Our Body Loves One Moment At A Time

Winter is not over here in Bend. Friday night a good bit of snow fell so it is time to get the blower and shovel out. I realized I really enjoy doing things most people think are inconvenient. Clearing the driveway of snow is one of those things. I have forgotten what it’s like to be uncomfortable or to even hurt when doing daily chores. I spend a lot of time helping people out of pain so that these “inconveniences “ are not a problem. But I never really tell them how comfortable and enjoyable simple tasks can be when your body moves well.  It’s really comfortable for me to bend over and pick up the laundry, and pushing the blower up my steep driveway is a fun challenge because in those little moments I am really in my body and not in my head.We spend so much time looking forward to things like skiing, running and working out but "check out" when going from sitting to standing or walking across the room or standing in line at the grocery store. This ignoring creates tension that we don't even know is there except for a sense of tightness in the shoulders or hips which becomes our new normal. Sometimes these discomforts lead to an injury but often it just becomes labeled as “old age” or blamed on an old sports injury. I can remember when I first felt a huge relief of tension in my body with sitting. I learned how to lean back in a chair (Recline is Devine in my book). There was a comfort level I cannot describe. I had not felt that relaxed sitting since I was a child, my neck felt free of tension. This was the beginning of a journey to a “new normal” that was without tension and based in relaxation. We have become a society that wants to eliminate or “hire out” these fundamental activities or inconveniences. We want to get them out of the way so we can get to better or more important things. I have found the opposite is true. The “being in the moment” cliche has real meaning and truth when it comes to the health of our body. It’s our minds that are in rebellion to this fact. What I have learned from my own body and helping others for so many years is that these simple movements and daily chores we do all the time are the foundation to feeling relaxed, grounded, and strong.