Theme: I Can
Acknowledging our inner skills and strengths
Chapter 3: Personality & Side Obliques
Oh side obliques: the other abs. In the first two sections we focused on building a strong reliable foundation for our body. As we move up to the middle you’ll start to notice how interconnected everything is, especially when one part is sore or injured. Working on your abs involves your lower back, and your back might over-arch if your hips are too tight, or your shoulder might hurt if your spine is crooked because you’ve been limping on a sore foot for a while. It’s common that pain symptoms don’t present where the original injury is. And it’s also common to forget to take care of the not-squeaky wheels in life. Sure deadlifting heavy stuff at the gym looks impressive, but dependable side obliques make it so you can twist and lift a snow shovel when you need to, or rake leaves, or unload 100 dishes or bags of groceries at a weird angle without being bed-ridden the next day.
Personality
Our own special blend of personality characteristics (and how they present or may change each day) are also highly interconnected. They’re rooted in the previous chapters: how safe and stable we feel, if we have the ability to recharge, if we have a place for comfort, if we’re in touch with our senses in the present moment and our own personal flavor of sexuality, if we can discern between what feels good or bad and what’s beneficial to our wellbeing, if we feel connected and important in our social setting. Each of these steps allows the next layer to function. The solar plexus can’t feel powerful and strong or provide a safe place for your personality to shine if the foundations below are in shambles. Otherwise our personality just comes across as bitter and irritable. Like we’re walking through life with 100 grocery items in our arms and no bag and everything hurts. And that’s not truely who anyone’s personality is. That’s the symptom presenting apart from the original injury.
This week while doing your stretches, reflect back on some of the previous themes and muscle groups that may feel out of alignment still. Some side obliques stretches involve whole-body torque, while others isolate in tiny motions. Be careful and move gently. See if you can feel how each muscle is connected to the next, and if any feel like they may want some extra attention this week.
Jet Tries 