How does your body move?
You may not have ever asked yourself that question, but this is the question of somatic enquiry. This enquiry is a process of discovering how your body moves, and in finding out how you move, you awaken your senses and your mind-to-muscle pathways. It's then that you can start to re-pattern the way you move by making new choices.
Why would you want to make new movement choices?
Chronic pain can be a result of holding yourself in an inefficient manner. But it doesn't have to be just being in pain that causes you to want to make new movement choices. It could be that moving in an unaware and inefficient way is holding you back from finding more flow and ease in any physical activity, perhaps dancing, playing an instrument or doing a sport.
What can lead to moving in an inefficient way?
Let's say you sit for long periods of time during the day, or perhaps you do an activity repetitively. When you're concentrating on other things while your body is in these positions you become unaware of how you are holding yourself. By bringing your focus to the way you move, sit, stand or hold yourself in any posture, you begin a mindful enquiry, and therefore awaken yourself to the postural choices your are making.
Mindful movement
You can become aware of the movement choices you are making through mindful movement practices such as Pilates, yoga or any somatic movement activity. These are designed to deepen your awareness and help your body become accustomed to better movement choices. This will help you find more ease and flow in your everyday life, or with any other physical activity you choose to do.