The stiff neck dilema

A large survey of 353,000 Americans revealed 31% of Americans reported experiencing chronic neck or back pain in 2011 (Brown, 2012). Interestingly, rates of individuals experiencing chronic pain increases until the late 50s, when numbers level out and slightly drop, possibly because of morbidity. I began working with a 15 year old basketball player 5 weeks ago specifically because of nagging neck pain. His neck had been an issue for months, and a running drill the team did with their hands overhead for 7 minutes caused a spasm that left him with discomfort in the following weeks.  He rested, avoided movements that bothered it, and asked his mom if he could see me so he could get strong without getting hurt. A quick assessment revealed asymmetries in his thorax and pelvis, as well as a tendency towards inefficient breathing. Research performed by Wirth et.al, suggests improving neck flexor muscle endurance, thoracic spine mobility, chest mobility, and respiratory muscle endurance training for individuals with chronic neck pain. Further, Dimitriadis et.al, compared respiratory strength in 45 individuals with chronic neck pain compared with 45 controls. The researchers found the chronic neck pain group had a statistically significant difference in their respiratory muscle strength and concluded this weakness impaired global and local muscle systems in the neck.

When you look at the anatomy, this makes sense. The primary muscles of inspiration are the intercostals and the diaphragm; the accessory muscles are the sternocleidomastoid, scalenes, and serratus posterior superior and inferior. During respiratory distress, the levator scapulae, pectoralis major and minor, rhomboids, serratus anterior, and latissimus dorsi are also involved (an easy to read chart can be found here: http://share.ehs.uen.org/system/files/0720024.pdf). If you glance at the picture above, you will see all of the accessory muscles of inspiration are have attachments at the neck and many of the muscles used during respiratory distress do as well. This, of course, might lead one to wonder if a breathing disorder is causing chronic neck pain or if the chronic neck pain is leading to inefficient breathings patterns? It depends on the person, and individuals that are referred to me because of chronic neck pain fall in the "cleared to exercise, everything else has been checked and is a non-issue" category. In the presence of breathing disorders such as asthma, it is useful to understand the effect this has on stabilization and potential increased activity in the accessory muscles of inspiration. This affects rib cage position and will lead to a decrease in overall stability. When clients are experiencing an increase in asthmatic symptoms because of weather or allergens, I am careful about position and load. Anecdotally, clients that have asthma have reported a decrease in symptoms after 4-6 weeks of regularly implementing breathing exercises into their program. I am not suggesting asthma can be cured by mindful, diaphragmatic breathing, but in my experience, it seems to help the severity of it. 

What I did with the basketball player consisted of three parts. I taught him how to breathe in a more parasympathetic (read, diaphragmatic) manner. This went hand in hand with improving his overall core stability with breathing exercises and bodyweight exercises done in an efficient position. I also made him aware of his shoulder position. He is preparing to participate in a pre-season strength and conditioning program involving olympic lifts. His natural, resting tendency is to have his shoulders up by his ears, which doesn't lead to efficient lifts. This pattern seems to be common in individuals with neck pain and goes along with anteriorly rotated shoulders (which he had). I taught him some techniques to notice where his shoulders were located, and I asked him to "make his neck as long as possible" in a variety of positions. When we first started, he consistently used the strategy of trying to find a way to use his neck to make his neck long. Once he because aware that his shoulder position influenced the length of his neck, he became better able to alter neck position with shoulder position. He was able to bring this increased awareness with him during his daily activities, and I can happily report he is currently participating in all of his pre-season activities (including hours each day of basketball), pain free. Many times, what we do outside the gym matters far more than what we do in the gym.

Yours in health and wellness,
Jenn

Brown, A., 2012. Chronic pain rates shoot up until Americans reach late 50s. Gallup Well-Being; http://www.gallup.com/poll/154169/chronic-pain-rates-shoot-until-americans-reach-late-50s.aspx

Wirth, B., Amstalden, M., Boutellier, U., & Humphries, B.K., (2014). Respiratory dysfunction in patients with chronic neck pain-influence of thoracic spine and chest mobility. Manual Therapy, [Epub ahead of print].
Dimitriadis, Z., Kapreli, E., Strimpakos, N., & Oldham, J., (2013). Respiratory weakness in patients with chronic pain. Manual Therapy, 18(3), pp. 248-53.

Calcaneus neutral- and why the ankle bone really is connected to the hip bone

If you read this blog on a somewhat regular basis, you are aware that I am fascinated by how the body works. This includes an interest with feet and how they impact our movement. Our feet are the first part of our body to receive feedback from the ground. As a result, they are full of mechanoreceptors which send feedback to the brain regarding body position with respect to supporting surface (Kennedy & Inglis, 2002). The ankles and knees provide proprioceptive feedback to the brain which are thought to provide information about joint angle relative to the trunk, linking what happens at the foot and ankle joint to what is happening in our body's center. Interestingly, reduced plantar support (position of the foot) appears to affect stepping reactions to postural perturbations (basically, how you respond to losing your balance). This matters because one of the jobs of the deep core musculature is to maintain stability during walking; this includes making sure the system can recover from large and small perturbations during gait (Stanek et.al, 2011). If our first line of contact with the ground isn't in a position to properly respond to disturbances, how can we expect our deep stability muscles to stabilize when needed? The reverse could also be stated: if the core stability muscles aren't in a good position to do their job, the foot isn't going to be able to do its job. Walking is important, and before we can perform well or move well, we have to be able to walk well and recover from slight changes in the environment that throw off our balance.

The first line of defense is a good offense (or so I'm told) so training the body in a position that addresses foot position is important. First and foremost, I think it is critical to have a spine that is well-organized/neutral/has proper rib cage to pelvis position. This gives the deep intrinsic muscles of the core a chance to do their job reflexively, without conscious activation (and this is what we want. If you miss a step, you do not want to have to actively think, "shoot! Fire transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, serratus anterior, gluteus maximus!" By then, you will be neatly crumpled on the ground). Further, Moon et.al (2014) point out postural control is automatic and the balance of the body depends on how the center of gravity is maintained by the body's support base; this means small alterations in foot position can change the postural control of the entire body, indicating foot position is important. After the spine position is addressed, a good foot position can be established. I like to spend a little bit of time working with people barefoot, but it isn't necessary. Being barefoot helps a person more readily identify what a neutral position is because of the feedback from the floor, but this can be done in shoes as well. The first thing I like to do is have the person figure out where the center of the foot is located. This means observing normal standing position, rocking forward and back to feel the extremes a few times, and then settling on what feels like the center of the foot to that person. I also have the person rock from left to right and find what feels like 50 percent of the weight in the right foot and 50 percent of the weight in the left foot. This begins to move the person towards a more neutral calcaneus, which simply means the calcaneus on visual inspection will appear centered and you will be able to draw a straight line from the calcaneus up to the back of the knee. This position will allow the arch of the foot to gently lift (if the person has pronated feet) and/or the big toe to begin to engage with floor more actively. It is important to keep the tibialis anterior (the muscle in the front of the shin) relaxed and keep the toes from clawing at the ground. I find it useful to have the person observe how his hips felt in his "normal" standing position and observe any increase or decrease in awareness of the hips in the "new" position. If the person is having a really difficult time with both feet, I frequently use the 1/2 kneeling position demonstrated below to bring awareness to foot position. Doing 5 minutes of standing exercises helps reinforce the position and sensation of the foot and the hip working together. Once in a while, I am unable to improve foot position despite trying a variety of things; when this happens, I refer the client to someone specializing in foot mechanics, such as a podiatrist, for further evaluation. More often than not, I observe improvement in balance and core stability when I incorporate this type of training, and as stated above, walking efficiently is the first step I can take in getting my clients to move well.

Yours in health and wellness,
Jenn

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjVYmzPYv0I
P.S.- For more information about barefoot training, I highly recommend checking out www.evidencebasedfitnessacademy.com

Stanek, J.M., McLoda, T.A., Csiszer, V.J., & Hansen, A.J., (2011). Hip- and trunk-muscle activation patterns during perturbed gait. Journal of Sports Rehabilitation, 20(3), pp. 287-295.
Kennedy, P.M., & Inglis, J.T., (2002). Distribution and behavior of glabrous cutaneous receptors in the human foot sole. The Journal of Physiology, 538, pp. 995-1002

Goal setting for mindful movement and the asana in progress project

One of the things that I love about movement is there is always something to work on. Regardless of one's physical endeavors, there is always room for increased efficiency, improved performance, or simply moving to the next level. Over the years, I have had many different goals, some extremely specific ("I will run up this 2.5 mile hill without stopping to walk in the next month," "I will learn how to do the Turkish Get-up,"), others specific to what I viewed as weakness ("I will learn to fire my lateral hip stabilizers on my right side during single leg squats," "I will learn to use my adductors while arm balancing"). Perhaps the most challenging change in my movement that I implemented was last year when I realized my deep core stability as it related to my breathing was not just less than optimal- it was non-existent. I spent three months re-training my neurological system and did so much diaphragmatic breathing that I bruised a little muscle under my sternum called the triangularis sterni. I get bored easily, and setting a goal keeps me interested and moving towards something.

In my quest to learn about movement, I spend time on Youtube watching people move really well. There are the yogis, that float gracefully from one pose to another, the Ido Portals of the world, that could seemingly spend hours in handstand variations, and the Scott Sonnons and Erwan LeCorres that move seamlessly, fluidly, as though there is no effort required at all to lift a giant log or swing a club bell. This is wonderful, inspiring, and can be a great learning tool; however, it never showcases all of the work it takes to get there. I truly believe that almost anyone can achieve whatever movement task they desire, as long as they work mindfully and intelligently on that task. The task will not come overnight; it takes months, sometimes years to accomplish a movement task that poses a large challenge to an individual, and often requires addressing a specific weakness, looking at the task from several different angles, or dedicating specific time to practice the task daily. The way I finally made it up the 2.5 mile hill, for instance, was running it in the dark. Because I couldn't see how much longer I had, I was able to trick myself and just keep running.  In a world where movement tasks such as climbing trees for fruit, hunting down large prey for food, and carrying heavy logs to build shelter are no longer necessary, it is important to set movement goals periodically to keep the mind and body engaged and working together. The mind/body disconnect and lack of movement efficiency that exists in western society isn't healthy for our overall well-being. So, I invite you to join me. Pick a movement goal. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it is something that you can't do currently. Examine it, practice it, figure out your sticking point, and get creative about moving past the sticking point. To measure your progress, once a month, either film yourself, time yourself, or have someone assess you, depending on what your goal is. My goal, as you will see below, it to link together some of these postures together on my yoga mat. I filmed myself in the middle of my practice, which is eventually where the task should be performed with ease. I will work on these tasks in a variety of ways, by performing some of my sticking points in isolation, in the gym after a strong core session, and in a less fatigued state. However, since the task is to be done during yoga, each month, I will film during a yoga practice and examine my progress. I am giving myself 12 months, and if I complete the task before then, I have two other asanas I am working on that I will devote my attention to. When I was debating graduate school, a client pointed out that in 24 months, I would be two years in the future, with or without the knowledge a master's degree would provide. Which version of myself did I want to be? The same is true with any challenge. Twelve months will pass regardless of whether I decide to improve my strength and mobility. I want to be a stronger me, and I hope you do too.

Yours in health and wellness,
Jenn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es90vm7y8kU

Training the unstable client

I began training Amy* 8 years ago. She came to me because she wanted to build strength and prevent her osteoporosis from getting any worse. I was a much greener trainer at that point, and did my best to challenge Amy with heavier weight, dynamic movements, and body weight exercises. This didn’t go so well, and it became obvious that Amy was unable to support heavier weights, particularly in her upper body. Her shoulders were sloppy, and she didn’t have the ability to perform the movements in a technically proficient way. She also had some instability in her hips, and would occasionally get hip pain. 

My first three years with her was a lot of trial and error to figure out what wouldn’t bother her shoulders and her hips, but would still give her strength (some of my clients are amazingly patient people. Why she stuck with me, I will never know). It wasn’t until I began studying joint position and mechanics and actually understanding how that impacted function that I was able to help her. Instability is rampant in the yoga world; to be good at many of the advanced postures requires quite a bit of mobility. While this should be balanced with an equal amount of strength, it is not unusual for people that already possess a large amount of mobility to gravitate towards the practice. Unless they spend time focusing on finding strength in each asana, this can be detrimental and lead to a lack of cohesive movement. The body will move in a way that lacks underlying support- it’s like removing the foundation of the house and hoping that the beams are strong enough to hold up the roof.

To understand the importance of joint stability, it is important to have a brief understanding of how the nervous system works. When we want to lift our arm, for example, the brain sends information via motor neurons to the appropriate muscles required to both stabilize the body for the action and to the muscles that lift the arm. Inside the joints are sensory nerve fibers that provide information to the brain about forces exerted on the joint tissues, joint position, and whether or not the joint is moving (Grubb, 2004). The nerve fibers that provide this information are called proprioceptors, and are located in the joint ligaments. This poses a problem when a person has joint laxity, or ligaments that are overstretched. In the shoulder, for instance, it is believed dynamic ligament tension is involved in signaling how much force the rotator cuff muscles need to exert on the humeral head (Kelly, 2002). If the ligaments lack tension, this would alter the activity of the 4 muscles of the rotator cuff, as well as decrease the stability of the joint simply because the ligaments aren’t doing a very good job keeping the shoulder in the socket. In a healthy joint, full range of motion should be pain free, the person should know where his arm (or hip, or ankle) is in relation to his body, and there should not be a fear that something is going to “slip” or “fall out,” common descriptors when you work with hyper mobile clients. It has been my experience that when someone falls into the category of hyper-mobility, it is important to change the training strategy to give stability on the deepest level.

In the case of Amy, she returned one summer from travel with shoulders that were not in a very good position. They were painful, her neck was overactive, and she said she couldn’t figure out “where they [the shoulders] are supposed to be.” At this point, I suggested we back off the weights for a while and try and a different approach. She agreed, and while it was frustrating at times, (“why is this so hard? I am not doing anything”), we progressed slowly and steadily. I gave her things to be aware of when she wasn’t with me, such as how to move from the scapula rather than the shoulder to reach for things. We worked on other things as well, such as breathing and improving her thorax/pelvis integration, and eventually we got back to weights, though I don’t have her go very heavy (she is 64, and I find it is better to train smart with older clients, rather than harder). She said to me last week, “thank you. My shoulders haven’t given me trouble in a very long time, and I feel way more stable.” Sometimes, people need mobility, sometimes they need strength, and often they need a combination of the two. We tend to avoid the things we aren’t good at; these are frequently the things we need the most. Having a little patience and an overall plan can go a long way in improving function and well-being.

Yours in health and wellness,

Jenn

P.S.- For a glimpse of some of the things I use to enhance shoulder stability, view the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmY8J2EVxuM

Grubb, B.D., (2004). Activation of sensory neurons in the arthritic joint. Novartic Found Symposium, 260, pp. 28-36.

Kelly, I. The Loose Shoulder, Maitrise Orthopedique, 111.

The Integrated Systems Model, and evidence based practice

I recently listened to Diane Lee's lecture on the Integrated Systems Model, which she uses to classify her treatment strategy (more information can be found on her website here: http://dianelee.ca/the-classroom.php). I am quite fond of her presentation style- she has a good sense of humor, doesn't seem to take herself too seriously, and is passionate about her subject matter. If she allowed personal trainers to take her courses, I would figure out a way to get up to Canada and attend one of her 4 day workshops. She made a number of points in this particular lecture that resonated with me, and one thing she discussed rather extensively was evidence based practice.

Evidence based practice (EBP) has become a bit of a buzz word in the last 5 years. Practitioners want credibility, so they search out evidence (i.e., research) that demonstrates they are on the right path, while consumers want proof that what they are doing will help them become healthier/fitter/stronger/better. This is fair; the profession of exercise or movement science is quite young, and for every person that claims exercise helped, another says that exercise caused pain. It is muddy, and unclear, and everyone has an opinion. The term "evidence based medicine" was coined by Dr. David Sackett in 1996. He wrote, "...evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients," (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence-based_medicine). According to Ms. Lee, there are 3 components associated with this. The first (and the one most people attach to) is the research. For the research to be high quality, it should be a random control trial. Here is the thing with research when it comes to exercise- you can find a study supporting almost any view you want to take. In graduate school, I noticed over and over again during class discussions that people could take completely opposing views on something and there would be research to support both sides. By the time I was in my second year, I began to realize that sample sizes of things I was interested in were typically extremely small, the studies weren't always designed in a way that mimicked actual performance (who runs solely on a treadmill?), and not very much research on functional exercise or performance actually existed. I read through several studies last weekend examining deep core stabilization and how the intrinsic muscles of the core affect function. What I found was dismal. Saunders, Roth, and Hodges state, "despite the importance of the deep intrinsic spinal muscles for core control, few studies have investigated their activity during human locomotion or how this may change with speed and more of locomotion." This was in 2004, and not much has been done in the last decade to improve upon this.

The next component to the evidence based model is expertise. Experience comes from learning the material, practicing the material, and figuring out how to apply it. In the ISM, having a variety of tools is encouraged; the key is knowing when to apply those tools. It took me a while, but I eventually realized I am happiest in my career when I am learning. I find that what works best for me is learning a system fairly well, integrating it fully into my own workout/movement practice, and then using it with my clients. At this point, my tool box is diverse, and I feel comfortable using what I know. When I first learn something, I tend to use it on everyone; as the material becomes less foreign to me, I am able to more readily identify which tools fit best with each client. This is the final component to an evidence based model. The sample size that ultimately matters is when n=1. Not every modality works for every person. Some people respond really well to certain things, while others need a completely different approach. Working solely in an exercise setting, I can genuinely say I have experienced situations where 90 percent of clients do really well with one particular movement, while for the other 10 percent, that movement doesn't work at all. Experience comes largely into play, and over the years, I find I am able to figure out the best course of action with people a little more quickly.

Another note about EBP is a lot of the techniques that are out there are seriously lacking in research. Anecdotally, people will tell you "system x/y/z changed my life." Again, the sample size of n=1 is what matters. The beauty of this is that there is something out there that will work for everyone. It might take a while to find it, but patience and an open mind are key. From a consumer's perspective, I recommend trying something 4-6 times. This is enough time to let you know whether you a) hate it, b) don't really mind it, but aren't sure it's doing something for you, c) notice a little bit of difference, but maybe that's attributed to the 5 other things you changed at the same time or d) you know in your heart this is it. It's changing your life. As a practitioner, it is extremely important to learn things that resonate with you on some level. Maybe it's the material, maybe it's the teacher, but whatever it is, it needs to move you to learn it well and apply it in a manner that your passion for the material can be conveyed. This means that maybe not every workshop you go to will work for you, and maybe some things will work for you for a while, but then you might stumble upon something else that works a little better. Or maybe one specific system is your thing and you want to study that intensively for years. Find what works for you. Personally, I find that each system/teacher has strengths (and obviously, I haven't studied every system that is out there); the flip side, is they all have weaknesses. This is why I immerse my body into whatever it is I am learning about. I try it on, see how it fits, see how it makes me feel. Studying anatomy and physiology and reading a bit about the brain also allows me to better understand why things work (and I am very much a "why" person). Keeping an open mind when it comes to movement techniques and searching out quality, passionate instructors will help individuals find movement that they both enjoy and enhances their lives.

Yours in health and wellness,
Jenn

Some quick notes on the importance of the pelvic floor and why the body's second diaphragm should be addressed during movement

Over the last 8 months, I have become fascinated by the role pelvic position plays on the body's stability. More accurately, I discovered the importance of the pelvic floor on all things low back oriented. I train many people that suffer from low back pain. some of whom have had surgery, others that are trying to avoid surgery. While many of them have positional similarities, the most striking similarity I have found (now that I know to look for it), is the inability to maintain pelvic position with activation of muscles that work in the transverse plane, such as the transverse abdominis and internal rotators of the hip. Once this is cued correctly and the person knows how to "find" the proper engagement, stability increases dramatically (and people feel their "core." It's pretty amazing). While there are often other things that need to be addressed in these clients to improve function, this is an incredible starting point. The senior yoga people have been trying to explain this to me for years; however, rather than explain the anatomy, they use mystical terms such as mola bandha. I think many of the advanced pilates/gyrotonics people might know this, but I have never been fully immersed in that world, so I can't speak for sure.

The pelvic floor is often considered the body's second diaphragm. When there is a physiological change in the diaphragm, either during inhalation, exhalation, or coughing, there is a symmetrical change in the pelvic floor activation (Bordoni and Zanier, 2013). In order for proper intra-abdominal pressure to be maintained during respiration, support from the pelvic floor is required. This ensures trunk stability, and corresponds to activity in the transverse abdominis and internal obliques- therefore, if your pelvic floor isn't working properly, your deep abdominal muscles probably aren't working properly, causing an alternative (and less efficient) stabilizing strategy.

How does this relate to pelvis position? It is worthwhile to note that the pelvis is required to move in all three planes (sagittal, frontal, and transverse) during the gait cycle (Lee & Lee, 2011).  The sacrum, which attaches to the pelvis at the sacroiliac joint, needs to nutate and counter-nutate during various movements. For the purpose of this blog, think of the sacrum as something that moves slightly to handle load dispersal. If the sacrum is unable to move because the pelvis isn't able to move in all three planes, load will not travel well up the spine. If, for instance, someone remains in an extended posture most of the time, the anterior inlet spills forward and abducts, and the posterior inlet moves backward and adducts (see picture below). Think of what happens to the sacrum if the pelvis is stuck in this position- it can't move and the muscles on the back of the pelvis (specifically the piriformis) are going to be "gripping" to keep a person upright. Further, the muscles in the pelvic floor are long and loose- they aren't able to provide the support needed for the bottom of the canister to co-contract and provide stability. This is going to lead to movement inefficiencies (and possibly SI joint "tightness" or pain). In this example, to move the pelvis to neutral, we need to inhibit the piriformis by activating the internal rotators of the hip, activate the hamstrings to pull the pelvis down in the back, and activate the transverse abdominis and internal obliques to pull the pelvis up in front. In a sense, we are mobilizing the pelvis so it can move more freely during the gait cycle. (For some ideas on how to work with someone in an extension pattern on co-activation of the muscles in the pelvic floor, see the video: http://youtu.be/UtJnY0MhIPA).

(The anterior pelvic inlet is labeled in the picture above. You can see how when the pelvis tips forward, it will give the appearance that the top portion of that circle is widening. Conversely, the posterior pelvic inlet, which would be the view from the back and can be seen in the picture below, will appear to narrow when the pelvis is tipped forward. If you look at where the SI joint is located, you will notice that if you tilt the pelvis forward, the sacrum won't have much room to move).

As I have mentioned before, I view my job as a movement professional to help people move as efficiently as possible. This is directly related to the body's ability to stabilize on the deepest level, and really, it means having an understanding of what is required for the body to do that. If the pelvic floor and the engagement of the deep abdominal muscles is ignored, performance will be hindered. The crazy thing is I have watched efficiency (and movement quality) improve dramatically in yoga practitioners, golfers, and triathletes by simply improving the function of the deep stabilizing system. I have also seen grandparents pick up their grandchildren without pain, and low back pain lessen. Anatomy and physiology in the absence of disease is consistent- understanding how the body works dynamically is the most valuable tool a movement professional can have.

Your in health and wellness,
Jenn

P.S.- If you find this topic interesting and would like to study it further, I highly recommend Diane Lee's work (her website can be found at http://dianelee.ca/index.php) and/or the Postural Restoration Pelvis course (either home study or live).

Bordoni, B., & Zanier, E., (2013). Anatomic connections of the diaphragm: influence of respiration on the body system. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 6, pp. 281-291.
Lee, D., (2011). The Pelvic Girdle, Fourth Edition. Churchill Livingston Elsevier: Toronto.

The problem with SMART goals, pincha mayurasana, and why it's okay tofail

I read a lot of blogs. And research articles. And non-fiction books (I was interviewed recently about the personal training industry. I told the journalist I had a continuing education problem, but perhaps it's more of a curiosity problem). I always enjoy the writings this time of year because they tend to be reflective and/or hopeful, focusing on what was accomplished or where the author wants to go. An acronym that is thrown around frequently when people talk about resolutions is SMART goal setting. I wrote a blog on this years ago, when I was in the midst of a Wellcoach training program and convinced SMART goal setting was the only way. Needless to say, my views have changed a bit, although I think setting goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely are great for people that have daunting tasks ahead of them ("I will lose 5 pounds this month" is a much better goal for someone with 100 pounds to lose than "I will lose 50 pounds in 4 months." The person needs something within his grasp to experience success, rather than a seemingly insurmountable task). For some, the word "attainable" is synonymous with "safety," and this is where I think the acronym shouldn't always apply.

I have written before about the fact that I am stuck in PSP (primary series purgatory). This happens to individuals that are relatively inflexible Ashtanga yoga practitioners with limited access to a teacher. These individuals never get progressed because they aren't technically proficient at, say, supta kurmasana, so they remain in PSP for years. This leads to boredom and eventual exploration of other poses. I decided to work towards arm balances, because they look cool, and posed a physical challenge that I didn't think was impossible. I suppose it could be argued that this fact makes my goal attainable, but I never set a time limit on it, or even really had any other aspiration other than to do pincha mayurasana in the middle of the room. I started working on this two years ago (yes, you read that right. As I said, no time goals). My first attempt (done after several youtube tutorials and some floundering attempts against the wall), resulted in my falling. So did my second. And third. And when I tried again a couple of days later, I fell. I fell over, and over, and over again until one day, my legs were over my head and I was balancing on my forearms, almost certainly with a bowed back because I didn't have good shoulder girdle strength at the time (I know now), but the point was, I was up. I was able to repeat this pretty regularly, not always on my first attempt, but usually on my second or third attempt, until I felt like I could safely say I could sort of do the posture. Over the last year, I have rebuilt my practice with a neutral spinal position, the ability to engage my bandhas (it turns out, if you ask someone in an extended spine position to engage the bandhas, it's pretty close to impossible, but that is another blog), and a much better integration of the shoulder stabilizers. As a result, pincha mayurasana continued to feel steadier until one day, 4 weeks ago, when I kicked up with a fair amount of control and fell over. "No big deal," I thought, "I will try it again." And I did, 7,8,12 times until my arms were shaking, deep frustration had filled me, and I finally recognized my mind and body weren't going to cooperate, so I let it go and finished my practice.

This, of course, is the beauty of any sort of challenging, mindful movement practice. It teaches you to fail, walk away, and know that you can attempt it again tomorrow. It is also the reason we have to remember to set goals that are slightly out of our reach, maybe not attainable on the first try. When I was going through the process of opening my studio last summer, I found myself thinking at one point, "what if this doesn't work?" I had run numbers, looked at business trends, and consulted with someone I trust, but there is no way of knowing for sure whether or not a new business is going to fail. Opening my own space had been a long term goal of mine for years, and similar to my goal of forearm balance, I never set a timeline for myself. I simply put it out there as something I wanted to do (it was written on my regrigerator), and when the opportunity arose, I jumped with both feet. Rather than dwell on my negative thoughts, I acknowledged it, let it go, and instead directed that nervous energy at becoming an even better professional. Recently, while working with a client, coaching, cueing, and guiding, I realized, "I finally get it." All of those concepts I have struggled with over the last 13 years, watching people move, reading, listening to experts in various movement fields explain "how" to help someone move better, the systems that I have studied, all came together in this crazy way. This isn't to say I don't have more to learn, or that I know it all; I have only scratched the surface, but all of the time spent learning challenging concepts is allowing me to do my job better than I ever have before.

When I returned to my yoga practice a couple of days later, I lifted up into pincha mayurasana with ease. Each time I have practiced it since, I feel stronger and steadier than I ever have before. I have read about this with skill acquisition; often there is regression before there is progression. While I expect I will still fall, I am confident it will happen less and less. When setting New Year's resolutions, remember It's okay to fall, and it's okay to fail, as long as you pick yourself up and try again tomorrow. You will be better for it.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy 2014.

Yours in health and wellness,
Jenn