I'm at a point in my career where I feel very confident in my abilities to help facilitate change in someones posture and their overall physical capabilities. I also recognize that this can feel like such a slow process for a client, and sometimes they need little reminders as to how far they've come and direct evidence SHOWING the changes.
The other day I was working with a fellow mom. When she came in, positive and upbeat as usual, I watched her body language, listened to her words and observed her physical movements prior to our session so I could gauge HOW she was coming into our session and what her biggest "pain point" was in that moment. Then it hit me, I need to take a 'before' and 'after' picture of her today. I need her to see the difference between how her body is "at rest" now versus after we move her tissues, her stuck or displaced energy and center her overall being. So SNAP went my camera and what I saw was gorgeously obvious. (See below)
Among some more subtle variables I observed, I really took notice of her arms. They were hanging away from her trunk as if tensely relaxed, which really isn't relaxed at all. Okay great, we need to work on her nervous system (hello breathing!), rib cage mobility and likely her posterior pelvic floor. Literally from that one observation I was able to devise a plan for the start of her visit. AND that wasn't all. I could also see both of her feet were slightly turned out and staggered telling me the back of her hips (posterior pelvic floor more specifically) was likely restricted and her feet were not pronating, and therefore, reacting well to the ground. This inability to sense the floor has a direct impact on nervous system regulation as well.
Before starting more of the traditional Pilates portion of her appointment, we spent some time doing a specific foot pronation drill that also targets lower leg & foot fascia and some simple rib cage breathing. My client noticed an immediate difference in sensations between sets while performing these exercises, and also noticed how she felt simply standing and walking. We then moved onto some Pilates work on the reformer, which also included a quick breastfeeding session for her little girl mid-sidelying feet in straps work. :)
By the end of her appointment there was a stark difference in her gait and her stagnant posture. (Pictured below). Even though I've seen this so many times, we were both so (pleasantly) surprised to see the incredible difference in her body! Look at her arm position, they're actually RESTING by her body now, and her feet are more aligned and evenly weighted. This demonstrates the effectiveness of one-on-one appointments, and the individuality that goes into working with someone who doesn't specialize in any one type of movement (yes, that would be me and others like me). It also demonstrates the importance of simply MOVING your body! Movement truly is medicine, and we could all use more of it.
The point in writing this post? Maybe I am still just amazed at how simple it can be to change the human body. Maybe I wanted and needed to show a 'win' that I had during an appointment, because I'm human and we all need wins. Maybe it's because I am so proud of this mama for taking the time she needs to support her body since so many people (including that beautiful little girl in the picture) rely on her. No matter what the takeaway, we all need to move more often, put ourselves first sometimes, and remember sometimes things can be simple. Xoxo
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