Feb 16 Newsletter: 🎶 The Eye Bone's Connected to the Foot Bone...🎶
Good Fascia Friday to you!
When your usual tools don't seem to be creating change in your body, exploring lines of fascial movement is another option for your movement toolbox.
Did you try the little fascial twist exercise from last newsletter? If you missed it, no worries - click here.
Integrating Your Visual System
Question - how far can you walk with your eyes closed? How do you feel if you try?
Personally I feel pretty uncomfortable, scared, and really, really want to open my eyes. I cannot move my feet without input from my eyes.
Last newsletter I shared this image from Anatomy Trains and introduced the idea of fascial lines in our body - this particular fascial line runs from eyes to soles.
Going back to my question - how far can you walk with your eyes closed - if your answer, like mine, was 'zero-ish distance' then I'd like you to consider the importance of your visual system to your movement.
The eyes are our brain's top sensory system (unless we're 100% blind.) If those eyeballs don't give good sensory information then the brain has to make decisions based on 'muddy' visual sensory input.
Movement based on 'muddy' sensory input might be things like:
bumping into things in your environment
anxiety during activities that include balance
over-mobilizing the neck to compensate for challenges with eye movement or focusing
a feeling of overwhelm in busy environments
Any of the above sound familiar?
Fortunately, in most cases we can 'exercise' our eyes and improve the sensory input to the brain. Then we work on integrating the visual system with our movement so our brain feels confident in that sensory input and in choosing new movement strategies.
Want to do a little visual exercise right now? Try this:
Hold 1 thumb out in front of you, making sure it is clear in your visual field.
Move your thumb in a circle in front of you, tracking it with your eyes only. Don't forget to circle in both directions!
Try with the other thumb.
You can also practice moving the thumb towards your nose and away, tracking it with just your eyes.
Consider - were there any spots or movements that felt weird, looked blurry, or made you dizzy? Was your visual field bigger or smaller than you thought? Hit reply and let me know!
Forearm Fascia Fun
Continuing our February Fascial journey, this week we've got some forearm action for our fascial arm lines.
Elbow discomfort is common with hypermobile shoulders or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). One reason might be overuse of the shoulder and underuse of the elbow, or a lack of integrated movement.
In the video linked below, I discuss this as well as showing an elbow joint isolation exercise.
You can jump straight to this week's video - Fascia Forearm Twist (see a theme here with fascia and twists?) by clicking here. Let me know how it goes for you!
High-quality Hypermobile Writers (my clients!)
Disability culture, poetry, parenting and more...
I am honoured to work with two Jess(icas) who both write and talk beautifully about disability culture and life - I've learned a ton from both.
Please check out and share their work; there's something for everyone: kid's books, poetry, adult books, and podcasts!
Jessica Slice
Jessica is an author, speaker and essayist with contributions to the best-selling book ​Disability Visibility​ as well as author of a picture book about families with disabilities, ​This is How We Play​.
Recently she was interviewed about her upcoming book, Unfit Parent, on the podcast 'Mother Culture'. Click ​here​ to listen to the podcast.
Jess Gregory
Jess recently published a book of poetry called ​Burns Unit​ and also has a most excellent and informative ​Instagram account​ on adaptive living, patient advocacy and anti-ableism.
If you missed the blog post that she wrote for my website, please check that out too: ​7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was First Diagnosed with hEDS​
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You Made It...
...all the way to the end of this very long email! I appreciate your time and attention - have a great weekend.
Keep exploring movement!
Nicole
Coolest cat on the mat:​
