When most of us think of flexibility we think about touching our toes, doing the splits or even something as seemingly simple as getting up off the floor with grace and ease.
There is however another aspect of flexibility equally as important and that’s consciousness flexibility.
A healthy body is a physically flexible body however if we are rigid in our consciousness and thoughts this in turn expresses rigidity in our biology. Similarly if we have physical rigidity in our body this impacts on our consciousness making us less adaptable and less resilient. Hence the mind and body are interconnected and inseparable.
Lets dig deeper into the impact of inflexibility on the body and our mind plus what we can do to help ourselves.
Physical Inflexibility
Australian studies have shown that at least half of the age-related changes to muscles, bones and joints are caused by disuse. So the old term “use it or lose it” reigns true. Yes it is true that we tend to get less flexible with age however the following tend to accelerate the process
- Sedentary lifestyles
- Injury
- Weight gain
- Stressful work postures and repetitive movements
- Eating foods that cause an inflammatory reaction
Once our flexibility becomes reduced we consciously or subconsciously start to reduce our normal range of movement and it’s not long before our body adapts to these limitations and we see a spiral of change within the body.
Physical changes seen with inflexibility:
- Poor Posture: Forward pitch of the head and shoulders is one of the most common postural distortions found with inflexibility.
- Muscles: Shorten, become tight, lose strength, endurance and they become more susceptible to strains and tears.
- Joints: Become restricted and in time, less lubricated, inflamed and worn.
- Bones: No longer receive the normal stresses they require for healthy bone development and therefore we may see both increased bone development around stressed joints (i.e.) arthritic changes or decreased bone development in areas of disuse (i.e.) osteopenia
- Nervous System: Due to the above changes the spine may become misaligned and therefore the nervous system compromised preventing the body from expressing its full potential physically, chemically and mentally.
Inflexibility of consciousness
An inflexible consciousness means doing such things as:
- Harbouring grievances or resentments
- Inability to let go of ridged attachments i.e. — to outcomes of people or events
Science to support the mind and body connection
Dr Bruce Lipton a stem cell biologist and bestselling author has research to show conclusively that
“The environment in which a cell lives determines its genetic activity and that our thoughts both positive and negative shape our biology”
Basically, he is saying that we can change our future based on our attitude and the things we believe. He suggests that if we believe that our gene’s control our life then we are victims of hereditary.
If you want to listen to more check out his YouTube video: Biology of Belief Part 1/2
How Chiropractic can help flexibility
Chiropractic acknowledges that the body is self-correcting and aims to improve flexibility naturally by improving mobility and function in areas where the body is unable to self-correct. If the spine, extremities and nervous system are free of interferences and we have good plasticity then we potentially can become more resilient, adaptable and tolerant of external and internal stresses.
Home care to help increase flexibility in the body
- Move: Walk, ride a bike, swim, join an exercise group or gym, avoid sitting for longer than 20 minutes without getting up and moving
- Good Posture: Aim to hold good posture through out your day. Chiropractic care aims to help improve your ability to hold good posture.
- Strengthen postural muscles:
- Stretch: There are many ways to stretch different parts of the body and many different people and videos to help guide you. We have created some simple Lumbar mobility exercises to get you started.
- Breath: Take big deep breaths expanding your chest whilst pulling shoulders down
- Healthy Diet: Eat whole fresh unprocessed foods. Avoid sugars and foods that make you feel stiff, sore, bloated or unwell after eating. Talk to your Chiropractor if unsure.
Home care to increase consciousness flexibility
Dr Deepak Chopra is widely recognised as one of the worlds leading authorities in the field of holistic medicare. He has two prayers/affirmations he recommends:
For letting go of rigid attachment:
“When things don’t seem to go my way – I let go of my opinions of how this should be – trusting that I don’t know the big picture, the grand picture – if I knew the grand picture I’d be fine.”
Harbouring grievances or resentment:
Picture the person or situation you are harbouring grievance and resentment towards, and just say “LET GO” and in that letting go you are saying I forgive you. Forgiveness is having a loving awareness of someone and not judging them.
If you feel stuck with regards to releasing any emotional inflexibility in your life please talk to your Chiropractor as an NET (Neuro-Emotional Technique) may be hugely beneficial.
We all have the ability to be more flexible in both our body and consciousness so take the challenge and become more flexible today.
Sally
