Like a Well-Oiled Machine

May 30, 2023

Symmetry is honest to God so important yet often ignored. Alignment gets more play, and while alignment is just as crucial, function and flow need both. When bodies are misaligned and asymmetrical, they feel strain and unease, like a sliding door with a wonky track. If you’d like to move like a well-oiled machine, here are five things to do that facilitate the one-two punch of symmetry and alignment:  

  1. Open the front body – The cobras, heart openers and hip flexor stretches are some of our best friends. Most people I see are tight and “curled” forward.
  2. Strengthen the back body – Rear deltoids, rhomboids, lower back and hamstrings are constantly whispering, “Please strengthen me.” Most people I see have weaker backsides.
  3. Breathe 360 – Yup, you need to breathe symmetrically, which means expand and contract all around, not just shallow and into the upper chest. I find that breathing 360 subtly helps us stand up straighter and puts the head in the right place (see #4).
  4. Maintain ears over the shoulders alignment – get your head in the here & now, stacked upon your body. When one’s heads juts out in front of the body, it’s a domino effect of asymmetry and everything falls out of place.  (The biggest tip of the century is to get your head screwed on right, literally!)
  5. Stand in “samasthiti” or equal balance – displacing weight evenly through your feet sets the whole body up for perfect alignment from the ground to the crown, and thus helps muscles develop more evenly. Most shoes tend to work against this so go barefoot as much as possible. 

We all have some specific nuances within our own bodies that need balancing out, so just so you know, the aforementioned five action steps take a zoomed out, macro approach, but none-the-less, a key factor is looking at the body as a whole. Did you know the Latin root of symmetry, symetria,  means “to be in agreement” and “together in measure?” That’s integration. That’s the muscular-skeletal system working as one big team. That’s the essence of mind-body fitness…and it’s our ticket to moving through live with grace and gusto. 💕