Making your exercise count

Hello beautiful friends,

This topic is something I've been wanting to share for a long time.

We all know that movement or exercise is essential for our health and no doubt many of you reading this blog exercise regularly. My question for you today is this - are you simply going through the motions, repeating movements in a rote manner just to get the job done? Or, are you truly making a difference?

When you exercise do you feel the change in your body? Do you feel stronger, more fluid, more at ease in your daily activities and more alive, upright and energised? And are you continuing to improve?

What if I told you that there's a way to increase the positive impact you have on your body AND use less effort, EVERY time you show up to exercise?

The purpose of my Physio practice and the Karana Posture Program is to create positive and sustainable change through exercise, to enhance the quality of your posture and movement ongoingly over your life. What I'm sharing with you today is an edited excerpt from my book - Karana Posture - which guides my posture clients 'how' to practice to positively transform their body in each and every exercise.

I call it "Making a Difference".

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

You make a difference in your body safely and effectively by remaining constantly aware of the feedback it provides.

When you tune into the sensations in your body as they arise in response to your movement practice, you amplify the transformative power of your practice.

The more present you are, the more you feel.

With practice, your feeling sense grows, you infuse greater awareness into every cell and your body becomes more responsive. Your control and coordination improve. You access a deeper strengthening capacity and create safety in stretching. Transformation unfolds faster.

You make a difference when exercising by noticing where you feel the movement or stretch and by remaining present with the predominant sensations present – either in the targeted region or perhaps a different seemingly unrelated region.

Interpreting sensation can be subtle. Many factors influence how strongly or clearly you feel: some people initially sense very little due to a lower level of kinaesthetic awareness, while others may feel more intensity because of systemic inflammation or heightened sensitivity.

What matters most is simply that you feel something – any authentic sensory response is valuable information. It's also important that you practice in the range of your body’s unique threshold of “comfortable discomfort”. Pushing too hard can not only cause injury but dull your sensory sensitivity. Instead, approach your 'edge' with kindness and curiosity.

How to Observe and Assess Sensation

First and foremost, slow your movement down a little. Slowing down will help you to be more sensitive and receptive to your body's feedback.

Secondly, breathe consciously and continuously. A flowing breath drenched in focussed awareness, ensures greater presence and helps to enhance your ability to perceive sensation.

Then note where you're experiencing sensation. What sensation do you feel?

Finally, as you move or stretch, look for changing sensation. Notice whether the sensation:

·    spreads or becomes more localised

·    changes in quality (sharp to dull, deep to superficial, narrow to broad or the reverse)

·    increases or decreases in intensity

Sensation is living energy and as such its nature is to change. Often sensation will evolve several times throughout a posture, reflecting different layers of fascial tension, muscular engagement and nervous system adaptation coming into focus.

If a sensation begins to resemble pain, modify your position to reduce the stretch, lessen intensity or provide more support. If the sensation remains comfortable, continue exploring.

When performing the Karana Posture Series (or any exercise), practice each movement to the point where you feel a meaningful shift. Suggested repetitions should, in the longterm, become simply a guide.

Recognising Positive Change

As you progress you'll find that sensation becomes easier to perceive and changes in quality, becoming more clear, comfortable and light. This reflects the improved coordination, contractile ease, elasticity and adaptability in your tissues.

You'll know you’re creating positive transformation when you notice any of the following signs:

o   Sensation shifts - either diminishing or amplifying in a manageable way

o   Fatigue, mild shaking or healthy muscle soreness

o   Breath naturally deepens in the passive poses or becomes lighter in active poses

o   Tissues lengthen or 'yawn' open as the body moves into a deeper stretch.

o   A clearer sense of coordination in the area being moved

o   A feeling of strength or integrated support

o   A growing awareness of physical sensations on the whole – the emerging “language” of your body

o   A sense of greater presence and holistic coordination, where your body feels unified and moves as a whole.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Slow down.

Breathe.

Notice where you feel sensation.

What do you feel?

Remain present with the feeling.

Keep returning your awareness to the feeling.

Look for changing sensation.

Continue exercising until you feel a sign that a shift has occured.

So, the next time you exercise, ask yourself: am I simply completing repetitions, or am I making a difference?

Every movement is an opportunity to listen more deeply, respond more intelligently, and cultivate a body that is stronger, more supple and more resilient. When you truly feel, listen and enter into a conscious conversation with your body, transformation is not something you wish and hope for in the future - you draw it into you every time you show up to move.

Exercising this way is also more enjoyable, or perhaps that's just me! I'd love to hear how it is for you.

With my sights on your future freedom.

Love,