Walking in Posture

I never noticed that my stride shortened. but I was thinking about your observation and I'm wondering if your hamstrings are tight? maybe, if they are, they are being stretched while youre in the posture and then when you take a step you only have *so* much length left. that could be one reason for a shortened stride and stiffness.

I'm also wondering if part of the stiffness is from youre trying to 'keep in posture'. meaning, maybe you're holding your back stiffly in the posture as opposed to allowing it to relax a bit and rotate as you walk. as you get more comfortable with the posture and it becomes second nature, this will subside (if that's even what's going on)

just a couple of thoughts....

Hi Kit

Hmm, Granolamom's thoughts coincide with mine. It may also be that your stride is shorter because your weight is no longer forward, but better balanced. In that case it may be simply a matter of a brain adjustment.

It also may be that you are walking in a more controlled way, so it may feel stiffer. I think the difficulty you are having with hurrying is a message that it is not good for our bodies to hurry. Hurry comes from stress, which will seize anybody up. Good for running away from lions and tigers but not good for body integrity or wellbeing. I identified this hurrying thing too, and decided hurrying doesn't work because I tend to look down to watch my footing, and my neck strains forward, and my shoulders hunch. In a sense we can choose to be calm, relaxed and steady. In a way, the former behaviour makes me feel better, while the latter makes me feel worse. I know which works better for my prolapses.

I think it is worth while playing with this to get it right because you shouldn't feel stiff at all, more fluid if anything, but I don't know what your previous posture was like, so it is hard to say. Some of bellydancing might loosen you up a bit! I have found using my body more with the muscles that join the femur to the coccyx, sacrum and pelvis, and less with my back and stomach muscles works better too. This was a brain thing too.

I remember clearly a documentary on television when I first started doing WW posture. There was a scene showing African people unloading full sacks of grain off the back of a truck onto their heads and shoulders. The camera followed one particularly slim, strong woman as she walked off into the distance with her load (amazing!). She moved fluidly and steadily like a strolling giraffe, in really primitive WW posture, her whole body moving rhythmically, fluidly and subtly like a snake. She was going to be walking for hours to get to her destination with her load. In my arrogant opinion nobody can move like a person whose genes come from Africa. I am sure it is a genetic gift, and I am so jealous!!! I found her gait quite inspiring.

Cheers

Louise

I know just what you mean. But the more time goes by the less my hips seem to be bothering me.
My POP made my aquaintance after overwork and stubborness in starting a lawn-mower, but I think I also
suffered any number of strains to this and that in my hips as well. Technical terms, I know, but bear with me.
I was in however in great shape, so I believe I'm starting to see all these little connections recuperating and
returning to some better place with the support of great posture, and the wee bit of yoga has also helped.

The posture is easy to find and much more automatic but I agree it seems that I have lost a fair amount of
the fluidity in there that gives swing. I'm a long legged gal and esp. when I walk alone I have a fairly long stride
and prefer a good pace. All the walks with my old relatives have always seemed more tiring as shortening my stride
often made my low back ache, isn't that odd ? As a child I hated standing in place for choir as it made my legs
feel tickly and restless and my lower back ache. Hey ! Isn't there a drug for that ?

Curiouser and curiouser. I OFTEN wonder at the different contributing factors we all represent around here and often think
it would make a very good arena for official study... And there's no way Oprah would ever tackle this, it's simply too horrific
for discussion and will always be a bit taboo. The shadow side of being a Woman. Except for here where we can throw
the closet doors wide open ! I like Rachel Ray way more, and she tackles some real stuff but always concretely up-lifting and
she wouldn't touch it either. Anyways that's the reality as little ol' jaded me sees it.
Zelda

I think this is why we seem to hear stories about the happiness in the old Leprosariums. It must have been because all the lepers knew that they were accepted as they were, and all had leprosy anyway, so didn't have the fear of being infected. They felt at home with their taboo/unclean condition.

Pity it turned out that was nothing unclean about them all along, and treatment was eventually simplified by knowledge and science. That's why they were all closed down.

We really are a wierd species, the way we shut certain realities out of our lives, and prefer to ignore them and marginalise people and conditions who are labelled as 'not acceptable to be discussed openly, or have as part of the community'.

I wonder what aliens would make of us!

Cheers

Louise

Zelda,Don't get me started on lawnmowers!!

>:-(

I have finally cracked mine. No more pull, pull, pull on the cord. I now just make sure the throttle lever is halfway and push the priming button three times as many times as the instructions say. Mind you it has taken me five years to master the &*##%$ monster! Now it purrs like a kitten first time!

No more frustration waiting until there is a man around!

Cheers

Louise

like almost word for word. wierd. but so great.
I'm having a relapse right now, the billiards table was obviously 1000 miles over the line.
But I'm really O.k. - no freak-out , on any level, Posture is working, I even expect it to get better.
Love love love your post on the language of hope. Kit your plucking my heartstrings again !
Zelda

Hi Zelda
I think a few of us have been overdoing it! Is 6 hours of serious vomiting on the ocean worth the same number of prolapse points as lifting a pool table. It took several days to recover. Now, a week later, I am pretty much back to normal and feeling good.

Cheers

Louise

You poor dear, that no doubt is as bad as it gets- unless you were jumping on a trampoline at the same time...
That would be truly ugly.
Zelda