Wow! Where have the weeks gone?! We are into our final week of the theme “Somatic in September.” How have you been during the last few weeks? This week I would like to add a new awareness to our theme. Let me explain more in the following video.

 

MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE

If you are a regular follower of my blog posts on Instagram (total.somatics) or Facebook (Total Somatics) you will know that for many years I have used this expression, Movement is Medicine. So today we are going to develop this theme.

We have started to increase our awareness to various areas of our life and an area which is very important is movement. We thrive on Movement to keep us mobile, fit, healthy, emotionally balanced and enjoy life. Recently I was involved in a 30km sponsored walk for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Spending time outside in the fresh air, enjoying the beautiful scenery, good company and knowing that every cell in my body was enjoying the movement, increased levels of oxygen and the surge of endorphins, allowed me to feel that boost on a physical, emotional and mental health level. It was a physical and mental health break for me that day and a note to self, that I must continue this regular activity.

Considering this point, I have written blogs about inactivity over the years and the following blogs are worth reading because I discuss how inactivity and sitting have become the new smoking.

We are becoming more sedentary with our daily habits.

Check out the blogs below which contain audios, videos and other support material to increase your awareness to how you habitually sit or stand....

Is Sitting the new Smoking?
USE THE SEATED SCAN AUDIO TO HELP YOU INCREASE AWARENESS TO YOUR POSTURE

Learn how to Move freely with less Pain
LEARN HOW AND WHY WE BECOME CREATURES OF HABIT

Break Workplace Habits which trigger Pain
DEVELOP THE TOP TIPS OUTLINED UNDER THE HEADING “WORKPLACE SOMATIC ADVICE.”

Can Posture affect your Health & Wellbeing?
WATCH THE YOU TUBE VIDEO ON HOW OUR POSTURE AND BODY LANGUAGE CHANGES OUR MINDSET

After considering the support material above, could you consider the following advice this week as you bring together everything you have learned over the last 4 weeks?

• Create time every hour to move and stimulate your amazing mind and body. If you are restricted for space, could you consider performing a few shoulder circles? This may be in a seated position at your desk. Make the movements slow as you roll your shoulders forward, down towards your hips, then slide your shoulder blade across your rib cage whilst allowing your chest to stick out and then shrug your shoulder towards your ear. Ensure these 4 distinct directions are made in your movement to allow your shoulder to move in a circular motion. Make the circles very small and then large. Keep the movements slow. If you find you are speeding up, notice which part of the circle this is happening and make a CONSCIOUS effort the next time round, to slow it down. This allows your brain time to learn how to fully release and lengthen that portion of your muscle again. You are allowing time for your brain to absorb this information, creating muscle memory to that region again.

 

• Create opportunities in your day to stop and notice your posture. Maybe a colleague’s posture is a prompt to check in on your own! With the help of the audio provided in the blog mentioned earlier, use this or create something similar to bring your awareness to how you habitually hold yourself. Then with the knowledge and skills taught within the blogs above and in much greater detail within The Total Somatics Approach to Health & Wellness Online Program at www.TotalSomatics.com, you can start to reverse the habitual patterns your brain has created by using different areas of your brain to increase the connection and coordination of muscle memory.

 

• Create time to walk out of your work building and breathe in fresh air. If you can take a 5-10 minute walk along the road outside of your work place, you will instantly create an increase of oxygen to your tissues, blow the figurative cobwebs away and be less tempted to work through your lunch break.

 

• Create a weekly schedule of activity. This may include walking, swimming, cycling or something else that you enjoy. However be mindful that too much of one activity such as swimming or cycling will create habitual patterns of tightness, so create a variety of interests. This also keeps your muscle strength global.

 

• Create a dedicated daily somatic movement practise. Putting time aside each day will allow you to recalibrate your muscles so you begin or end each day with the sensors within your muscles knowing they have 100% free range of movement, not for instance 20% subconsciously contracted from daily habits or sporting pursuits which may tighten the muscles within the front or back of your body. I have created audios within The Total Somatics Approach to Health & Wellness Online Program at www.TotalSomatics.com which can help frame and centre your day or help recalibrate and recuperate at the end of your day. To experience a taster of what you gain by joining the online program, check out the audios below which can be purchased and kept indefinitely.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE AUDIOS, CLICK HERE.

Moving forward with Somatic In September

I created Somatic In September a few years ago to encourage clients to start developing a mindful approach to how they live on a daily basis. By spending a month dedicated to Somatic awareness is a brilliant way to encourage people to continue to develop this approach on in to the future. However, with the best intentions, life can sometimes throw curve balls at us and can be very challenging. That is why I have packaged The Total Somatics Approach to Health & Wellness Online Program at www.TotalSomatics.com together. You will gain knowledge, skills and so much more from my program. I am constantly uploading new material, so you will receive the latest techniques, skills and approaches that have been developed. As we all know, neuroscience is an area exploding with new research all the time, so I will always keep you up to date with how you can use your amazing brain to help heal and restore from the inside out.

Within the Online program, Dr Sarah Wilson also contributes towards other areas of our health and wellbeing, providing guidance on how we can continue to heal from the inside out. This program continues to be a popular choice around the world as Total Somatics continues to Empower and Educate people to take back control of their health and wellbeing. I would love you to join me so I can help and guide you too.

For the rest of September 2019, the following discount code can be applied to receive 20% off the program price:

somatics20pc

I look forward to teaching you these amazing skills.

Take care,
Heidi Hadley xx
www.TotalSomatics.com