Not too long ago I headed up north to chaperone a trip with my daughter's school. Because it was going to snow and then possibly rain, I chose to take my hiking boots. Usually I spend most of my day barefoot and wear only flats or minimal shoes as needed. This was the first time in a while that I would be wearing these ankle-high hiking boots.

Your head houses arguably the most important organ of the body – the brain. In control of every aspect of your movement, awareness, sensation, and consciousness, the brain assimilates and disseminates countless pieces of information every second (though we are consciously aware of a much smaller number).

Have you taken a moment to appreciate your knees lately? You may not know it but your knees are some of your body’s largest and most complex joints, meaning they’re quite important. Separating the thighs from the lower legs, they allow your body to move in all sorts of amazing ways!

Did you know that each of your hands has 27 bones? Like your feet, this high number of bones indicates how mobile and adaptable the hand is meant to be. Beginning in utero, when many begin to suck their thumb, our hands are vitally important to our ability to navigate the world.

Have you ever gotten up out of bed and felt pain in the soles of your feet as you take your first few steps of the day? As you get your feet moving, the pain lessens, only to return in the later part of the day?

When we are stressed, we unconsciously hold our muscles tight/short. This muscle shortness inhibits the efficiency of our breath and oxygen/carbon-dioxide exchange. In our body’s best efforts to keep us oxygenated with shortened muscles, our breathing becomes shallow and consists mostly of inhales.

In regards to different visual capabilities, let’s look at just one “simple” skill. Can you move just your eyes without moving your head? Try just looking side to side first. I’m guessing it didn’t take long until your eyes felt pretty tired. We could repeat this process with up and down, diagonals, and circles.

At Kinesphere Center for Movement Education we likewise strive to give our clients the tools to continue to be productive, able citizens. Many of the Montessori principles apply to our own lives and, through a holistic movement practice, can enable us to maintain independence, intrinsic motivation, autonomy and self-esteem.

Our bodies are shaped by every movement we make and, in particular, by those we do repeatedly. Those who sit repeatedly have short hip flexors, those who play the piano have increased mobility and control in their fingers, those who run marathons have leg muscles that have adapted to endurance use.

Do you wake up in pain?  Where you ache in the morning is an indicator of the areas of your body which need more attention.  If you consider the combined effects of gravity and our daily activities--driving, computer time, lots of sitting, it would make sense that our alignment is most poor after a long day. 

I am a mover. That is to say, I am passionate about movement. As a dancer and movement instructor, I am constantly amazed by the body’s ever-growing capacity for development. However, this development, though sought after in the positive form, can also manifest itself in the body as negative habits/patterns that can cause pain and degeneration.

Stretching the fingers and hands awakens and stimulates the muscles and nerves in the forearms--a body part which is often overlooked—and re-establishes a connection between our digits and their point of attachment to the axial skeleton via the shoulder girdle. Through gentle stretching, we are also stimulating laminar blood flow, a vital component of cardiovascular health.

One of my favorite things in life is rowing a raft through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Until eight years ago, this was my job: Grand Canyon River Guide. Every year, from April through October, I took passengers on wilderness rafting trips through beautiful, remote desert far from the rest of the world.

Your butt. Your derriere. Your po-po. Your tokhes. However you choose to refer to this area, we're talking about your glutes. While often a source of worry for vanity's sake, this isn't just about looking good. The glutes are one of the most important muscle groups of the entire body!

This morning I had my first colonoscopy, per the recommendations for someone age 50.  Everything went well and I am completely healthy.  But only minutes after I walked out of the surgical center, I began to have very sharp pains in my stomach.  Trapped gas is a common problem following this procedure.

My name is Lisa Perry and I am a “leaner”. I have been a leaner as long as I can remember. Though I have been taught many disciplines and techniques that require me to “stand up straight”, I will lean every chance I get. I have become so strategic in my leaning that I can actually lean without having something to lean against. My leaning seems harmless at the moment but what is the true cost?

Early in our development, we are brain, heart and spine. As the fetus develops, the arms encircle the heart (which shrinks in size) and then cross to close in external rotation. Meanwhile the legs begin open in external rotation and then fold in to 90 degress of internal rotation.

Have you ever thought about the way that you walk? For most people, walking is an instinctive activity—I mean, how hard could it be?  Putting one foot in front of the other doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that requires thought or effort…  In actuality, walking correctly (in alignment and with the proper use of musculature) utilizes more brain and muscle power than you would think. 

Your foot and ankle alignment are critical for the well-being of everything above. Prolapsed arches lead to bunions, knee and hip problems, low back pain and neck pain. Learn to properly align your stance and you’ll notice a significant difference in your overall well-being.

Keeping the clavicle wide and the scapula protracted ensures that the shoulders remain supple and uninhibited. A lack of strength in the supporting musculature of the shoulder girdle, which is greatly affected by the placement of the shoulder blades on the rib cage and the movement–or lack thereof– of the ribs in breathing, is a frequent cause of most shoulder injuries.