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