Freudian psychology describes repressed memories as being stored deep within our subconscious….quite the avant-garde supposition for the late 19^th-century. Would it be presumptuous of me to argue that the same thing can be said for movement patterns and the physical body? Eh, what the heck, it’s my blog and I’ll argue it regardless. Seriously though, how is it that our daily experiences manifest in our movement patterns and posture? If you look at most people, they walk with such a sense of urgency, plowing forward into the unknown with their heads barely clinging on to the rest of their bodies. Take a look at the person driving down the highway in the car next to you, or at your co-worker sitting at her computer tapping away at the keyboard. What do both of these people have in common? Most likely, their heads will be cocked forward pulling the cervical spine (neck) out of its natural alignment. Their shoulders will round forward giving them that slouchy look, Mom always warned you against and guess what she was right! I don’t care what type of post-modern world we live in, or how hipster you are, but slouching will never be en vogue.

How we move, especially when we are unaware of it, says more about who we are than our words often do. The human body is a perfect example of the form follows function principle. Think about that Debbie Downer friend of yours (everyone has one) and look at his posture. Is it less than perfect? Does he also round his shoulders forward? Or maybe his defense mechanism is crossing his arms in front of his chest to symbolically protect his “core” or “heart center,” which are both energetic body concepts. Sounds crazy, but there is actual data out there to show that our physical bodies are linked to our emotional or energetic bodies.  “Emotional impact of our experiences are imprinted into our bodies, affecting the balance of our vital energy and the harmony (or disharmony) of our whole system,” says Sara Powers, a yoga instructor and author of Insight Yoga: Integrating Yin/Yang Yoga and Buddhist Meditation. Our bodies are emotional storage units and it looks like our buddy Mr. Downer lost the key to his.

The best way to bring yourself back to middle ground is to become aware of your behavior in any situation. These behaviors become samskaras (habits) that literally impose upon and live within our human containers. Yes, containers. The body is a container that remembers everything! No, you can’t go to the Container Store and buy another one. Sorry folks. But, here are a few tips on what you can do to retrieve your lost key.

YOGI TIDBIT TO TRY: Sit on your yoga mat with your legs crossed at the shins. Simply sit normally. Now, here’s where the yoga comes in.  In your mind’s eye, locate both of your sitting bones (hint: one is to the left of your tailbone, one is to the right). Observe whether you sit towards the rear of your sits bones, causing the pelvis to tilt backwards and the shoulders to round forward. Perhaps you sit more towards the front of your sit bones, causing the pelvis to tilt forward straining the low back. Both examples reflect where you are, in time and space. Sitting towards the front of the sit bones symbolizes an anticipation of a future that is not yet here because you literally lurch your body forward into the unknown. The reverse is true for sitting towards the rear of the sit bones. This extreme is reflective of holding back or refusing to let go of the past. All you need to do is observe and become aware of whatever extreme best describes you.

Take A Look at Susy: