I went walking today...
Since I had a day off work I decided to start the day with a nice walk outside. I dressed up warm and ventured out. The wind was nasty and biting and walking across the open fields I really wished I'd had a balaclava!
I also use the same route for running and to start with I really felt like I should have been running. My only difficulty with running is I'm a three season runner - Spring to Autumn - I really don't like running out in the cold! Anyway this started me thinking about my running because I have had a small problem with my left hip joint hurting when I've run for long periods or every day. I have had Alexander Technique lessons with other teachers and worked on this problem myself and although it has improved it still turns up occasionally. So I decided to take a step back and look at my walking instead to see if I could work anything out.
Whilst you might think I am barmy it was an eye opener for me. I didn't think my walking was too bad and it is an activity I now normally find easy but I was surprised at how much improvement I achieved during my walk by applying the Alexander Technique to what I was doing. I noticed two significant things: one, my lower back felt tight and inflexible and two, my legs did not feel evenly weighted underneath my pelvis. It basically felt like even though I was walking in a straight line my legs were going to the right, especially my left leg! (When you are reading this, remember that what something feels like isn't always what it looks like!)
I started thinking about my lower back and I wondered why it felt tight and inflexible. I also wondered what it would be like if it wasn't tight and inflexible and what would it be like normally. I came to the conclusion that if my lower back was really flexible I would be in big trouble because it isn't really meant to be very flexible (unless you are in Cirque du Soleil!). This made me laugh! I came to the conclusion that it was feeling tight because I was tensing it up and I needed to stop!
I also started thinking about what would I want the relationship between my legs and my pelvis to be and once I got a clear picture of evenly weighted legs under my pelvis in mind I asked for my system to reorganise itself so it matched my new idea. And amazingly it did just that. Suddenly my legs felt even and my walking was even easier! Fantastic!
This reminded me of my left hip hurting while running. Is it any surprise that my left hip joint might have hurt occasionally if I was twisting my left leg clockwise and to the right against my pelvis and then running on it?
My walking felt quite different after this change and I kept playing with the ideas and seeing what I could stop doing that I didn't need to do. I found the whole walk very enjoyable and I noticed so much of what was going on. I got to see lots of snowdrops, a few crocuses and lots of daffodils starting to come up - all these indicators that Spring is on it's way. It was cheerful walk and a rewarding one for all my self-improvements.
I also use the same route for running and to start with I really felt like I should have been running. My only difficulty with running is I'm a three season runner - Spring to Autumn - I really don't like running out in the cold! Anyway this started me thinking about my running because I have had a small problem with my left hip joint hurting when I've run for long periods or every day. I have had Alexander Technique lessons with other teachers and worked on this problem myself and although it has improved it still turns up occasionally. So I decided to take a step back and look at my walking instead to see if I could work anything out.
Whilst you might think I am barmy it was an eye opener for me. I didn't think my walking was too bad and it is an activity I now normally find easy but I was surprised at how much improvement I achieved during my walk by applying the Alexander Technique to what I was doing. I noticed two significant things: one, my lower back felt tight and inflexible and two, my legs did not feel evenly weighted underneath my pelvis. It basically felt like even though I was walking in a straight line my legs were going to the right, especially my left leg! (When you are reading this, remember that what something feels like isn't always what it looks like!)
I started thinking about my lower back and I wondered why it felt tight and inflexible. I also wondered what it would be like if it wasn't tight and inflexible and what would it be like normally. I came to the conclusion that if my lower back was really flexible I would be in big trouble because it isn't really meant to be very flexible (unless you are in Cirque du Soleil!). This made me laugh! I came to the conclusion that it was feeling tight because I was tensing it up and I needed to stop!
I also started thinking about what would I want the relationship between my legs and my pelvis to be and once I got a clear picture of evenly weighted legs under my pelvis in mind I asked for my system to reorganise itself so it matched my new idea. And amazingly it did just that. Suddenly my legs felt even and my walking was even easier! Fantastic!
This reminded me of my left hip hurting while running. Is it any surprise that my left hip joint might have hurt occasionally if I was twisting my left leg clockwise and to the right against my pelvis and then running on it?
My walking felt quite different after this change and I kept playing with the ideas and seeing what I could stop doing that I didn't need to do. I found the whole walk very enjoyable and I noticed so much of what was going on. I got to see lots of snowdrops, a few crocuses and lots of daffodils starting to come up - all these indicators that Spring is on it's way. It was cheerful walk and a rewarding one for all my self-improvements.
posted by Barbara @ 10:38 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home