Category: Mindfulness

9 Real Ways To Stop Rushing Around

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

Do you rush?

Are you that person who hurries from place to place and from thing to thing?

Do you wish that you could learn how to slow down, and not be so tense?

Do you wish you could lead a more mindful life?

After all, if you are rushing through life how can you ever stop and smell the roses?

A vase of spring daffodils
It’s spring, so stop rushing and stop to smell the daffodils.

I understand. I used to be that person: The Rusher.

Years ago one of my Alexander Technique teachers described  how he felt whenever he was running late. He called it the “I Think I’m Going To Die Syndrome.” The symptoms are as follow:

  1. Racing heart.
  2. Sweaty palms.
  3. Dry mouth.
  4. Clenched jaw.
  5. Shortness of breath.
  6. Always in a panic, the opposite of calm.

I realized that I had this syndrome bad and I realized that I needed to take control of my rushing around. I needed to create a saner approach to moving through my life.

In short, I was turning myself into a pretzel in an effort to get from point A to point B and in a timely manner.

In the Alexander Technique we talk about End Gaining.

End Gaining is when you are so committed to the outcome that you are not attending to the process of getting there.

Since the Alexander Technique is all about process, I clearly was not practicing the Alexander Technique in a meaningful way.

(The Alexander Technique is a mindfulness practice which helps you de-stress your life both mentally and physically. You can learn more about the Alexander Technique here and here.)

My rushing is a way of End Gaining.

I was so consumed about getting to my destination and getting there on time that I would completely forgo any sense of calm and control.

What’s even crazier is that–though I was almost never late–I was always under the impression that it was my rushing that assured that I would be on time.

How crazy is that? Does rushing ever assure that you will be on time? No. You will get there when you get there. Rushing and the anxiety it creates doesn’t bring you to your destination any sooner

This was no way to live and I needed to change.

I have been working on this problem ever since I recognized myself in my teacher’s description.

Here are my solutions:

  1. Ask yourself this question. “So what if I am late? “ With the exception of catching an Alaskan cruise liner out of Vancouver* or watching the solar eclipse, is being 100% punctual really necessary? Unless you are that person who consistently runs 15 minutes late, being a few minutes late is no big deal. Is it worth getting tied into knots? The thing is you are going to get there and you are going to get done what need to get done. So ask yourself, “So what if I am late?” And if you can respond “yeah, so what?” then cut yourself some slack and saunter into your appointment. It will be a whole lot better than racing in with sweaty palms and out of breath.
  2. Exhale. Breathing is a powerful way to stop the rushing. Paying attention to your breath can slow you down. Cultivating a breathing practice is simple, easy, and free! Start with an exhale. You need to empty your lungs before you can fill them up. Exhale and wait. Close your lips easily and lightly. Wait until you feel a little tug in your chest and then allow the air to come in through your nose. While you wait for the tug, do not think of this as holding your breath. Instead, think of it as calmly waiting for the urge to allow the breath back in. Do this easily for 3 to 5 times. FM Alexander called this the Whispered AH. Here is a video of me teaching the Whispered AH. This is a great little routine to practice to calm yourself down…whether someone has cut you off in traffic or you are about to make that big presentation to your colleagues. Your breath is very powerful! So, cultivate a breathing practice to counter the rushing and slow yourself down.
  3. Leave More Time– I know this one seems obvious but sometimes the obvious is worth repeating. Consciously tell yourself that you will leave 5 to 10 minutes early. Just do it. If you are that person who habitually leaves 5 minutes too late, then be honest with yourself and realize that this habit is not serving you well. You must consciously tell your self to leave 5 or 10 minutes earlier. Eventually, it will become your habit to schedule your day this way. Trust me, your life will feel much saner once you adopt this practice.
  4. Put one less thing on your to-do list. This might seem to be another no-brainer but when I tell my clients this they typically respond that this is a good idea and one they hadn’t thought of…really. Every night before I create my To-Do list for the next day. (I like to refer to it as my Ta-Da list because at the end of the day when I have hopefully completed all of my tasks I can then say Ta-Da! ) Here are some ideas on how to create the Ta-Da list.1. Prioritize your activities. Know which activities are essential and which are not. 2. Do the most difficult thing first.  For instance, by far the most important thing on everyone’s list is to move more. If going for a walk is difficult for you, do that the very first thing in your day.  3. Set things out the night before such as work out wear, ingredients for breakfast, etc.
  5. Open up your peripheral vision. When you are in a rush and stressed out you are inevitably going to become more tense. When you are tense and stressed you will have the tendency to stare and or fix your eyes. One way of dealing with this is to think about softening your eyes and allow your peripheral vision to expand. Here is one way to do that:  Notice what you are looking at right this instant. Now, allow your eyes to see a wider frame.  This can be tricky. I don’t want you to LOOK from side to side; I want you to keep looking ahead, but allow your eyes to naturally take in more. Continue to increase the frame so that you can see more of what is on either side of you. In order for you to do this your eyes have to become softer. When your eyes become softer you will become more relaxed and less anxious. Remember there is no separation between the mind and the body so how you think is how you are. You can read more about that here.
  6. Think of where you are coming from, not  just where you are going. I have noticed  that many people who rush have a tendency to lean forward. This is not surprising. Almost everything is in front of us. Our eyes, nose, mouth and hands. We walk forward 99% of the time. We are oriented forward and some of us are just far too forward. Instead, occasionally think about where you are leaving. Notice your back. Notice the space behind your back.  Think about your back releasing upwards. Notice how these thoughts slow you down, in a good way.
  7. Don’t tail gate. Ok, I’m serious here. Tailgating will not get you anywhere sooner except maybe the Emergency Room or on every other driver’s #$%&* list. Let me ask you this. Do you like it when someone is tailgating you? I didn’t think so. So clean up your driving, slow down, and leave plenty of distance between you and the car in front of you. Driving is dangerous enough as it is so we don’t need any tailgating and rushing to make it even more so. (Sorry, tailgating brings out the schoolmarm in me.  This is one of my rants.)
  8. Sing or listen to fun music while driving. I have this wonderful student who when I queried him about the amount of stress he felt in his life replied, “ I am never stressed out or anxious. I listen to show tunes when I drive.” You can too. Distract yourself from the destination and listen to songs that make you sing. What are your favorites? My playlist includes Alison Krauss, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Carol King.
  9. Ask yourself: AM I rushing? If the answer is yes then slow down!! Remind yourself not to rush by putting post it notes around your house, at your workplace, and especially in your car. Life is too short to always be on the fly. Let’s all make a commitment to Slow Down!

 I hope that you have found these suggestions helpful.

Once I became aware of my rushing I was able to shift gears and slow down. The difference in my life has been noteworthy.

I don’t arrive at events all sweaty, out of breath, and anxious. Instead I am me, calm, relaxed, and happy.

Let me know how it goes. I love hearing from you. And please, feel free to share my articles with your friends.

Also if you have any topics that interest you, please let me know!

Thanks!

-Mary

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


You can purchase it here. 

Teaching people how to move well is my passion. Sign up for posts that teach you how to be more comfortable in your body! Click here to sign up or use the form to the right of this post!

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Daffodil Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Introducing The Wonder Pause!

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

Are you the person who rushes and hurries from place to place? Do you get to the end of your day and wonder what just happened? Do you fail to “stop and smell the roses?”

The most critical step of the Alexander Technique is to stop. Stopping, waiting, and letting go of unnecessary tension is what FM Alexander called inhibition.

Inhibition is a skill that is honed over time. When you inhibit you calm your system down. The chaos and rushing go away and life becomes more peaceful.

So stop, wait, pause and notice with wonder this beautiful world.

I made this video yesterday. After a long day of teaching, I went for a walk in the snowy woods. Here is my Wonder Pause.

 

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


You can purchase it here. 

Teaching people how to move well is my passion. Sign up for posts that teach you how to be more comfortable in your body! Click here to sign up or use the form to the right of this post!

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

How To Change Your Life In One Step

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

Would you like to make a change in your life but worry that you do not have the strength or the courage to do so?

What if it isn’t about strength or courage? Maybe you just don’t know how.

Let’s take exercise as an example. Would you like to change your life by starting an exercise regimen? Do you want to commit to more exercise and movement in your day and yet you don’t know how?

Perhaps you don’t know where to start because the whole idea of exercising is intimidating.

I get it!

I have taught fitness and exercise for over 30 years so I have a lot of experience with the fitness industry.  Believe me when I say my first observation is IT CAN BE INTIMIDATING!!!!

How do you get past that intimidation?

May I suggest by just starting.

Starting is the key. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” said Chinese philosopher Laozi.

That one step can move you past the intimidation and onto a whole new way of living.

I always tell my students that they don’t have to do a one hundred and eighty-degree turn in order to change. Changing course ever so slightly puts you on another trajectory and that trajectory is the change.

That one step ushers in change.

I want to tell you this story about how a simple change had a profound effect on my horse Asherah.

Asherah is a combination of an Appaloosa and a Thoroughbred.

Asherah and her friend Mo one foggy morning.

Appaloosa’s are known to be opinionated, stubborn and often times infuriating.

Here’s a common Appaloosa joke “Why did Native People ride Appaloosa’s into war? Because they wanted to be good and mad when they got there.”

Thoroughbred’s are flighty and nervous.

So Asherah can be a handful of flighty, nervous and enraging all at the same time- but I love her.

So to deal with all of this anxiety Asherah does this horse thing called cribbing.

Cribbing is when a horse grips anything hard with her teeth and at the same time sucks air into her stomach. It is like biting your nails for humans and it releases an endorphin high except it can lead to all sorts of problems like colic.

Colic, abdominal distress, is the leading cause of death in domestic horses. A horse in colic puts fear into every horse owner. Horses cannot vomit so anything that causes intestinal distress can and often is lethal.

Asherah has cribbed so much over her lifetime that she has no front teeth. The endorphin high is so desirable that sometimes she would rather crib than eat. That sounds like an addiction to me. Asherah was addicted to cribbing and because of this, she was at a higher risk for colic.

Then this happened one cold rainy day just before Thanksgiving.

I got to the barn to feed the horses breakfast. My usual perky friendly mare was standing with her head towards the back wall of her stall.

Her stall was a mess and she was covered in shavings or horse bedding.

Often horses that are colicking roll in a frantic effort to get rid of the pain.

Clearly, she had been rolling and thrashing in her stall so this was a sure sign that Asherah was colicking.

I looked at my miserable friend and knew that there were several things that I needed to do.

Trying to control my panic I had to get her out of the stall. If she went down in the stall it would be very difficult to get her up and she might become trapped.

I put on her halter and slowly led her out of her stall and into the barnyard. Her head was low and her eyes were dull with no affect.

I placed my ear on her abdomen to listen for any gut activity and there was silence. Normally a healthy horse’s tummy sounds like a symphony but not today.

My next task was to walk Asherah and pay close attention that she didn’t lie down and roll. When a horse is in this condition if they roll sometimes they will twist their intestine and that can be a very serious situation or even fatal.

Asherah’s head was low and every few steps she would slow down and start to bend her knees a clear indication that she wanted to roll. I had to keep her moving so I grabbed a whip and gently coerced her to keep walking.

Round and round we went in the barnyard.

By this time the light drizzle had turned into a hard, cold New England rain. I pulled out my phone to call my vet but my phone screen got wet and so I couldn’t place the call. Damn cell phones!

My heart was in my throat as I wiped off the screen and tried again, and again and still nothing went through.

By this point, I am crying. Sorry folks I cannot claim grace under fire. In fact, I am shouting to the sky “Help! Help! Please, will someone help me!”

There was no one within earshot.

I knew that if I had this horse medicine called Banamine that I could at least ease her discomfort. Think Pepto Bismal with a muscle relaxant and a dose of painkillers. Unfortunately, I had recently given my only tube of Banamine to another horse friend and so I was out.

Note to self- never be without Banamine when you own a horse.

I looked at my phone again and right under the vet’s number was the number of a fellow horse owner who lived up the road. I pressed her number and the call went through!

Within five minutes Missy was standing in my barnyard Banamine in her hand, a big smile on her face and an offer to grab a blanket to cover my sopping wet horse.

We gave Asherah the medicine and she was immediately better- not out of the woods but not experiencing such pain.

I called my amazing vet Dr. Becky and her always helpful and cheerful assistant Melanie.

After a thorough vet check, Dr. Becky determined that Asherah was colicking because she had ulcers.

For the next few weeks, I gave her the human antacid Zantac- I ground it up and put it in her food. Lots and lots of Zantac.

The proud Asherah in her stall.

And I changed her feed from grain to fodder.

For three years now she has been off of grain and she has been great!

I made this simple change from grain to fodder and not only has she had no belly pain or colic but she has also stopped cribbing!

Turns out the sugar in the grain was causing her great distress to the point that she cribbed incessantly trying to relieve the pain.

When I tell this story to horse people they are astonished.

A small simple change can change your life.

You don’t have to do a 180-degree turn. You just have to move the dial.

Go for a walk. Take the stairs. Walk to your mailbox. Don’t use the remote control for your TV. Run 10 steps during your walk. Wear bigger sized shoes with a pliable sole.

Simple changes. It worked for Asherah and it will work for you!

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


You can purchase it here. 

Teaching people how to move well is my passion. Sign up for posts that teach you how to be more comfortable in your body! Click here to sign up or use the form to the right of this post!

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Rats and Cats and You!

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire
My Barn Rat

Something happened at my barn last summer that I have been desperately trying to be philosophical about. It’s what I do. I always try to find the meaning in an event.

I’m always asking myself,  what can I learn from this?

This is hard for me to write about. But, here goes. (If you are squeamish you may not want to read this post)

Last July on a bright sunny summer’s day I walked into my barn to feed my horses.

I opened my mare Asherah’s stall door and slid in her shallow dish of food. She snickered and greeted me with her lovely horse sounds.

When I returned to give her some hay I was SHOCKED to find a very large rat sitting in her food dish eating her breakfast alongside her!

I don’t know if I can express how upset I was. I screamed, slammed her door shut and ran out of the barn.

I think I did some dance in the barnyard like jumping up and down and wailing with clenched fists.

I felt revulsion towards the rat but I also felt betrayed by my horse, as crazy as that might sound. How could she share her breakfast with a rat? Plus, she looked so serene with the rat’s company. Obviously, the horse had been two-timing me with this very well fed rat for some time.

And what about my cats? I can’t describe the depth of my disappointment towards my two barn cats.

Really, cats? What do I feed you for?

(In their defense this  was a very large rat – about two-thirds the size of my cats – so I really couldn’t blame them for not going after it.)

Why did I have such a strong reaction to this rat?

I’ve had plenty of mice and voles in my barn. I have even had a rabid raccoon. We have lots of wildlife on the farm- why did this rat put me over the edge?

Why did I have such a primal reaction to this rodent?

When I posed this question to my friend Cathy she laughed and said that she had just had a similar discussion with a mutual friend who saw a mouse in her house and she jumped up on her counter and squealed EEK!

I did some online research into rat symbolism and I learned that most cultures see the rat as a  symbol portending good fortune. The Chinese zodiac calendar starts off with the rat, which guarantees good fortune in business. The native American shamanic traditions look on the rat as security and survival.  As an animal spirit guide or totem, the rat represents foresight and cunning.

For me? The rat represented a huge problem and all I could think about was that old saying:  “You never have a mouse. You always have mice!” I didn’t have a rat:  I had rats – plural. This thought brought about only more panic and revulsion.

But I had to go back in the barn and finish feeding the other ponies.

The rat had scampered away for now. It must have jumped down the rat hole.

So I made a lot of noise and very reluctantly went back into the barn and finished my chores.

I filled up the water buckets and hauled them down to the paddocks.  I pulled the leaves of hay apart and carried them down as well. I put halters on the horses and lead them down to their grassy fields.  All the while I was asking myself why my reaction was so strong?

Remember, I am always searching for the lesson

I came to think that my rat represented that situation, thing or person that you absolutely cannot abide.

The stone in your shoe if you will.

For me, the rat represented Chaos. Any barn owner knows that you cannot tolerate rats because they will multiply, take over your barn, and eventually spread disease.

Left unchecked, rats will overtake you and I knew that at a very deep and primal level.

So the rat had to go. 

But how?

My daughter Eliza was home for the weekend and she came over. She had been a wrangler on a ranch in Wyoming for a while and was not fazed by rats. When she went into Asherah’s stall not only was the big rat there but also all of her five babies!  Momma Rat was teaching her babies how to enjoy horse food.

Like I said: they will overwhelm you if they get the chance.   

We left the barn for a bit so we could plot our next move.

When we returned with rat poison, we couldn’t believe our eyes.

Greyson the Great Barn Cat

Sitting in the middle of the barnyard between two very smug cats was Momma Rat. A dead momma rat.

It was a nasty deed but it had to be done. 

I have never seen two prouder cats in my life. I was proud of them.

Boo The Brave Barn Cat

When I thought back over the week I realized that the two cats had spent a lot of time crouched in Asherah’s stall. In hindsight, I realized they were probably stalking the rat.

We all have rats in our lives…the things that you shouldn’t bear. The person who is toxic who you must no longer tolerate. The habit that is not constructive. Maybe it’s a soul-crushing job? Maybe it’s that closet in a bedroom jam packed with stuff. Perhaps it is being a couch potato and not going for a daily walk?

What is your rat? We all have them.

It’s amazing how the toxic energy still lingers. 7 months later I still walk in the barn with my eye out for a rat. Luckily it has only been me and my cats and ponies.

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


You can purchase it here. 

Teaching people how to move well is my passion. Sign up for posts that teach you how to be more comfortable in your body! Click here to sign up or use the form to the right of this post!

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

 

About Changing Your Habits

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

If you are like me, you resist change.   

So do my ponies, Mo and Pip.  

Mo and Pip happy with their hay!

This is what happened to me over the weekend.

One morning I decided not to put the ponies’ breakfast hay near their gate, where I normally leave it.  Instead, I put it closer to the fence that runs between their paddock and my mare, Asherah.

Asherah has been feeling a little needy these cold winter days and I thought that she would appreciate the ponies’ company.

But I didn’t expect this.

When I went to bring the ponies in for the night, they were not standing near the gate where they normally wait when it is time to come in. They were standing where I had left their breakfast hay.

When I clipped on their lead ropes to take them toward the gate, they refused to budge and even tried to go straight through the fence.  It finally dawned on me that they were associating the location of their breakfast hay with the gate and the way out of the pasture.

What happened next floored me.

When I was finally able to lead them to the gate, Pip started bucking and ran through the open gate, dragging me behind him. Mo got in on the action and suddenly 500 pounds of angry miniature horses were dragging me up to the barn. They were furious that I had changed their routine.

This episode reminded me of Spencer Johnson’s book Who Moved My Cheese? but in this case, it was Who Moved My Hay?

It got me thinking about habit and change.

Why do we resist change so much?

Change is hard and it is scary.

When we change, we go from the known to the unknown.

We creatures, horses as well as humans, like to know where we are and what we are about.

We don’t like to swim in unchartered waters. It scares us. It unsettles us and it makes us feel not like ourselves.

This is where the power of habit comes in.

Your habits are who you are. I’m not only talking about habits such as brushing your teeth or nodding your head when you speak. I’m talking about a much broader interpretation of habit.

Habit covers a very wide range of behavior, including things like your tempo. For instance, do you rush or do you saunter when you move? Do you have the habit of taking a long stride when you walk or a shorter stride? Perhaps you have the habit of speaking very fast and loud?  Habit is pretty much everything about you, but it is often almost impossible to see how large a role it plays in your life.

The amazing thing is that once you recognize a habit with attention and thought, you can stop the old habit and decide to proceed in a different way.

This process of managing change is a cornerstone of the Alexander Technique.

Developed by FM Alexander, the Alexander Technique is a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move, think, and “be” better. You can learn more about the Alexander Technique here and here.

FM Alexander said, “ Change involves carrying out an activity against the habit of life.”

This little exercise illustrates a lot about habit and change.

Where you are now, lace your fingers like you would if you were going to pray or clasp your hands. Unlace them and then lace them again the exact same way.

Now re-lace them but move your fingers one finger over.

Your fingers are still laced but in a different way.

How does this feel?

For most, it will feel strange and different and maybe even wrong.

But look at your clasped hands or laced fingers.  They aren’t “wrong,” they are just different.

You would probably never lace your fingers the second way because the first way is your habit and we almost always default to our habit.

Your habit felt right.

Any other way felt wrong.

We like to feel right.

What this means is that we do the same thing over and over again because it feels “right” without ever stopping to ask ourselves if it is right.

So back to Mo and Pip and the Who Moved My Hay episode.

What felt right to them was to the habit of eating their hay by the gate. What was out of their habit and what felt wrong and what ultimately made them very angry and upset was to eat their hay away from the gate. They were so habituated that they got confused and they mistook the fence for the gate.

Their reaction to the moved hay reminded me of the old saying ( attributed to Alexander Graham Bell) “When one door closes another door opens.” 

But did you know that there is more to that quote? 

The whole quote says “When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”

Our habits keep us looking “long and regretfully” at the closed door. We are so habituated to our past experiences that we are blind to new opportunities.

One ubiquitous habit is clenching or holding ourselves when we sit, stand or move.

Most of us use way too much muscular tension to get through the day. We may clench our jaw, hold our stomach in, and/ or brace our knees. Holding and bracing ourselves only makes our movement more difficult and can lead to pain and stiffness.

To change a habit you must first notice the habit. You must make it a priority to be aware of what you are doing and how you are doing it.

So, what are the habits that are preventing you from embracing change? Can you identify them? What if you were to ask yourself to stop and let go of the tension or intention around that habit? What happens next? Do you want to do something else? Do you want to choose something new?  

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


You can purchase it here. 

Teaching people how to move well is my passion. Sign up for posts that teach you how to be more comfortable in your body! Click here to sign up or use the form to the right of this post!

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

5 Reasons Good Posture Is Important!  

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

 

What if I told you that improving your posture will improve your life?

If good posture isn’t important to you, it should be.

There are many reasons why your mother or teacher nagged you to sit up straight and it has nothing to do with looking good (although looking good could be a reason unto itself J)

Sitting, standing and moving well is incredibly important because doing these things incorrectly can result in discomfort, stiffness, and pain.

  • Sitting or standing with poor posture can impede healthy breathing. Slouching puts pressure on the ribs, lungs, diaphragm and the other muscles associated with breathing. Try this little experiment: where you are right now, slouch or slump, then take a breath. See how shallow your breathing is? When you slouch or slump you cannot breathe deeply and easily.
  • Slumping can cause pain. Poor posture bypasses your postural muscles and puts undue stress on your ancillary muscular system.  This causes pain.  To understand why let’s talk a little bit about anatomy. You have two types of muscles used to support and move your skeleton: postural muscles and phasic muscles. Your postural muscles include spinal muscles, some of your abdominal muscles, hip flexors, calf muscles, and so on. These muscles are designed to work all day long, maintaining your posture. Your phasic muscles are your biceps, trapezius, triceps, etc. They are designed to perform short sprints of work such as carrying the groceries or washing a window. When your posture is poor you rely less on your postural muscles and more on your phasic muscles to maintain your posture. The phasic muscles don’t like to work long hours. Remember, they only like to do short stints of work. That’s why when you carry a gallon of milk for 20 blocks and don’t change arms your arm aches! Poor posture shortens postural muscles and limits their mobility, and this affects strength and can also cause pain and stiffness. Good posture does the opposite and lengthens postural muscles. 
  •  Slouching impedes digestion. According to an article in the Harvard Health Letter, poor posture can lead to incontinence. “Slouching increases abdominal pressure, which puts pressure on the bladder. ” Poor posture can also lead to heartburn and slowed digestion, according to Dr. Kyle Staller. “Slouching puts pressure on the abdomen, which can force stomach acid in the wrong direction. And some evidence suggests that transit in the intestines slows down when you slouch.” It just makes sense that standing up taller makes digestion easier.
  • Better posture means better balance. Think about it. Your head weighs anywhere from 10-15 pounds. Essentially you have a bowling ball sitting on the top of your spine. If your head isn’t beautifully poised on top of the spine then you will be off balance.  Your body will contort itself in every conceivable way to maintain balance so that your head doesn’t hit the ground. 

  •  Better posture translates into dynamic movement. When you have poor posture, your body has to work overtime to maintain balance. This causes excessive muscular tension throughout the body. Tense muscles don’t move easily. It is that simple. Try this. Tense your toes either by lifting them up or scrunching them. Now try to walk. What happens? You can’t walk freely or easily. Or try this. Clench your jaw. Now turn your head. Same thing! Right? You cannot move your head as easily. This is a basic tenet of the Alexander Technique: letting go of unnecessary muscular tension frees up your movement and makes moving easier. Moving more easily makes your movement more dynamic and coordinated.

So why not make this year the year to improve the way that you sit, stand, walk, and even run? Your health depends on it. 

Teaching people how to move well is my passion. Sign up for posts that teach you how to be more comfortable in your body! Click here to sign up or use the form to the right of this post!

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


 You can purchase it here. 

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

You can learn more about the Alexander Technique here.

How You Move Matters!

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

I want to show you a really cool video of pedestrians in New York City which was taken in the early part of the last century.

Watch the first video below.

Look how well these people walk!

See how upright they are.

Notice how their heads relate to their spines.

Check out how easily they walk.

Can you see how well they move through space?

Now check out below a recent video shot in NYC!

What do you notice?

The differences between the 2 videos are quite astonishing.

I’m sure that someone could write a thesis about the two.

The people in the first video just look calmer to me.

They look more self-contained and better organized.

Of course, this was taken before the 2 world wars, the flu epidemic of 1918, the phenomenal mechanization of the world with cars and TVs and telephones. Obviously, they had other monumental problems. For instance, Penicillin hadn’t been invented yet.

Can we see the influence of modernization in our posture and the way that we move?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this!

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling book  Agility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


 You can purchase it here. 

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

You can learn more about the Alexander Technique here.

 

Creating A Mindful Day With a Peaceful Morning

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

Would you like to be more mindful during your day?

How you start your day has a lot to do with how well your day goes.

Do you get up late every morning, swill down a cup of coffee and dash out the door or are you the person who gets up early and spends some time reflecting before the day?

I’m a firm believer in the latter. I wake up at 5:30 or so meditate, write, read, and then go feed my ponies.

Try it! Wake up an hour earlier than usual. At first, it may seem hard but once you have reset your internal clock it will become easier and you will relish this time of contemplation.

During this time you could start a meditation practice, do an Alexander Technique Lie Down, read something inspirational, write in a journal or spend some quiet time with yourself.

Perhaps this is the time you would like to go for a walk or a peaceful stroll. I wrote about strolling earlier. You can check out that article here.

This time you dedicate to yourself is self-care and guess what? Self-care is health care.

Not one person on this planet can take care of you as well as you can take care of yourself.

Now is the time to take care of yourself by building in time during the day when you can recharge and rest.

Creating an early morning practice of meditation and journaling, reading and reflection is a great way to start off the day.

I’ve created a little video or VLOG to spur you along! (No pun intended!) Click on the ponies below to see the video.

 

How do you start your day? Let me know how it goes for you- I love hearing from you!

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling bookAgility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


 You can purchase it here. 

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

If you would like more information about the Alexander Technique then click here.

Walk This Way! Why Your Big Toe Is Important.

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

When you walk or stroll well, your head leads the movement and your foot comes forward to prevent you from falling on the ground.

Have you ever heard that walking is “controlled falling”?

Toddler walking
Walking is controlled falling. Photo: Unsplash, Joao Alves

Imagine a child first learning how to walk.

Most adults shift their weight from side to side when they walk. If you were to exaggerate this movement, it would look like a waddle, but if you watch a child walk, they walk forward and straight.

Children don’t waddle when they walk.

One problem with the waddle is that you lose the momentum that each step generates. It’s as if you are applying a brake with each step. Instead, if you think of yourself walking forward and not side to side, you will discover that your legs and feet will dynamically flow underneath you. Walking dynamically with forward intention will make walking easier and more efficient.

Another problem with the waddle is that the foot doesn’t articulate with the ground in a dynamic way, thus having an undesirable effect on balance and stride. When your foot works well, it strikes the ground slightly to the outside and to the front of the heel. Your weight then crosses the large arch, the medial-longitudinal arch, over to the big toe.

Your big toe has two very important jobs. It helps you balance, and it propels you forward. Many adults do not engage the big toe at all. Instead, they hold the toe up and only walk on the soles of their feet. This inevitably results in the side-to-side waddle. People who do this to an extreme will create holes with their big toes on the tops of their sneakers and slippers.

If you were to exaggerate this movement, you would eventually shuffle.

The good news is that if you are shuffling now, with a little conscious thought, you can stop shuffling and move into a dynamic walk.

Shoes that fit well with a pliable and thin sole are essential for happy feet and dynamic walking. Here is a Keen sandal at Amazon. I absolutely love, love, love this shoe

Stay away from bulky, padded sneakers that, although comfortable, are not flexible.

Your toes need to be able to splay as you move. Your feet need to flex and adjust in order to keep you balanced.

Make sure that your shoes are large enough to accommodate this movement. Also, overly tight socks can impede movement and diminish balance.

If you are unsteady on your feet or you fear falling, hiking poles are a great way to ensure balance and gain confidence.

Whether you use one or two poles is up to you, but the added point of contact is a huge benefit. Used by hikers and climbers worldwide, the hiking pole is lightweight yet sturdy.

The pole height is adjustable, and it comes with a strap that goes around your wrist. To customize the height, hold your forearms at a right angle from your upper arm.

You can purchase hiking poles at many sporting-goods stores or at Amazon here.

Last week I talked about the benefits of turning your power walk into a stroll. You can see that article here.

Next week I will give  more instruction on how to improve your balance while walking.

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling bookAgility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


 You can purchase it here. 

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

 

Walk? How To Turn That Power Walk Into A Mindful Stroll!

Posted on by Mary Derbyshire

 

Do you walk or do you stroll?

One of the best ways to savor summer is to take a stroll.

Don't walk instead stroll and slow down to admire the beautiful hummingbird.
Slow down, take a stroll, and cultivate mindfulness.
Photo: Andrea Reiman

You may be wondering why I use the word stroll instead of walk.

Taking a stroll is much different than taking a walk. A walk implies purpose, a stroll implies less intent.

A stroll allows for wandering. Just the sound of the word “stroll” is easier on the ear.

Walking has a job to do. Strolling is like going on vacation.

The Merriam Webster dictionary lists stroll’s synonyms as to saunter, to amble, and to ramble.

Oh, I like the sound of those words!

To take a walk means something else. It has a goal.

One walks for fitness. One walks to lose weight. You take a walk to clear your head. Some people take walks to elevate their heart rate or to increase bone density. Others take their dogs out for a walk. And still, there are those who walk to “get their steps in!”

 

But what if you changed your mindset about walking and instead took a stroll?

Instead of walking briskly to lose weight and improve your cardiovascular system, what if you intentionally slowed down to a stroll and noticed the birds singing in the trees or your neighbor’s blooming sunflowers?

On your next stroll, you may notice that you are breathing more deeply, that you feel calmer or that perhaps those negative anxiety-creating thoughts have calmed down. Your stroll has turned into an expression of mindfulness.

Are we losing sight of the value of slowing down so that we can relish our world…stopping to smell the roses?

 

 

Don't walk instead take a stroll and smell the beautiful roses.
Stop and smell the roses! Photo: Unsplash, Osman Rana

 

According to the Positive Psychology Program, among other benefits, a mindful stroll can:

  • Reduce stress
  • Increase immune function
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Lower heart rate
  • Increase awareness
  • Increase attention and focus
  • Increase clarity in thinking and perception
  • Lower anxiety levels
  • Increase experience of being calm and internally still
  • Increase experience of feeling connected

Doesn’t that sound great! Who doesn’t want REDUCED STRESS!!!

I say let’s change the emphasis and take a stroll. Let me know how it goes. What do you notice about yourself and the world around you?

My next article will teach you how to stroll and walk better.

Here is another article on savoring summer!

How You Move Matters! You can learn how to move better with my Amazon bestselling bookAgility at Any Age: Discover the Secret to Balance, Mobility, and Confidence.  My book is illustrated with 40 videos that you access with your iPad or smartphone!


 You can purchase it here. 

My name is Mary Derbyshire. I am a fitness and movement coach. My methodology is the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice that teaches you how to move better. When you move better you feel better and when you feel better your whole life improves! Let me know what you think or ask a question! I love to hear from my readers! Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!