A Full Range of Natural Movement.

A full range of natural movement is what your body should be able to do. Your full potential. Not what you are currently able to do.

With a full range of natural movement the body can work at optimal, maintaining the ideal posture at all times, whatever it is doing.

posture

Silhoettes of 5 poses. First One Legged Downward Dog. Leaning forward, body and arms in a straight line with both hands on the floor. One foot is on floor with a straight leg, other leg is lifted straight up above the buttocks. Second a standing upright pose, with arms in front, elbows bend and palms together at chest height. Third A Forward Bend Pose. Legs are wide out to the sides, standing on toes. Body lent forwards with head and hands on the floor, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Fourth is Tree Pose. Standing on one leg arms outstretched above head with palms together. The other leg is lifted with the knee bend to the side so that the base of the foot rests on the side of the thigh of the standing leg. Fifth is a Plow Pose. Lying on back with the arms straight down by the sides, the abdomen is curled, pelvis towards the shoulders and the legs are kept straight with the toes touching the ground over the head.

With a full range of natural movement the body is dynamically balanced and aligned.

body alignment and balance

Movement is stable and controlled, flowing through every possible position without pain or tension.

Do You Have a Full Range of Natural Movement?

With a full range of natural movement the head, arms and legs can all be moved independently through their full range of motion in a smooth and controlled manner, without effort or strain. This is possible when:

  1. The five main muscles of movement can be fully utilised.

    2. 5 main muscles of movement

  2. The body is free of physical restrictions in connective tissues that would otherwise limit movement.

    3. physical restrictions

Silhouettes of 5 poses. First The Plank. Toes and hands on ground, with arms and legs straight so the body held off the floor in a straight position, like a plank of wood. Second Lord of the Dance. Standing on one leg, body leaning forward with same side arm fully extended straight out in front. The other arm is straight held out to the back holding the foot of the other is leg which is lifted, with knee bent, behind the body. Third sitting with legs crossed, lotus position. Palms together at the front of the body with elbows bent. Forth Side Plank Pose. Feet together on floor, one hand on floor with arm straight holding the body up in a straight position. The other arm extended up above the body, head facing up. Fifth pose is an advanced Forearm Stand which has the forearm of one arm contacting the floor the rest of the body is lifted up as the torso curls backwards. The other arm is extending outwards in front of the chest. One leg is above the body, knee bend and the other leg continues backwards to hang about the arm on the ground, knee also bent.

Restricted Range of Movement.

In my experience, very few people have a full range of natural movement. The body is very adaptable, continuing to function with significant restrictions. So much so you may not appreciate what you are missing.

There are multiple options for the body to achieve what appears to be the same pose (such as touching your toes or touching your nose). The body skips over painful positions and makes mini-adjustments throughout the body to imitate a pose, but it's "cheating", not using a full range of movement.

Anything that causes a restriction in our connective tissues reduces movement and over the years restrictions build up.

Life heaps trauma on us... have you stored the damage rather than releasing it by returning to a full range of natural movement? Injuries, inflammation.

If you don't use it - you lose it. Getting stiffer as you get older shouldn't just be accepted.

Old injuries that never quite go away.

I didn't appreciate how much movement I was missing until I started to recover.

It's taken several years to get where I am now.

Every day being able to move a little more than the day before.

Releasing the pain and tension I had been carrying around.

Silhouettes of 5 poses. First is called Warrior One. Standing with arms extended above head, palms together. One leg out to the front with knee bent, the other leg is back and straight. Second is called Upward Bow. The body is fully bend backwards with hands and feet on the floor and the head hanging down between the arms. Third is a Hand to Big Toe pose. Standing on one leg, other leg lifted straight out in front, same side arm stretched out holding the foot. Fourth is called Half Lord of the Fishes. Sitting on floor with twisted legs. One bent at the knee fully on the ground, the other bent at the knee which is facing upwards and crossing the first leg. One arm bend with elbow on knee, other arm behind body, hand on the ground. Fifth pose is another Hand to Big Toe. Sitting on the floor, legs extended. One leg is lifted off floor with foot being held in the hand of outstretched arm. Other arm is extended backwards, the body rotating to face backwards.

How to Improve Your Range of Movement.

A full range of natural movement is something to work towards. Something to aim for. Day by day, an on-going process.

1. Work with the right muscles.

Start by focusing on your Base-Line muscles: Pelvic floor Base, rectus abdominis Line. (Two of the 5 main muscles of movement.)

Base-Line muscles

human figure seen from the front, looking up the body with the baseline muscles shown. The pelvic floor muscles like a basket at the base of the body that should be solid and secure. The rectus abdominis muscles extending from pelvis to the ribcage. The body's core pillar of strength either side of the linea alba. The rectus abdominis muscles should bend and flex in all directions, supporting the rest of the body through a full range of movement.

These muscles provide the central support needed for a full range of movement. Think of your Base-Line as your 'core pillar of strength' from where the rest of the body extends.

2. Breathe with your Base-Line.

'Breathing with your Base-Line' - stronger and longer with every in breath - will help you build a connection to these muscles, increasing both your ability to activate them and your awareness of their relative positioning.

breathing technique

3. Develop your sense of position, movement and balance.

Focusing on your Base-Line will increasе your awareness of the position your midline anatomy and help develop conscious proprioception (your sense of position, motion and balance).

conscious proprioception

Conscious proprioception, feeling the relative position of the parts of your body, is the connection between body and mind. and these sense will guide you in how to move to improve your positioning and work towards a full range of natural movement, dynamic balance and alignment.

As you start to connect more with your body you will start to notice the kinks and twists, adjustments to reach a position or avoid a painful movement. Movement should be smooth and fluid. ass out, knee adjustment etc... avoidance tactics.

4. Explore your range of movement.

Explore movement supported by your Base-Line.

Look for clues about what the body is capable of. From Pilates exercises, the asanas of yoga, the movements of tai chi, ballet and other forms of dancing, the list goes on. Inspiration is everywhere.

Watch a selection of videos for ideas (YouTube is a great resource). Take a few classes if there's something that appeals to you but remember it's not about doing a set number of repetitions, or getting into a certain pose or keeping up with the rest of the class. It's about connecting with your body and doing whatever feels right for you at the time, guided by your Base-Line.

Keep moving (even if it's just wiggling your toes whilst sitting on the sofa) and breathing with your Base-Line to build the connection between body and mind.

The roll-down action was my go-to move during my recovery, accompanied by moving however felt natural to releasea a little more.

the roll-down

5. Learn to feel your state of alignment.

Feel for your midline anatomy aligning on the median plane.

body alignment and balance what do they mean? Alignment and balance need a reference line. Our midline anatomy and the median plane are what we should think about when talking about body alignment and balance. Image of a human figure viewed from the front. Showing a line straight down the middle. splitting the body into left and right halves from head to pelvis i.e. left and right sides of the body are balanced either side of midline. The midline anatomy is at full extension, in alignment, creating the median plane.

the median plane

Picture in your mind this line being as straight and smooth - as extended - as possible.

Use different parts of your body in contact with each other to give you more sensory information about your positioning.

Making contact gives you more feedback about the relative positioning of the bits of your body and helps to develop your sense of proprioception.

Regaining Your Movement is a Process.

Improving your posture and regaining your natural range of movement is a journey. It takes time and effort on your part.

The more stored trauma you have, the longer it will take. But if you don't make the effort to balance and align yourself, the pain will only increase.

Little by little, releasing the physical restrictions, pains and tension by working with the right muscles.

Feeling how to heal.

DISCLAIMER

Base-Line muscles. Pelvic floor and rectus abdominis muscles shown in human outline. The body's core pillar of strength, think strong and longer at the core of all movement with the rest of the body extending from these key muscles.

You can only do something when your body is able to, so don't force anything.

Little by little progress is made.

A full range of movement is not just about big changes in positioning. Facial expressions, jaw movements, eye movements, wiggling fingers and toes all alter your positioning and increase range of motion.

Reclaim your full range of natural movement

by working from Base-Line.

multiple poses of the body showing the potential of the human body for a full range of movement and balance and dynamic alignment

Optimising the use of your muscles = Better health.

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