winter trees
Ready for spring? I bet you are. As much as we'd all like to be able to control her, mother nature rules. We're all ready to spring forward but her tenacious grasp holds us still, in winter. We reluctantly re-experience the trials of the snow days as if there's a lesson we've yet to learn. How many times have you frozen and melted this winter? When life makes you harden, what does it take to become soft again?
Even though it still looks like winter to us, nature knows spring is coming. As the solidified earth changes herself and thaws to nurture emerging new growth, we too need to disintegrate winter's bitterness to prepare our bodies for prolific Spring.
Remember, we like the bears, are creatures of nature. Like the earth’s surface, we too are 70% water. We are mostly a liquid body. Like the moon and the tides we are in a constant state of expansion and contraction, ebb and flow, waning and waxing. Our liquid bodies are ever-changing.
Our bodies continuously change state depending on energy and activity. Hibernating can really take a toll on the hydration levels of our tissues. We feel stuck after too much time compressing our asses with the couch watching a screen or while sitting by the fire..sipping wine..eating carbs and chocolate.
"A human heart away from nature becomes hard"- Standing Bear
At this time of year, transitioning from Winter into Spring, it seems only natural to feel like jumping out of your own skin. How does nature outside dictate how we feel on the inside? Is the landscape with in you stirring with the promise of Spring?
"Meteoropathy (from Greek meteora, celestial phenomena, and pathos, feeling, pain, suffering) is a physical condition, or symptom associated with weather conditions such as humidity, temperature or pressure. Someone subject to meteoropathy is called meteoropathic." - Wikapedia
Over my 13 years of teaching people how to move their bodies, I've observed people consistently complain about seemingly mysterious muscular pains on rainy, snowy and humid days. Our bodies are in tune with nature even when our minds aren't. Regardless of the season, our bodies need our care in order to flow through life. Just like the habit of brushing our teeth daily, our tissues need the practice of diversified daily movement and bodywork to stay hydrated and healthy.
Compression and friction dehydrate tissue.
Compression and friction are also what rehydrate our tissue.
Do you move your body for play/relaxation?
Do you not move your body for play/relaxation?
On these cold days, what can be as rejuvenating as jumping in the pool on a hot summer day?
Before you go killing your quads (so badly it hurts to go down stairs let alone sit down) with some crazy new workout routine to start tightening up for summer, USE A FOAM ROLLER!! RECEIVE A MASSAGE!! Then move and stretch and breathe with ease. Roll away tension...roll away Winter's blues.
Rehydrating tissue with the help of someone's healing hands or massaging yourself with a roller is key to moving well, especially coming out of the cold of Winter.
Life is about balance..maintaining the flow. When our bodies, our machines are running optimally, energy flows..we can live in harmony with nature.
