whitewillow

We learn how to hold from a very young age.  We hold our hands in the air.  We hold our heads up high.  We hold our breath.   We hold each other.

When is it appropriate to learn to let go?  To let our hands hang freely?  To allow our shoulders to drop below our ears?  To exhale our breath and relax?  How long does it take for the average person to learn to let go?  Is it something that is learned overnight?  Or is it a habit that is formed over time? 

I have to agree, it is a method that is instilled over time and we as adults are the teachers for the young, our children, our family and our neighbors.  We are the ones to help keep the future relaxed and at ease.  At peace and one with the environment.

Ah.. the environment is not necessarily relaxed and subdued.  Nor do the externals offer a release.  Most environs, in metro areas especially, hold.  They are held in traffic and in media hype.  Held in suspension on a cell phone and held at bay by thought patterns.

Today I witnessed a holding pattern that did not surprise me, yet left me perplexed, considering the effects of country living on a young child that holds.  I first noticed her holding several years back when her left ankle was tilted inward causing her knee to angle in an unnatural way.  This holding pattern created the environment for the ankle to become detached from the tibia/fibia during a sledding incident.  The presence of a dangerous holding pattern was evident prior to the break.

Having realized this holding pattern, several things are capable of strengthening and deterring the break.  Firstly, awareness of body mechanics and the pressure being exerted upon the ankle.  The wear and tear from the contorted ankle, clearly created over time, condoned the malformed body mechanics in the child.  Understanding these simple features is a means to a solution.

Once awareness is observed, we are capable of altering our inevitable by making minor adjustments.  In this instance, simple alignments of toes forward, knees slightly bent forward as opposed to inward at the sides, strengthen the natural flow of nutrients to the leg, thus ensuring a healthier more flexible area, less apt to break.  Continuous checking and realigning may be necessary to recreate a healthy habitual formation, however, the flexibility endured is irrefutable. 

A recovery from the break is currently in progress.  The new holding pattern is in the shoulders, raised to be level with the ears, not to mention the knees are still bent  inward.  As for  the shoulders, the upward shoulder hold creates a stress on the neck.  The neck is now sunken causing the head to be less flexible and open to torticollis - neck pain.  Also, the head is stiff and situated within the shoulders via the neck causing a compression of C2 & C3.  This is a long term danger should the hold pattern not be released.  Gentle stretching techniques can offer gentle guidance into a healthier holding pattern with long term health benefits.  Yoga, massage and cranial sacral work will all help restructure a healthier holding pattern for longevity.

The knees inward are the real issue that has a long term pattern/habit formation which will most likely take longer to eradicate.  Considering the fact that this holding pattern is present after the horrific detachment of foot from leg and the several operations to resect the area, this holding pattern is proven ingrained.  Daily therapies and strength building exercises are a must to restructure the muscles into proper mechanics for optimal health and well-being.

So where do we learn to hold?  Especially when we are children.  The fertile ground we are born into must have a pattern of holding within to allow us to conveniently convert our healthy lifestyles into dangerous patterns of holding.  Or is it a learned response to body mechanics that we just ignore since it is more comfortable to sit slouched and forget to exhale? 

Awareness is a key to allowing us to avoid many dis-ease and to create a bounce in the step of life.  Please find time to take a good long look in the mirror and honestly observe the direction of ones toes in relationship to ones nose.  Enjoy the surprise!

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