Will YOU Choose Flexibilty?

Or, do you prefer rigidity?

This very topic came to light as I lay on Deidre’s massage table. I had decided to reward myself for jobs well done and my therapist was doing the most delicious things to my neck.

As the fragrant oils were worked into the knots under my skin I asked her if she finds that many people carry stress in their necks. Of course, I believe we all carry stress in our necks! We also haul stress around in our backs, and the muscles of our legs, arms, and foreheads! Any of these is reason enough to schedule an appointment with our favorite body worker.

But, to me, this is the interesting observation my therapist made: In her experience, people who do not manage their stress and go through life holding rigid opinions, inflexible behaviors and dull, unimaginative ideas are often the very same people who struggle with such health issues as arthritis, brittle bones and thinning hair.

Whether or not there is scientific evidence to prove her point, Deidre did not say. She was very busy coaxing the stress out of my musculature and my mind drifted as she worked her magic.

I thought about the times I had heard a foreign notion or had read a new concept. Had my neck tightened as resistance to the newness of what I was taking in? Do my behaviors keep my body from maximizing my muscles’ abilities? I really owe it to myself to sign up for that Yoga class I saw advertised. Maybe I should see about a membership at the YWCA…

Whatever I decide, it will be critical for me to reschedule another appointment with Deidre. That is one activity where I give myself permission to show INflexibility!

The Healing Codes

Connie Baum