Body awareness. It's an expression and ideal that I am constantly surrounded by at work, when dancing or when exercising.
Nearly every time I give a massage I hear, "Wow, I didn't realize how tight my legs are" or "I don't know what I did to make that so tender" or my favorite, "You never realize how sore you really are until you get a massage". And why is that? Why are so many people unaware of the physical condition of their bodies? Or if they are, they think it's normal to live in frequent pain? With the expectation of those who living with pain as a result of injuries or congenital, degenerative and autoimmune diseases we should not think of pain as a normal state of being. If the source of the pain/discomfort can't be easily explained such as from repetitive physical labor at work, being sedentary at the cubicle, stress on the job or accidentally bumping into the corner of a coffee table or wall, then either someone is beating you up in your sleep or you may have reason for concern to have a chat with your doctor.
So...what can you do about it? How can you gain more body awareness? Well, here are a list of my top 5 picks to help enhance your body awareness.
1. My new favorite activity, YOGA.
Yoga is the perfect blend of focusing on balance, breathing, flexibility, movement and strength. There are said to be hundreds of various styles of yoga each focusing on a different goal and philosophy. The link above shares 20 popular styles of yoga and what to expect from each.
2. DANCING
Whether you're a professional, amateur or anywhere in between, dancing is a great way to gain body awareness. You build awareness by using your sense of sight, sound and touch as well as, stimulating and strengthening your core for balance. You also become aware of your breathing and body parts in order to move more efficiently and if there are any restrictions in your flexibility or strength you can practice to increase those limits.
(Yes, that is me breaking on the left with my manfriend. Had so much fun at this jam! Miss my girls, Erika and Katie!)
3. MEDITATION
As with yoga, there are various types of meditation and each has many wonderful benfits. The goal for each can range from increasing relaxation, concentration, breathing, visualization or body scanning. This technique of awareness can be especially beneficial for those that experience high stress levels and/or need a moment of solitude to recenter.
4. EXERCISE
I think it goes without saying that exercising is a quick eye opener about the state of ones body. Whether it be to lose weight, increase strength, build muscle or improve your sports performance, you'll discover many things about yourself. Such as the level of your determination and will to set and reach a goal, your current health conditions, myoskeletal imbalances and compensations to name a few.
5. Last but not least, MASSAGE.
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| Photo courtesy of Tammy Tso |
Only makes since, don't you think? ;) Through manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, you become aware of tension and stiffness, myoskeletal compensations, limited circulation, inflammation and neuromuscular deficiencies. Massage also makes you aware of your level of stress; how ergonomic your work station is; your posture while working in a sedentary working environment; ways to prevent of repetitive stress disorder and trigger points and their referral pain patterns. With this knowledge you can choose whether to adopt one or more of the above listed activities to resolve the listed issues as well as treat those trigger points using a handy dandy homemade massage tool.
Thanks for reading! Hope you learned something new!
Do you do one or more of these activities or something different? How has it helped with your body awareness?
To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. ~Buddha
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