Walking and Breathing

The psoas major is the main muscle of walking, an action ideally initiated deep in the core of the trunk. The psoas connects the spine to the legs attaching on the lower spine (T12, L1-4), before crossing the rim of the pelvis to attach on the back half of the inner thigh. The psoas if properly aligned is capable of supporting and moving us through space. Its downward pull on the front of the lower spine allows many muscles at the back of the body to lengthen and tone upwards providing support for the head at the top of the spine. When walking it is the work of the two psoas muscles moving in opposition that stimulates a natural and healthy rotation in the pelvis and throughout the spine. Most people use their big thigh muscles (quadriceps) to pull them through life but if everything works according to design the psoas is generating our movement and many overworked muscles get to relax.

The diaphragm, a dome shaped muscle at the base of the ribcage, is the essential muscle of breathing. When we inhale the diaphragm descends allowing air to be drawn into the expanding lungs. At the base of the pelvis three layers of muscle support the weight of the organs. These pelvic muscles and the diaphragm work synergistically. With each inhalation the diaphragm and pelvic floor should lower and with each exhale they should rise back up moving the contents of the trunk with them. Add to this up and down movement the rotational possibilities of the psoas and every breath and every step we take can tone and massage the entire contents of the trunk.

There are also literal connections between the psoas and the diaphragm. There are two tendons for the diaphragm called the crura that extend down and connect to the spine right alongside the psoas connection. One of the ligaments of the diaphragm (medial arcuate) wraps around the top of the psoas. Finally the diaphragm and the psoas connect through fascia, the webbing that encases the entire body. There is a particular fascial grouping that connects the diaphragm, psoas and other hip muscles.

The body is a machine designed to work very specifically. The relationship between these two titans of walking and breathing cannot be understated. Health in one can and will encourage health in the other.

Power Walking

This is pretty cool.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/02/08/knee-brace-electricity.html

Squidoo

We have begun exploring assorted social networking sites to get out the word on walking. Squidoo is an amazing place where people can really spread the word about what they are interested in. Check out our "Lens" on walking.

http://www.squidoo.com/fitzgordonmethodwalkingprogram

Instincts

There is an interesting instinct inside of us all. It is an instinct for normalcy. Whoever you are and however you hold yourself in space, you need to accept that as normal or correct. Our heads would explode otherwise. If everyone walked around processing the mess that is our body we’d all be barking mad. Instead we accept our patterns as normal so that we can get through the day.

Even though you understand that there is a tilt your head, you don’t really beat yourself up about it. You just get it, my head tilts. It is an innate acceptance that we could use more of in our emotional realms.

The flip side of that is as adults we can say I’m not going to keep these patterns. I’m going to accept that my nervous system tells me this is right because it needs to get through the day but I’m going to try to retrain the nervous system.

Retraining the nervous system takes a full two years. It takes two years for a new pattern to get introduced into the nervous system effectively. It’s a pretty literal thing. The body needs to repeat a pattern for a very long time to fully integrate it into the body.