Check In

Check-In!

That's a term I really like. Especially when I was the mother of "young adults".

Just a quick text, like my friend Barbara says; just a "k". Let us know that you are alive and aware of your surroundings. When I asked my son why he didn't check in with me one night, he said, "I'm 20 years old mom, an adult. Why do I have to tell my mother where I am?"

Good point,.... if you're not living under the same roof! I would be disappointed in myself as a parent if I wasn't concerned about my loved ones. No one expects a "young adult" (as they like to call themselves, even when they can't make their own bed, do their laundry or see when the trash needs to be taken out) to call their parents every hour of the night to tell them where they are, but., ..a simple text saying "won't be home" or I'm safe", saves you the wrath of a parent the next day. Just sayin......

It is much the same with our bodies. How often are we checked OUT (of our bodies and minds). Having only 2 and a half hours sleep on Thursday night because my son's dog started barking at 3am (yes the same son that decided to stay out, is the owner of that precious Lucifer), produced a very "CHECKED OUT" physical therapist on Friday. I had my colleagues follow my every move so I pressed the right buttons on machines! It could cause a lot of harm and future problems when we are checked out.

So I say CHECK-IN more often and spare the negative consequences. It is easier to check-in at the appropriate times avoiding long term problems.

Riding my bike to yoga reminded me to check in with my shoulders and upper back. A busy week a work (which is a great thing) seems to inherently raise my shoulders towards my ears. When I do a lot of manual work, and even riding the bike, I find my shoulders drifting towards my ears. The next thing I know, my neck hurts and eventually I have neck pain, upper back pain and a good old headache. By simply checking in with my shoulders every so often, I can drop them down (pinch my shoulder blades together) and avoid all of the above.

Bill is great about reminding us at yoga to check in. Check in with your feet to make sure your weight bearing through the foot triangle, (big toe, little toe, lateral border of foot to the heel). Check in with your abdomen, make sure it is engaged, check in with your spine and make sure that the tip of your head is reaching towards the ceiling, check in with your shoulders, drop them from your ears and check in with your head, make sure your not looking like a turkey with the chin jutted forward.

Although we should be aware of all of these postural cues, we all have a weak link. My weak link is my shoulders (although my belly is not so great either). Make it a point to concentrate on your weak link from time to time. Correct that one thing first, the rest will fall into place. If it doesn't take the 2nd weakness and concentrate on that.

If you are a teenager, CHECK-IN with your parents first, then check in with your body. For all the rest of you, just check in. That should be a good start to a more comfortable day for you. It may produce fewer patients for me, but I'm OK with that. Check-in and take good care of yourself! K?