Kinnection or Connection?

It doesn't really matter how it's spelled. What matters is whether you are connected to your body or not. My use of "KINnection" highlights the fact that Kinesiology and Yoga Therapy are indeed connected. That there is overlap between the two worlds. A connection (def) usually refers to the act or process of joining or linking two or more things together. There can be a physical link between objects or devices, like a network connection for a computer, or it can refer to a relational link between people, ideas or things. My purpose for this blog is to look at connection in reference to your body.

When you get injured or want to increase the strength of a certain body part you may only focus on that one part of your body. For example, if you injure your knee you will want to strengthen the thigh and back of the thigh (quadriceps and hamstring muscles), sometimes the calf, and sometimes the hip muscles. As those muscles get stronger you will want to work on stretching them as well. Just as you feel like you are returning to your pre-injury activities, something else may start to hurt. Maybe your back or hip hurts now and you end up with tendonitis or bursitis. Or your neck hurts and you are getting more headaches.

What Does All This Mean?

In your rehabilitation path, your focus was on one or two parts of your body. However, perhaps you were using other parts of your body and didn't even realize it. Was your jaw clenching when you tightened your quadriceps or were you holding your breath? What were your toes doing? Or your buttocks?

Yoga Therapy allows you to slow down and become aware of all your body parts and the relationship they have to each other. You may be thinking that my jaw tightening has no bearing on what my knee is doing so why do I need to be aware of that?!

But it Does...

Tightening your jaw may not be a big deal, until it is! By using the muscles that were meant to move your knee, you will free up energy to move the way you want to move. You will move with ease and less gripping and tension. The movement will feel more fluid and may even increase the pain free range of motion in your knee.

According to Thomas W. Myers “imbalances or restrictions in one part of a myofascial meridian can affect other areas of the body, leading to postural and movements patterns. These patterns can contribute to chronic pain, dysfunction, and limitations in mobility.” 

So How Do You Become More Aware?

One way to start to notice your body and how it is moving is to slow down or be still. Try lying on your back or sitting in a chair and notice how you are holding your body. Notice the parts of your body one at a time. Become aware of any pain or tension that you feel. See if you can notice your breath and how your ribcage is moving. We are so used to moving in a fast pace world that we rarely take time to stop and pay attention to how we are moving.

Another way is to notice how we are feeling overall or how the movement feels. Does it feel good? Is it stiff, tight, floppy or painful?