Gaining Awareness Through Movement
Now that the cooler months are here, getting out of bed in the morning requires a bit more mental and physical gymnastics from me. Especially if there is dampness in the air!
Now, I am not a morning person to begin with. So being curled up underneath those nice warm covers is really a luxury, one I am more than grateful for! Getting my body ready for a day's work with horses is key for me to keep going, even when the weather gets a bit challenging.
I have always been interested in taking care of my body without a lot of medications. I like to address the cause of the problem, not just take a pill. And I have applied this philosophy not just to myself, but also all my animals. Let's just say I love being my own guinea pig in exploring different ways of helping our bodies and our horses' bodies to move with more ease, less pain and greater ease and harmony.
Chase blissfully enjoying himself - he is such a good teacher for living in the moment!
MOVEMENT IS LIFE
In my last newsletter, I talked a bit about Myofascial Release, especially the John F Barnes method. Today, I want to touch on the Feldenkrais Method - a body awareness technique pioneered by Moshe Feldenkrais utilizing movement. EASY movement.
Most exercise approaches fall under the heading of "NO PAIN, NO GAIN". I should know, I used to be a serious weightlifter until I injured my shoulder. But this isn't always the most effective way - at least in my experience. Over the years, I have learned about and studied many different ways to help the body regain homeostasis without causing further harm. The Feldenkrais method certainly had been in my sights and I had already played with some components of it. With great success, I might add.
It's unique approach of utilizing movement and vision to re-educate the body fascinated me. Particularly because it also involves the central nervous system including our brain.
INTEGRATING BODY AND MIND FOR LASTING RESULTS
Our brain has cortical maps - maps where our body "assigns brain space" to each and every body part allocating resources for its function and movement. We also have these maps for sensory input, but for now, I am going to only talk about the motor maps.
For instance, body parts with a lot of fine motor function, like our hands, will get more space on this "map" than body parts with simpler movement patterns.
But what happens when a body part gets injured? Like when I fractured my wrist and had to have surgery? Or when our hip hurts and our body protects itself by tightening up, in essence limiting mobility, and we start compensating?
By experiencing less stimulus, our body now starts moving things around on the map. The space originally given to the aching hip is now allocated to other body parts that have to take on additional duties to compensate. Over time, our body "forgets" this body part and its ability to move! We call this motor amnesia. If you had to have physical therapy after surgery, you will most certainly know how real this is! Examples of this are lack of coordination and muscle atrophy.
You see, pain is not experienced by the body, it is experienced by the brain. So when we perform bodywork, we not only need to release tension and restriction in a particular area, we also need to re-educate the body to re-establish function. And this means we need to involve brain function without causing more brace and resistance in the body or mind.
By intiating changes within the brain function, we prolong the benefit of the treatment. This is a GAME CHANGER!
By staying within the "comfortable and easy zone", we show movement is possible and the previously forgotten body part shows back up on the cortical/brain map. Of course it's a bit more complicated than this, but this will give you the gist of what happens.
Back in September, on my Michigan trip, I got to experience Feldenkrais firsthand. Mary Debono, an excellent practitioner and teacher, showed us several very simple techniques to help us regain mobility in our backs, necks, hips and hamstrings. After spending two days sitting on chairs listening to lectures, well, let's just say, we all were more than grateful to stop limping around!
She then demonstrated the same principles on a horse (who by the way was MORE than happy to partner up with her!).
So why is this very gentle approach so effective? Because we are utilizing body parts we ARE aware of to bring back conscious awareness to body parts we forgot we had. And it is no different for our horses.
A good example would be the sternum float. By mobilizing the sternum we help bring awareness to the shoulder/thoracic sling, pectorals, ribcage, and even the lumbar area.
Light touch, tuning in, connecting - Riser is really paying attention here!
MOTOR AMNESIA HAPPENS TO ALL OF US!
A good example of us "forgetting" parts of ourselves is when we start a new exercise program or discipline. How often do you hear people say: I am feeling muscles I didn't even know I had! And this is typically accompanied by the person walking around sore, stiff and looking painful!
Most of us also spend way too much time on our smart devices (not very smart, I know!) and in front of computers, sitting in our cars, or in front of the TV. We are immobile! There is actually a new term for this - Digital Dementia. Our altered posture due to these habits also effects our brain function similar to a patient with Parkinson's Disease. Crazy, right?
My own personal experience has shown that when we help the horse regain a better posture, we also effect their behavior. So horses who seemed skittish and spooked at everything suddenly become confident and calmer. Again, body and mind - you cannot separate them.
So what if there was a way to regain mobility, awareness, balance - harmonious, elegant, effortless movement - without having to go through the nine circles of hell to get there?
What if you could become a more effective rider and your horse a better, happier athlete?
That's where techniques such as Feldenkrais come in. By addressing the body as a whole, not just a particular part, we can effect the whole a lot more effectively and without causing more strain and stress.
It is about finding new patterns of non-habitual movement to maximize your and your horse's potential and retrain the brain!
Most exercise or physical therapy approaches only look at our body as a physical structure made up of parts. Most of them use specific "exercises" and movements to address specific body parts to increase range of motion and strength. But this doesn't always work. By making the body move (as I experienced myself after my wrist surgery), we are trying to force a system that cannot be forced. We must bring in the component of mind via the central nervous system. And by doing so we cause the brain to recognize a better, more viable option. This allows for longer lasting results - something we all want!
Which, of course, means a happier horse and better performance for you!
As you can see, I am quite excited about all of this new information. As we speak, I am participating in a 8part series on how the body/brain processes trauma, and how we can utilize a whole body/brain (postural neurology) approach to help release trauma and regain our lives. And of course, my focus is then to bring this to our horses.
Sassy, my late mare, could have benefited a lot from this approach. Due to injuries early in her life and two subsequent pregnancies causing dysfunction in her whole being, she had a lot of difficulties with her hindend. To the point where we could no longer trim her hind feet because she simply could not balance herself. And while I may have regret of not knowing as much then as I do now, I have to give her credit for putting me on the path to learn as much as I could to help her. She was an incredible teacher and I miss her every day.
Therefore, my mission is to bring well-being and ease to as many horses as I can. By educating you, their advocate, and by being their advocate myself.
I hope this gets you interested in exploring bodywork for your horse as being more than just addressing physical issues but rather your horse as a whole, integrated being. Call me to schedule a free consultation!