Is your body evolving and are you even aware of it?

Words SAMANTHA ASHLEY

We are constantly being bombarded with information from a sensory and physical level.

Our stress, physical overload, financial pressures, past trauma (physical, mental or emotional); we carry all of it. We juggle our responsibilities all at once, trying to keep the balls in the air, trying to be everything for everyone, all the time. You feel like you are winning, you’re on top of it all, and then you wake up one morning, and there is a slight twinge in your lower back. It ‘sorts itself out’ after a hot shower.

A week later, your knee starts to hurt on your daily run. You cut the run short and walk the rest of the way home. A month later you notice you have shoulder pain and a dull headache.

A couple of painkillers, a heat pack and a good night’s sleep and the next morning the pain is gone. Two weeks after that, you sneeze and that’s it. Your back goes into spasm and you can’t walk.

You can’t work it out. You just sneezed! You eat well, you exercise, you do all the right things, and yet all of a sudden…

But the thing is, it’s not all of a sudden. Our bodies are constantly in a state of evolution. We respond to everything going on around us. It is the primary job of our body to keep us in homeostasis, or balance. It’s incredible. What our bodies can do to keep us up and running and functioning is nothing short of a miracle. However, there is a downside to this when we don’t listen, when we don’t pay attention to the messages our bodies are sending us – remember that sore knee on the run and the lower back twinge?

These are signs our body is giving us that something is not right. If we don’t listen, the body makes adjustments, puts us back into a state where we can function, and then we continue. If we don’t make changes, our bodies will send us another sign, make more adjustments, until the body cannot adjust any further and cannot keep functioning in such a state of imbalance, and the pain sets in until you do something to correct that imbalance.

In my practice as a Bowen Therapist, I see this pattern of behaviour time and time again. Bowen therapy is a truly holistic therapy, working on the muscles and fascia, and addressing many other systems in the body. This includes the nervous system, which in our busy, modern world is in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’. This persistent stress response leads to many of the muscular issues people present to the clinic with. Does this pattern resonate with you? Maybe it’s time to start listening to your body and take action, before the pain sets in.

Samantha Ashley is a Bowen Therapy Instructor and Practitioner. www.greenvalleybowentherapy.com.au