance when carrying something heavy.