The way we move is very specific to us and this influences the neuromuscular system. In plain language we all have a patterned way of moving in our everyday life. This is also true in the way we move in our yoga practice. I call these influences the chronicles of life. These chronicles are made of an array of informational data that are absorbed by our system. All of these events have a certain energetic, physical and emotional quality that impact us and become part of our physical body. Our personal chronicles of life made us exactly who we are in this moment. Some of the events inside the chronicles happened to us, we had no conscious control over them, some of them we consciously chosen and added them to our life experiences. Every moment we live, we chose experiences, activities and relationships that become part of our own bundle of chronicles of life.
Here are some main stream of events that make up the chronicles of life: human evolution, genetics, learned parental behaviours, activities, injuries, spiritual, mental & emotional influences.
Human Evolution
As we evolved to two legs, the relationship of muscles to bones shifted as walking is our main way of transportation. Therefore we have developed strong lower bodies designed to propel us forward. Along with this development, our upper body evolved as well. We grab, pull and manipulate the tangible world as perceived by our eyes, nose and mouth. Due to the incredible mobility of our hands, we are better able to protect our front and our more vulnerable underside.
Genetics
From the vast pool of possibilities we have been born of two parents. Each of them with their own genetic make up. Out of the genetic mixing pot comes our eye colour, foot size, shape of the arches of the feet, our height and weight predisposition and even our predisposition of being flexible or not.
Learned Parental Behaviour
Oh, this is a scary one for some of us đ but a powerful one. It can be distressing to wake up one morning and realise we are slowly turning into our parents. It is indeed hard to escape the powerful imprints left by our parents during the forming years. On a physical level we learn how to walk by watching and mirroring the way our parents walk. We talk, make expressions and have similar body languages as our parents. This is only natural, since in the forming years we are pretty much ruled by âmonkey sees, monkey doesâ. Our parents are the first people we saw do any of the things we do. In addition, we adopt ways of thinking and patterns thoughts from the input and influence of our parents. Even our mental attitude drives from out parental history.
Activities & Injuries
Maybe we played sports such as tennis, soccer, or maybe we spent time dancing, horseback riding or practicing martial arts. All of these activities create pattern of movements in our bodies and help forge relationships between the brain, the senses and our motor skills. The degree of refinement we develop in our activities and how long we participated at them, helps determine the strength of the patterns we develop. These patterns of training our neuromuscular system have a direct impact on the way we move on our yoga mat. Put a former dance and a martial art practitioner side by side on the mat and you will see a very clear difference in the way they move.
We also need to consider our injury background. Sometimes our injuries are the result of accidents, like falling of a tree, twisting an ankle when stepping off of a stair, or even being in a car accident. No matter the cause, all injuries have an influence on out patterns and we might not even be aware of this. Perhaps the position of our sacrum and /or pelvis shifted during an accident or maybe one limb got longer due to a healed broken bone. We must become aware of the far reaching effects of our injuries as we come to know and understand our body throughout the tools given by yoga.
Spiritual Influences
We have a much larger and profound influence that can impact who we are and how our body moves. This is the very essence of our being: the spiritual chronicles. Within this chronicles there are some very important questions on who we are, what we believe and how we live our life. Our spiritual believes are not only in form of inner wellbeing, but they can also have an impact on our physical body. As since we are in the yoga world here, we should also consider the influence of samskaras, karma and their effect on out physical body.
Mental & Emotional Influences
Our emotions play a big part in how we see ourselves and the world. These influences can come from our parents, embarrassing or proud moments, losses or even injuries. As a teacher I see this in students all the time. By watching the way someone approaches their practice or deals with their aches and pains, I can tell a lot about their history. An injury that happened years ago, can still keep a student from trying or even think about a certain asana.
Bottom line, it doesnât really matter how you categorise your life chronicles. You can find a better and suitable way for you. Since we are all unique, no one way works for all. It is important although, to see and understand how one of these influences contributes in creating the state of being in any given moment. When we look at ourselves or our students we see the product of all of these influences from the past, that shaped us into what we are today. As we become better at seeing beyond the physical body, we can see ourselves and our students as they are in this moment. But we have to keep in mind that sometimes in a class / group individuality can dissipate and everyone is given the same instruction for the same asana despite their individual differences.
xo, Alex