The human instinct to stretch: let go of your inner cat

Each of us has a built-in solution to the impact of technology on our bodies (think of software built into a computer). We all have a built-in instinct to stretch. Your body wants to correct and improve its posture all the time because it wants to be efficient, like a computer. Being efficient is the basis by which the body operates because it will use less energy that way.

If I were a fly on the wall in your life and watched you all day, you would constantly exhibit certain gestures. Not just because of nervousness or being self-conscious, but because your body is trying to correct the stiffness it is working against and get back into proper posture. Your body will do it for you. Really, that is NOT an exaggeration. Each of us has a unique way in which we constantly shake, hook, contract, or move parts of our body. We do this as an unconscious effort to straighten our bodies. What you can do is take that innate, intuitive attempt at self-alignment or self-adjustment, that natural course correction, and turn it into a conscious act. It is a beautiful thing.

Random movements are what activate the stretch instinct, precisely what we do not get as a result of technology. We do it first by learning to shake our body. Shaking your body means exactly that, you learn to shake your body. Just like your pet stretches when he wakes up or gets out of the water, or your child as a baby stretches and lets go in the crib before moving. Pets and young children do it automatically. As adults, life speeds up and takes over, and for various reasons, we kick the habit, the instinct becomes inactive.

The best way to do this is by shaking your body, and it will only take a minute.

Shaking is a full body vibratory movement designed to shake off tension and stress like a swimmer shakes off water when exiting a pool. In a standing position, with both feet on the ground, first flick your legs back and forth independently, with rapid, almost jerky movements. Add your hips, arms, and shoulders, and then your head. Now you are shaking all over. Pretend you’re shivering from the cold and exaggerate. Shake your arms in all directions: up, down, to the sides, and around. Shake your hands very well. This is especially good when using the computer for long periods of time. Let your body take over. Going to!

Next, stay still and then bounce your knees together up and down quickly in short jerky movements as if you were trying to push through the floor. You should feel vibrations and tremors throughout your body. It’s like experiencing an earthquake, only you are creating it.

To vary with your body in motion, lift and shake one leg at a time. Keep it away from your body: in front, to the side and behind in various positions. Use your hand to support a chair or lean against a wall if you find it difficult to keep your balance. This will greatly improve your balance and coordination, keep you relaxed, and help you shed the stresses of life.

After you learn to shake your body, your body will take control, and at that point, you will be making the movement your own. Every time, every day, you will make the bob you need yours, depending on the circumstances. So you won’t shake exactly like I shake it or like anyone else. You will shake as you tremble. After doing it for a few days it will become second nature, unconscious (instinct alive and taking control). You will find yourself doing it for a few moments or even a minute or two at various times throughout the day. This is your body’s natural way of keeping loose. In that moment, you will have made it yours.

Building partnerships is a good way to learn things first. For example, if a person is dehydrated, I suggest that they get used to drinking water after going to the bathroom. Then they have to go back to the bathroom. Then they will drink more water and ultimately the problem of dehydration will lessen. We all have these little routines that we do throughout the day, like waiting in line or filling up on gas, that provide the perfect time for a few moments of body relaxation. When I’m in line at the grocery store, I just lift one foot off the ground a little bit and stand there. This works my balance and coordination while I am in line waiting for my turn. Those few moments count, and we’re all lining up at one point or another anyway. It is only a matter of a few seconds here and a few seconds there; everything is cumulative.

I call these “random sizes”, not exercises. It is simply a movement, directed by your body, that you do right in place for a few moments, often while doing something else. It doesn’t matter how you are dressed, it doesn’t matter what’s going on, and it only takes a few minutes to do. This is exactly how compound interest accumulates your financial savings. Just do a little here and a little there and it all adds up.

If you forget to do it for a day or two, so what? Just pick it up. Because you will forget, sometimes, at first until it becomes automatic; because you’re busy and life takes over.