Making the Forward Fold Fashionable

Stop is a word we don’t like to follow.  You might admit to yourself that the “rolling stop” when driving is so satisfying.  For those who love to be “on the go”, the complete stop at the annoying red and white octagon sign is a stress inducer.  We can observe the same patterns in those at crosswalks who like to linger in the streets.  I’m completely guilty on both accounts. Both have put me in harms way. (After that confession, I’m expecting a call from my mother at any moment.)

So what makes us take these risks?

I believe it comes from an unconscious forward momentum that becomes apart of your day.  Let me explain.

You awake in a positive light and start your day knowing exactly what needs to get done.  However, people and events get in the way and suddenly you are way behind, looking at a long day and you don’t feel the bright positive energy like you did when you got out of bed.

The forward momentum is turning into a stressful anxiety-filled day that builds tension in your muscles from your frustrations.  This is the body’s way to communicate.  Problem is, unlike Frasier Craine, your not listening. If days and weeks go by like this the damage is compounded.  You don’t want to find yourself rolling through the stop sign and right into the hospital.

What you need is food for your brain in the form of fresh oxygenated blood that will bring your day to a purposefully stop and allow you to recharge.  I am really talking about a fashion revolution – creating a new trend but not in the clothing industry, in the health industry.  Can you make the standing forward fold fashionable?

Imagine a 4pm work break and a group of people just standing up from their desks and folding forward?  You’d might compare this to the ritual of Tai Chi performed in communities in the fareast every early morning.

You’re not convinced?

By bending forward you are simultaneously massaging the digestive, nervous and endocrine systems instigating a host of benefits. This simple posture brings fresh blood to your brain, helping to relieve stress, mild depression, fatigue and anxiety, the exact feelings in your body that you often get when the world doesn’t seem to be on your side.  As for the muscles, it stretches the hamstrings, calves and hips, spinal column and back, great for countering those long days at the desk.   It strengthens the thighs and knees, stimulates the liver and kidneys and improves digestion. Headaches can be eliminated, insomnia can be reduced all by just folding forward!

Have I peaked your interest?

But how do you know when to stop, stand and fold forward?  Let me get back to this.

Take a moment and do this exercise with me now. Close your eyes. Notice the rhythm of your breath.  Try not deepen it, but feel its nature qualities as it comes in and out of your nose.  Do your best to follow this sensation for the next few moments.  If you discover a thought coming to mind, let it be there and then let it go.

Now slowly open your eyes.  How do you feel?

You might have a renewed sense of this moment of your life or a feeling of a clean slate.

In a sense you have recharged your batteries.

What you are feeling is sense of being present that comes out of initiating something from the body, like a standing forward fold.  If we limit such a movement to the gym or in a yoga class, it might not be enough to keep you moving towards balance for the type of lifestyle you are living.

The standing forward fold is a simple and effect position to put yourself in during any part of a day to just get recharged.  If you are still in doubt, give it a test drive. Implement at least three forward folds into your day.  I wouldn’t recommend planning them out, but rather sense when they are necessary for you to do.  This is really a lesson in listening to your body and honoring the present moment.  If you begin to feel tension in your body, overwhelmed by the moment or short of breath, then stop, stand and fold forward. It is a conscious way to slow down, come to a complete stop and take stock of your body and reap the benefits of this nurturing gesture.  As the heart melts into your own body you can be thankful for listening and your body will pay you back in spades. It is a short commitment of time for a large pay off.  And you might even start a revolution of making the standing forward fold fashionable.