Have you ever considered the way a great athlete seems at one with what ever equipment they use, as if it were an extension of their arm or body? That’s because their brain considers it as such. There has been much research done on what is called your peripersonal space and how your brain interprets this. Peripersonal space refers to the space surrounding our body and which is within the reach of our limbs.

“In order to guide the movement of the body through space, the brain must constantly monitor the position of the of the body in relation to nearby objects.” This is from Body Schema and Multisensor Representations of Peripersonal Space By Nicholas P. Homles and Charles Spence.

Sandra and Mathew Blakeslee have also done research on this and have an amazing book out called The Body Has a Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better.

Even though a lot of research is now being done about peripersonal space, I believe chi gong masters have been aware of this for millennia. In chi gong, this space is called “wei chi.” I think it’s interesting to note how important this space is to the health of an individuals in at least two ways:

Denise Aubin, medical chi gong teacher, says “all living bodies generate an external field of energy called wei chi. This field of chi protects the body from the invasion of external pathogens and communicates with, as well as interacts with, the surrounding universal and environmental energy fields.” For more clarification on this, click here.  Also, please go to Denise’s website and check out her classes.

The body mind work together. Too often, we get concerned with trying to figure things out with our minds. Generally, this causes additional tension in the body, sending the message of additional stress back to the brain, creating a negative feedback cycle. This is another way peripersonal space affects health.

Your body posture gives unconscious messages to your brain, impacting you on subtle but significant levels. When you are slumping over your computer or cell phone, your brain reads this as stress, and produces more stress hormones. Even though you may not be feeling anxious or depressed, you are giving your brain messages implying that there is a problem. Becoming aware of your peripersonal space can help you sense your posture, and what messages you are giving your brain. It is not about holding a posture that looks good; you need to take the time to align your body – brain.

Research shows that cortisol levels go up or down according to your posture, and that standing or sitting in an expansive posture decreases your cortisol level. For greater detail about this, here is a wonderful video that seems long but teaches you simple, short exercises to improve your body-brain connection.

I hope you find the websites mentioned above as informative and helpful as I did.

As we go in to the holiday season, take time out to allow your body to give your brain some positive input!

I think one of the best ways to re-align and slow down and connect to yourself is taking time (even 5 minutes) during the day to do constructive rest position.

For starting the New Year off right, the January newsletter will be on the lymphatic system, featuring Lucy Rush. Denise and I will be doing a workshop called “Rest, Restore and Realign” on January 13th. Click here for details.

Have you ever noticed how your posture changes with different emotions or with stress? In my personal experience, as well as what I have seen in clients, during times of stress or emotional reactivity our nervous system takes over. When we are frightened or upset, the shoulders raise up in the “startled response.” When the nervous system registers that everything is okay, our shoulders relax and calming breath replaces held breath.

With different emotions our posture and our breathing change. With fear we tend to pull in and breathing gets rapid; with anger we usually tighten and exhale more rapidly; with sadness we tend not to exhale deeply, holding back tears and tightening the whole body. Unfortunately unless we listen to our bodies and respond to the stress or emotional needs, our nervous system stays stuck and does not release. Too often this becomes a repeating pattern. For greater depth and understanding of the trauma this causes the body, go to the Somatic Experience website or read Peter Levine’s book,Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.

The good news is that release and change can occur as we listen to our bodies. One’s body may need rest, emotional expression or in some cases professional help to unwind the trauma in order to once again have a regulated autonomic nervous system.

Sometimes spending too much time at the computer will put our posture out of alignment, creating stress on our whole body/mind system. Then add in emotional upset and anything can happen: pain, accidents, feeling of out of alignment in all areas or our body/mind/spirit.

Pain and discomfort are our body’s way of getting us to listen. The good news is that when you do listen, you can bring about change and learn more about your self and your body’s needs; you can work with your reactions rather than feel you have no control. You can learn to push the pause button and not explode or implode. This of course takes patience and willingness to change some of the habitual responses.

Finding some form of body awareness or bodywork that you can do on a regular basis to support the changes you want to make is very helpful.

The first step is finding the desire to listen to your body, developing that relationship of awareness rather than ignoring it, and learning to appreciate all the myriad of possibilities your body is capable of when you are aware and honor it’s needs. It does not have to be expensive massage or body work, you can do self massage and find CD’s or DVD’s that guide you through movements and awareness.

Of course having lessons of Alexander technique or other forms of body awareness is always informative and supportive.

Here are a few of my favorite suggestions for developing awareness:

1. Lying down in Rest position – lie on your back with support under your head so that your ears are in line with your shoulders your hips, your knees are up and feet flat and hip width apart. In this position you are supported and can relax and let your body lengthen and widen. Sensing any tension you can breathe into that area and let go. You can sense your skeleton and allow lengthening along the bones, releasing any holding in your joints. Let your breath take your ribs away from each other.

Click here for more details.  

2. Find a place to walk in nature, preferably one with lots of green. Being in nature is relaxing for the body, taking in the green color is soothing to the nervous system. Google Forest Therapy for more details and to see studies done in Japan regarding the benefits. Here is a link to an informative video about Forest Therapy:

3. Find ways to move your body that are enjoyable to you. This could be walking, dancing, lying on the floor and stretching. Finding pleasure in movement will encourage you to do it more often.

Here is a link to a great form of dance, 5 Rhythms which was founded by Gabrielle Roth.

4. I find consciously releasing held emotions from the body very helpful. Sedona Method is something you can do on your own and is very simple and beneficial.

Here is a link to free talks on releasing. (WRONG LINK)

Or, you can also Google “The Sedona Method” for more information.

5. Perhaps most important is to let yourself exhale. I find most people do not exhale fully, so taking time through out the day to exhale can make a big difference in stress level. It’s also a good thing to do when you are upset – remember counting to ten before you react to some upsetting moment? Add exhaling and the benefits increase.

6. There are many forms of meditation and meditation has been proven to reduce stress. Breathing through the Whole body: The Buddha’s Instructions on Integrating Mind Body and Breath by Will Johnson is a great read and gives one a deeper understanding of the body and breathing. Here is a link to his website: www.embodiment.net

All the best,

Elaine

Ah feet, how little attention we give them and how much they do for us. Since they are the support and foundation of our body and essential to movement, let’s give them some recognition.

What do you think of when you think of your feet? They are so Important to us but are often neglected unless they are hurting or needing new shoes.

For centuries women have been at the mercy of what shoe designers deem appropriate. (Most men have not had to go through the pains of high heels and super pointed shoes.) But the exercise and awareness is of course for all feet, no matter how big, small or what sex they are.

CLICK HERE if you just want to go right to the exercise.

For me and many others the level of comfort in shoes is perhaps the most important in making a choice of shoe. Luckily shoe manufactures are aware of this now. We no longer have to force our feet into too-tall, too-tight or too-anything shoes.

Who remembers when Birkenstocks and Roots hit the market? They were not much for the fashion world, but they did add much to promote comfort in shoes. Now there are many shoes available with both style and comfort. (My daughter and my friend Lee, both high hell–I meant heel–junkies would say high heels are comfortable.)

The latest rage in shoes is the “running barefoot” — the Vibram five fingers shoe. I have resisted these for some time; the thought of having no arch support with my high arches was not enticing. But I really liked the idea of getting my toes to spread. When I finally tried them, I felt how relaxed my foot and was I was sold. As Vibram says, “The more it looks like a foot the more it acts like a foot.” As many of you may or may not know, the outer toes are for support, agility and flexibility. The weight and movement is really meant to go through the big toe; I think that’s why we have that big fleshy mound on the bottom of the big toes. If the other toes are able to separate and aren’t all smashed together, then you have more support from them.

I do not think these shoes are for everyone. If you have flat feet or knee problems go slow and investigate what is best for you. There are exercises available for to improve and change your support.

Check out Body Control by Lynn Robinson & Gordon Thomson. Also Peter Egoscue has some great exercises for Flat feet and Ankles in his book Pain Free.

Unfortunately most people realize too late what not giving attention to the feet does. With bunions and other foot problems as we age, the most dominate thing that happens is less activity. I am not saying don’t ever wear high heels; some women love them and want that look (My daughter and Dear Ms. Lee wouldn’t be without them) But finding a balance and noticing what happens when you do wear those kind of shoes can help prevent problems later.

Regardless of what shoe are wearing, becoming aware of your feet through Alexander Technique, foot reflexology, and the following exercise will make a difference in your support system.

Foot Massage exercise:

As you massage your feet sense the bones, touch along the bone and feel the individual bones, do they feel pliable or hard and stiff? Follow them from the beginning of the toe out to the end. Do the toes tend to be stuck together as if they were still in a shoe or can you spread them easily? As you rub the bottom of your foot where are the tender points? You can check the reflexology chart and see what organ or body part that might relate to.

Waking up the feet and your awareness of them

Stand with your feet hip width apart, bend one knee forward and lift your ankle (your foot will be in the same position as if you were wearing a high heel.) Now roll slowly across the ball of your foot starting with your little toe all the way to the big toe, then reverse this so you are moving back and forth at least 5 or 6 times. Now pause and take note of any changes, sensations or awareness. With the same foot solid on the ground, imagine your lower leg is like a pencil and you are going to trace a circle on the bottom of the floor, moving your leg in a circle in one direction a few times and then the other. When this is done, stop and compare the side you have worked with to the side you have not worked with. Is there any change or difference? Did that bring more awareness to your foot, knee, hip relationship? Now repeat this on the other side.

You will want to be aware of your whole body as you are doing this exercise, maintain an upright spine and ease in your neck.

Please feel free you email if you have any questions. Thanks for reading and let me know if there is a topic you would like addressed.

All the Best,

Elaine