The Fluid Body

The Fluid Body

Did you know that a fertilised egg is almost 98 percent water and a newborn baby is about 90 percent water and that as we grow, the process of getting older is basically about drying out. Over time the body solidifies and in most of us, the water level drops to about 70 percent.

Like this planet we live on, our fluids are 97.5% salty water and 2.5% fresh water. Like other mammals, we are conceived and gestate in a watery environment.

Perhaps we would better be described as fluid, shape shifters capable of conscious movement and thought.

And it is our watery-being-ness that allows our interconnected network of systems to have flow.

So my invitation to you right now is to take a moment and get curious about your own watery-ness and think about what that means to you. In what way can you sense into your inner sea right now?

When it comes to fluidity - movement is key

As I said above aging is a process of drying out, what happens is that our fascia starts to stiffen and fray, and this is a key part of understanding why movement matters. We can’t stop the aging process, but we sure can make it a little easier and drinking water, whilst important, is not enough to hydrate the tissues, our bodies are designed to move.

Fascia is a liquid-crystalline component of our bodies that functions as a connective net, weaving different structures into relationship. The nature of fascia is elastic which makes it responsive to our activities. Fascia also reflects our patterns or habits of movement and posture, and how we coordinate movement.

In health, our fascia is able to adapt and shift as we move. When we are able to perceive and access support at a fundamental level, our bodies are able to relax. As a result, we respond with more ease and efficiency, which leads to a sense of fluidity in our being and in our movements.

Stress, repetitive movement, or over-efforting can all contribute to confused or inefficient movement coordination at the tissue level. If we are straining in a habitual way, our system responds by engaging more fascia, more fibres, to bolster support. Consequently, we can feel stiffness, movement restriction (stickiness), muscular fatigue (sluggishness), etc.

A final piece is that the fascial system works like a sponge. So when you’re doing heavy exercises, you’re driving water out of the tissues. Rest is when the tissues rehydrate. As you take the strain off of them, they will suck up the water like a sponge. Movement and rest being as important as each other. It is all about balance.

Let the ocean take care of the wave

Here are two movement explorations with a variety of applications for every day life.

Breath wave explorations:

With each breath cycle, the movements of inhale (expanding) and exhale (release / condensing) are reflected in small, yet measurable ways in the tissues of our body system.

In a comfortable seated position, take a moment to notice your breath and to sense how you are in contact with the chair (surface you are seated upon) as well as the space around you.

Gently allow the expansive and upward movement of your inhale to invite a slight forward rock on your sitting bones and an opening into the space in front of you / an opening of the front of your spine. As you exhale, gently allow a slight rock back on your sitting bones and an opening of the back of your spine / opening into backspace of your body. Sense the possibility of the breath and wave motion moving you – of being moved by your breath.

Explore the range of possibility with this simple attuning to the wave-like rhythm of your breath. The undulating forward and back wave can be large and quite dynamic or so small as to be almost imperceptible.  Sense how this watery movement might bring an enhanced fluidity of your spinal movement; how this movement might invite you into more ease. Sense how your bones can float on the movement of your breath.

After several breath cycles, pause, and notice what sensations are present for you right now. What movements feel possible right now?

Sound wave explorations:

Sounding / toning / singing are amplified breathing.  From a simple hum, toning, or sounding, and to more complex songs or chants: the waves of sound vibration and breath stir our internal ocean – evoking a fluid response.

In a comfortable position, bring your attention to your breath and to how you sense support. On the next few breath cycles, allow a gentle hum or an “oh” sound (toning). If (when!) judgment and opinion arise about your sound, encourage yourself to attend more to the sensation(s) of your sound rather than to the volume or duration of your sound. You might notice where you have the most sensation of your sound vibration. Notice how your sound vibration comes to meet areas of tension.

After a few breath cycles (3 to 12 breath cycles is a good place to start), pause and notice whatever sensations, textures, impressions are present for you right now. In what ways do you feel /sense fluidity? In what ways do you sense other than fluidity?

With singing or chanting, the affect of the sound and breath vibration is further amplified. Whether singing along with your favourite pop song or having a regular chant practice or singing / drumming in circle – as you pause at the end of a song, what do you notice? What, if anything, has shifted for you? What movements feel possible for you right now?

Notice what you notice

Each of these explorations can be supportive as part of a warm-up aspect of your movement practice, and support both structured and formal movements as well as more improvisational movements.

We all have blind spots, we all have habitual ways of moving, preferred sequences and practices but what if you took a moment to sense, feel, visualise or imagine a wave of breath that moves through you, to get curious about movement as an organic pulsation of fluidity rather than a series of events. What if you considered the idea that our structure is not made up of parts, but of one whole connected chain of fascia that can expand, contract and pause with ease. Practices such as yoga or strength training can easily become very static, very linear, and so my invitation to you here is to see movement, in all its forms, as a simple flow of presence and awareness.

Remember, though, you are in control of the volume button, you can chose whether to dial it up or dial it down and some days you may like to explore this wave as a gentle ripple through the spine or perhaps something larger, more expansive may chose to emerge.

Observe how as the body contracts there is a gentle coiling inwards, a yielding to the earth. Observe how as the body expands there is a gentle expansion, a push away from the earth. Notice the ease within the effort, move slowly, move mindfully. Cultivate a quality of smooth, mindful movement that is harmonious and graceful like the waves that come and go on the shore.

Curious?

This month I will be diving into this idea of fluidity, offering practices of breath and movement as a way to tap into our inner sea and to bring back a sense of fluidity and ease and it would be lovely to connect with you all in the form of practice.

And finally, if my words resonate with you in anyway, then please share this newsletter or any content that I post on social media with someone you love. You sharing my work helps my words reach more people!

May all beings be happy

May all beings be healthy

May all beings be peaceful

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