| One of | | | | or more stiff? That's |
| the signs of aging is chronic pain and stiffness in | | | | how you know, and that's one way a person's brain |
| various areas of the | | | | gets conditioned to maintain |
| body and restrictions of various movements. By the | | | | a level of tension.Another way is through a physical |
| time people reach their thirties, many have these | | | | injury. When |
| restrictions. According to popular opinion and medical | | | | we get hurt, we guard the injured part by pulling it in |
| science, that is to be expected. Popular opinion and | | | | and out of action. The event of injury may make |
| medical science don't say why it is to be expected, | | | | such an impression upon us that we may (and many |
| except perhaps to blame (without an illuminating | | | | people do) continue to guard the injured area in |
| explanation) our genes. While bodily changes are | | | | memory of the injury for decades. Thus forms a |
| linked to our genetic destiny, there is another factor, | | | | tension habit that leads to accumulated tension, pain, |
| one which is within our power to control.This article | | | | stiffness, and sometimes joint damage -- "arthritis". |
| provides an illuminating explanation as to why pain | | | | Even without arthritis, accumulated tension adds drag |
| and restriction often appear with aging -- and what | | | | to movement and makes it more difficult; people feel |
| you can do about it. The illuminating explanation has | | | | tired all the time, "old".Even physical fitness programs |
| to do with a common, seemingly innocuous condition | | | | can lead to |
| underlying the movement restrictions of aging in | | | | chronic tension. Many kinds of fitness training |
| nearly all persons -- the accumulation of muscular | | | | emphasize strength and firming (tightening) up. Rarely |
| tension. By preventing tension from accumulating | | | | do they teach a person to relax. More often, they |
| now, one can prevent the damage that leads to poor | | | | teach a person to stretch and "warm up", which is |
| aging later; by eliminating accumulated tension, one | | | | not the same as teaching relaxation. So many fitness |
| can reclaim much of the physical grace and comfort | | | | programs (or at least the way some people do |
| one had years earlier.THE OBVIOUS SIGN OF | | | | them) cause them to form tension habits.So, it's not |
| DECREPITUDEHow can you tell an "aged" person at a | | | | so much our years as the tension |
| distance? It's by their posture, isn't it? Posture is a | | | | habits we form over those years that determine |
| habitual way | | | | whether we develop the pains and stiffness of aging |
| we have of moving and positioning ourselves, using | | | | and lose that part of our youthfulness.A WAY BACK |
| the muscular system.Much has been said in recent | | | | TO MORE YOUTHFUL COMFORT AND |
| years about osteoporosis | | | | MOVEMENTThe pain and stiffness of aging start out |
| -- loss of bone density -- being responsible for | | | | as |
| changes of posture. While that is true in some cases | | | | temporary tensions that become learned habits. |
| and to varying degrees, muscular tensions have much | | | | Those habits can be unlearned.The odd thing is that |
| more to do with | | | | our tension often seems |
| the postural changes of aging than does | | | | to be "happening to us" -- rather than something we |
| osteoporosis. The posture of aging reveals muscular | | | | are doing. |
| tensions that a person has accumulated and may | | | | Much of it exists below our "threshold of |
| have carried for years.Along with postural changes, | | | | consciousness". We're "used to it"; we don't notice it. |
| the mythology | | | | So, the first step to breaking a tension habit is to |
| of aging has two key features: pains and stiffness.Is | | | | become conscious of it. Only then can we stop |
| it possible that chronic muscular tension | | | | tightening ourselves up."Somatic exercises" |
| alone can create the pains and stiffness of | | | | effectively break the tension habit. The word, |
| aging?SOURCES OF PAIN AND STIFFNESSWhen | | | | "somatic", means "self-sensing and self- controlling" -- |
| muscles get tight and stay tight, they cease to be | | | | the way you sense and control chewing. There are a |
| elastic; they restrict movement. That sense of | | | | number of systems of somatic exercises that |
| restriction is what people call "stiffness", and it exists | | | | accomplish this goal.Somatic exercises improve |
| quite apart from the effects of arthritis.Those same | | | | posture, make you feel younger, improve flexibility, |
| muscles, held tight for days, weeks, | | | | and ease or eliminate chronic pains. They pain |
| and years, get tired, sore, and prone to spasm. That | | | | spontaneous movement without pain possible, |
| feeling of muscle fatigue and soreness produces | | | | again.The clinical form of Hanna Somatic Education |
| much of the chronic pain of aging. The effects of | | | | clears up especially painful or persistent |
| muscle tightness on joints is another factor that adds | | | | problems.Either way, you gain freedom of |
| to pain and stiffness; tight muscles pull bones | | | | spontaneous movement without pain, better |
| together at joints, creating pressure.Most people are | | | | coordination, more complete relaxation, and more |
| sore to the touch in one place | | | | strength guided and helped by the coaching of a |
| or another -- not because they are "old", but | | | | somatic educator.Improvements are stable and |
| because they are | | | | require minimal |
| tight, and their muscles, overworked.The problem | | | | upkeep -- a few minutes of somatic exercises as |
| exists, however, not in the muscles | | | | part of ones daily regimen. |
| themselves, but in the brain that controls them -- | | | | Once a problem has been resolved, those exercises |
| why is why massage and stretching provide only | | | | can keep you comfortable and supple for a |
| temporary relief. Muscles obey the brain, and if the | | | | lifetime.So, if you thought pain and stiffness are the |
| brain says, "contract", muscles contract -- massage | | | | inevitable result of "aging", consider the possibility that |
| and stretching notwithstanding.There is nothing wrong | | | | you can forestall or reverse those effects and decide |
| with people's brains, however, and they don't | | | | whether it's worth the effort to you to do |
| need medication or a brain-scan; they need to learn | | | | it.Lawrence Gold, bio page |
| -- or relearn -- to relax. They need to break their | | | | BRIEF: |
| tension habits, formed over a lifetime.People go | | | | Lawrence Gold served as Associate Instructor with |
| through their lifetime of experiences | | | | the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and |
| doing either one of two things: tensing or relaxing. | | | | Training and for two years he was on staff at the |
| Think back to an earlier | | | | Wellness and Rehabilitation Center of Watsonville |
| time in your life when you were in a new and | | | | Community Hospital, California.He has written and |
| possibly stressful situation | | | | published advanced handbooks of practice for |
| -- one that you knew might last a while or that | | | | professional practitioners and movement therapists, |
| lasted longer than you | | | | and self-care instructional programs for back pain and |
| expected. Notice how you feel when thinking about | | | | general health, for the general public.Illustrated |
| it. Are you tense, or | | | | instructions for somatic exercises are found in The |
| relaxed? Can you tell? How were you, then? Did you | | | | Magic of Somatics |
| manage your tension | | | | (For a free preview, send email to (POINT AND |
| or did you turn your attention to "more important | | | | CLICK:) free previewSee also: |
| things"? Did | | | | Somatics : Reawakening the Mind's Control of |
| you get used to your tension? If so, you probably | | | | Movement, Flexibility, and Health (Perseus Books); |
| lost some of your ability | | | | available in several languages. |
| to relax. Over a lifetime, did you get more flexible, | | | | |