Tag: mind body

no more party tricks for these knees

I’ve been a dancer my whole life, so from a young age, my seemingly natural flexibility was encouraged. People told me I was “double jointed.” My elbows and knees bend backwards, and I easily sank into splits.

No one knew about hypermobile EDS (hEDS) when I was growing up so I developed some bad habits, including showing off my flexibility which put unnecessary stress on my tendons and ligaments. I am really feeling it now as I grow older and wish I knew sooner of the ways I could have prevented injury and protected my joints. Now I know I need to literally tell my muscles to work (which is what I am doing in the photo above to achieve my “oversplit”), and hope that over time my body remembers to work and protect me for the longevity of my sport and for my regular life in motion.

These days there’s a bit more information about hypermobile EDS (hEDS) bodies and how they work differently, so if you feel you are like me and have been dealing with chronic muscle and joint pain, limbs that dislocate randomly, and even stomach, breathing, and anxiety issues, do a google search and find out more about this spectrum disorder.

People that have chronic pain may be smiling on the outside, but they are def battling their bodies on the inside. Shout out to everyone who has to put on a happy face  Sending love to you!

Take Beighton Score test to see if you might be hypermobile EDS (hEDS): https://www.physio-pedia.com/Beighton_score

And if you are interested in learning more about how we can safely move our hypermobile bodies in aerial work, think about attending our upcoming Pole In The Wall workshop with Dr. Cody Ibarra on October 9, 2021 from 3pm – 4:30pm EST “A Hypermobile Polers Guide to Bending Without Breaking.“

Attend for $30.00 in studio or online.

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Photo above by Knitshibari
@ericwallisphotography
Eyeofthetiger Photography

my hips don’t lie

Working in balancing postures forces you to find good alignment, or else you fall over. Finding balance has always been a struggle for me, but I always remind myself that the struggle is what makes us stronger.

I have always been flexible and splits come naturally, but as you can see from the header image above, my balance of strength and flexibility is off. You can see it in my hips — that right hip is not as strong as the left. My hips don’t lie in these photos. I also fell over many times attempting to take these photos.

I am using these photos as a starting point for me to make an effort to practice balance so my muscles can work in the most efficient way possible when I need them. If I continue working within my current imbalances, I am sure they will act as a domino effect as my other muscles try to compensate. Maybe one day I’ll start to walk differently because of it, or have pain when I move certain ways.

I find that when I teach too much, the demonstrating on one side causes imbalance, forcing me to then switch to the other side. If I am doing too much physical activity, I need to take moments to find more stillness to balance my body and my mind. I am an introverted person, so if I am around people too much, I need to find time to be alone to balance it all out.

I think it is also helpful to work toward finding balance in all the things I do during my day and I try to put effort in toward balancing my routine. Building a relationship with how balance keeps us balanced (LOL) can help us understand why sometimes struggling needs to happen, and it makes us stronger so we can enjoy the good times.

What are some ways you are imbalanced? How do you incorporate balance physically, mentally, or spiritually into your day? Share your tips and let’s keep our bodies & minds healthy and balanced together!