Do you think of your body as a skeleton with flesh draped on top of it?
If so, maybe you can relate to feeling that your bones are like a scaffolding holding everything else up as you move through space.
It’s true. If it weren’t for our bony structure, we would just be a lump of flesh and organs and not a very well-functioning lump at that. But this scaffolding model of the body is a bit limiting and can lead to less than optimal walking habits.
First of all, bones are organs and just like our skin, they are sloughing and renewing themselves constantly and in doing so are communicating with all of our other organs and systems.
When walking, you might think about movement as being initiated by the pressure of your foot structure and leg bones as they push against the ground behind you in a repetitive pattern. That makes walking all about the feet and legs — pushing off and landing.
If you’re a Limb Flinger (as I touched on in this previous post ), then you might initiate movement by flinging one leg in front of the other with the weight of the leg pulling you forward. This makes walking all about the momentum generated by the weight of your limbs as you throw them about.
When you’re also a Meat Hanger, then no matter what your default walking style, you also rely on your bones and joints to carry you through space — resting on your bones as you go. An exaggerated example might look like this:
So, if we are not simply a skeletal-scaffolding holding our soft structures together and up off the floor, what are we?
I’d like you to start playing with the idea that instead of seeing your bones as being in charge of supporting your muscles and housing your organs (many of which are surrounded by muscle by the way), try thinking of your muscles as holding up your bones!
What does it look like to move through space in a body where the muscles are supporting your skeleton, instead of allowing them to just hang on the bones. More importantly, what does it feel like?
Do you notice less pressure on your joints? Do you feel greater space in your breath? Do you feel a spring in your step?
When we start asking our muscles to support us after years of relying on our bones, walking (all activities) can feel like more of a workout, so go easy on yourself if you get tired and a bit sore. You’ll be using your foot muscles. You’ll be using your hip muscles. You’ll be using your spinal core…and who knows what else!
In the next few weeks when I touch on some solutions to these Walking Mistakes, I’ll be sharing some hip, leg and foot strengthening / stabilizing tips.
See you next week for a look at another quirky walking variation. See if it’s something that you do without realizing it.
As originally published on medium.com/@yalingliou on May 27th, 2022
