Chronic pain can make you feel un-focused, put a strain on your relationships and
affect your attitude every moment of the day.
Chronic pain and headaches with no medical diagnosis are often the
result of postural miss-alignment due to injuries, occupational
positioning, and emotional stresses sustained or held on to over the years. We all have some level of
postural miss-alignment. You would be hard pressed to find that person with a perfectly symetrical body.  Chronic pain sets in when the degree or number of
postural miss-alignments exceed what your body is able to tolerate.  Higher or more forward hip, shortened leg or high shoulder are just a few and are usually combined due to compensation for
original injury or stress.

Massage, Polarity and energy work offer natural healing alternatives for chronic
pain relief due to postural miss-alignment.  By easing overly contracted muscles and gently aligning the natural lines of the body, over time, the body unwinds and shifts to optimal positioning.   Much easier on the body than
Ibuprofen.

This blog is about the synergy of martial arts and bodywork and how they help to deepen all aspects of self-knowlege – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.  It includes my observations and some interesting history.

First, my exposure to martial arts.

I started practicing TaeKwonDo at Giorgio’s Health and Fitness about a year after I started a formal study of healing work.   I had signed up my son who loved to kick at the time thinking it would be a good outlet for him and would help to put some rules around kicking.  Such a modern Mom.  He was very young and insisted that I stand near him in every class.  Other than the instructor, I was the only person over three and a half feet tall in the room and felt very conspicuous.   My discomfort of feeling like Gulliver among a contingent of kicking and punching Lilliputians ultimately led me to sign up for Giorgio’s Parent/Child class on Saturdays.  It was fun and he was happy.  After a while, one of the teachers tried to convince me to really practice TaeKwonDo  – to go through the training process of attaining the next belt level .  He said, “You will love it.  It’s awesome.”  I poo-pooed the idea saying, “I am a peaceful person.  I work to help people, not to hurt them.”  But, after listening and practicing in the classes I attended with my son, I started to realize that this was not just a method of defending oneself or exerting physical power over another person.  It’s a training of efficiency of movement, of focus of mind, and of understanding one’s body and the form it cuts in space.  How your energy moves and how you can make it move.  How much force you can create with as little effort as possible.   Many of the things that I love about bodywork. There seemed to be a real synergy for me.  As much as I hated to admit it, the teacher was right.  I loved it.  So, I embarked on practicing TaeKwonDo.  I must give a plug for Giorgio’s Health and Fitness here as Mr. Giorgio has seemingly limitless knowledge on the practice and a great way of teaching and all of the people who practice and teach there have a true love for the sport. 

Now, the part on energy work and the influence of martial arts.

One of my favorite types of body/energy work is Polarity.  Knowing that one of the foundations of Polarity is Ayurveda (the traditional medical practice of India), I decided to get a deeper understanding of the origins of Polarity and Ayervedic therapies by getting certified as an Ayurvedic Technician.  I will  mention here that Marma points (vital pressure points in the human body where muscles, veins, ligaments, bones or joints intersect that induce the flow of energy through the body ) are integral to all Ayurveic  therapies.  Well, as I was studying for my Ayurvedic Technician certification, I read the following in the book, “Ayurveda and Marma Therapy Energy Points in Yogic Healing”  by Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Subhash Ranade, and Dr. Avinash Lele:

“The knowledge of marmas (pressure points on the body) was part of the path of the warrior who learned to master his Prana (life force) for both defensive and offensive purposes.  The ancient Vedic warrior code emphasized the development of personal energy, courage and self-dicipline, which rested on the knowledge and control of Prana and its key sites within the body.  Marmas were associated with the use of armor for the body which was devised to protect these vital points from injury.”

Of course, this makes total sense.  I have always loved that bodywork brings knowledge of the body and a balancing of life force.  And, of course, that is what martial arts practice does as well.  Yoga, and really any physical activity you do with mindfulness does this for you.  It is when there is unity of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit that we feel our best so, it makes sense to practice activities that allow us to obtain that unity as often as we can.

Today’s blog is about optimal movement and how bodywork and other holistic practices can help.  Moving optimally is key to staying injury free.

In an effort to improve my speed for TaeKwonDo, I’ve been practicing boxing  (sparring with another person) once or twice a week.  It is by far the hardest workout I have ever done.  You are constantly moving, focused, so into it, and the next thing you know, you can barely stand up.   The big  ah-ha I had during my last session, with gentle guidance from my coach Paul Witherspoon, is that if you do an uppercut with your torso and head up-right, the punch goes up.  If you do it with you head and torso facing into someone, it goes in.   The same exact movement with your head and torso positioned differently, has an entirely different affect.  The trick is to execute that movement in its most optimal manner whether you are standing straight or bent in to your opponent.  If you don’t, you miss your mark, hurt yourself, or get hit by the other guy! 

That’s when my bodywork observation popped in.  The biggest issues I see are when people mistakenly use their body in a non-optimal way.  It’s not really about doing it “wrong” – just not optimally.  It’s most important for when you are moving quickly or with a lot of power but, also important when you are driving, typing, or playing with the kids.  Sure, you won’t hurt yourself as much by using poor hand positioning while using your mouse as you might doing a poorly formed flying side kick but, if you do that same bad positioning 500 times a week well….hmm…

How do you achieve optimal movement?   For me, it takes a slowing down and paying attention to my body.  In trying to get that upper cut to work, I had to go really slow several times.  Much slower than I wanted to or than seemed comfortable.  Once I got the right movement, I knew it. I could feel the difference.  It felt easy.  Bodywork, yoga, and meditation are all great practices designed specifically for getting you to pay attention to your body, slow down, and notice.  To become silent within helps to achieve efficient movement without.

It may seem difficult to do these practices as often as one would like.  But, if  you schedule them on a regular basis, like an oil change, hair appointment,  exercise class, or grocery shop, you will retain that awareness and apply it to everyday activity.  For example:  after 3 bodywork sessions, you might notice that you always cross you right leg over your left causing a pull in your left glute or, after a few weeks of yoga class you notice that you can breath slower and more deeply even when you’re stuck in traffic.  Imagine how good you could feel if you start noticing these things all the time and find yourself making the right adjustments for more optimal movement.

Think about it:  optimal movement means optimal energy flow which supports not only your muscles, joints and bones but your nervous system and all your organs.  Not to mention a great uppercut!

Great practices to support any kind sporting activity:

Crossfit Training

Plyometrics

Polarity

Yoga

Therapeutic Massage

Running (for head and heart)

Meditation

This past Monday, I ran in the Sudbury Fourth of July Road Race.  I hadn’t trained for it at all but, had run 3 miles the previous week and had felt surprisingly good so, thought I’d give it a go.  I thought it was a 5K (3.1 miles) but, when I went to register that morning, found it was 3.8 miles.  A little more than expected.   I thought, “Well, .8 isn’t THAT far” and decided not to worry about it.  I was a little nervous at the start.  I didn’t really feel nervous myself as I was just running for an experiment and a workout but, I think I was catching the nervous buzz of the group.  I worked to keep my energy high and relaxed surrounding myself with light and comfort.  It helped.  The first mile, I went slow to start but found I felt wonderful.  In a book that I read recently, John Douillard’s “Body, Mind, and Sport”, the author says to notice how your body feels while you are working out and only do what feels good.  I translate that to: “How do I feel now?  Is there some adjustment I can make to feel better.”  It really works.  I picked up my pace and still felt good.  I felt really good the whole way.  There was a challenging uphill at the very end but, once I got to the top, I was able to recover pretty quickly.  My son and husband were waiting at the finish line.  I started my sprint in but realized that I had started too soon.  I couldn’t stop the sprint because I knew running in fast at the end would delight my son.  So, I kept it up all the way to the finish line. 

I felt pretty good for the rest of the day and did a regular workout the next day.  No problems.  I started to think, “Why, at 48, do I feel so good?  When I was in my late 20’s I did a lot of running and never felt so relaxed during and good after a race.  What am I doing differently?”  Here is what I came up with:

I went into the race not trying to do my best time but with the thought, “ I want to feel good the whole time.  I want to feel relaxed, enjoy the scenery, notice other people, and have fun.”

I noticed how I was feeling and if I didn’t feel great, I didn’t push myself, I asked my body what I could do to feel better.

• I go for Polarity sessions every other week.  Recently, my Polarity therapist did some great sacral alignment work that I have really noticed.
• I go for Chiropractic care when needed.
• I practice dry brushing and oilation each morning.
• I go to my Ayurveda doctor.  She has given me herbs and food suggestions specific to my constitution.
• I finally got a physical and discovered my iron was very low and that some of my other numbers could be better so, I have been taking some high quality supplements.
• I am doing Cross Fit training with a brilliant mixed martial artist, Paul Witherspoon.  It involves Plyometrics, Named CrossFit workouts (such as Fran, Elizabeth, Dianne) and sparring. 
• I practice Taekwondo regularly with a great teacher.

The theme I notice is that I am paying attention to my body and its signals on my own and through the help of others.  The martial arts training is not just great for the body but, for the mind as well.  And, finding the right practitioners for my body, mind and spirit is key.  I notice that I am continuously opening myself to new ideas and the more I do that, the better my intuition and self-knowledge become.

Do You Want to Get Healthy This Year?

Feel More Energetic?

Relieve Aches and Pains?

You are invited to a fun & educational:

NUTRACEUTICAL PRODUCT SEMINAR

Presented by:  Dr. Cela Doppelt  –  MD, FACOG, American Academy of Anti-Aging

Date:  Sunday, January 23, 2010

Time:  4:00pm– 6:00pm

In this seminar, you will learn about the benefits of nutritional supplements and the unique way that Nutraceuticals are absorbed for use by the body.  Topics covered will include:

Where:  99 Nobscott Road, Sudbury, MA 01776

RSVP 978-443-9655 (Denise Dunne) or 978-460-1736 (Susan Steele)

Hosted by
Donna Park – RN, CNOR
Susan Steele – LMT, RPP, Reiki III
Denise Dunne – Nutraceutical Consultant

Join us for appetizers, open discussions and the presentation

The Benefits Of Bodywork
What are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? Here are just a few:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays
• Ease medication dependence
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts
• Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin
• Increase joint flexibility
• Lessen depression and anxiety
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling
• Reduce spasms and cramping
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles
• Relieve migraine pain

Adding Bodywork to Your Healthcare Regimen
Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. Now that’s a bummer. While eliminating anxiety and pressure altogether may be idealistic (especially if you have a job, children, parents, house, car…. Not many of us can leave it all and head for the woods.) bodywork can, without a doubt, help manage stress. This translates to:

• Decreased anxiety
• Enhanced sleep quality
• Greater energy
• Improved concentration
• Increased circulation
• Reduced fatigue

Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after receiving bodywork. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical benefits.

Profound Effects
In response to massage, specific physiological and chemical changes cascade throughout the body, with profound effects. Research shows that with massage:

• Arthritis sufferers note fewer aches and less stiffness and pain.
• Asthmatic children show better pulmonary function and increased peak air flow.
• Burn injury patients report reduced pain, itching, and anxiety.
• High blood pressure patients demonstrate lower diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, and stress hormones.
• Premenstrual syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention and cramping.
• Preterm infants have improved weight gain.

Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch—which range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage and Reiki in particular are becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site practitioners to treat postsurgery or pain patients as part of the recovery process.

Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Having a bodywork session can really give you a boost and getting sessions frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Just like with exercise, regularly scheduled sessions can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is an investment in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

Review the clinical research studies examining the benefits of massage at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.