Last week when I picked up my rental car in NYC, I did the usual: checked the seat and moved it up, adjusted the mirrors and located the radio power (very important). What happened next was so revealing about the body’s movement patterns! I noticed the steering column in this new car was completely scratched from the keys of previous renters. The ignition wasn’t on the steering column, it was on the dash. Most of the renters before me were clearly used to putting the ignition key in the steering column, and repeated this motion automatically even with the newness of an unfamiliar rental car and the actual placement of the ignition. The body is used to moving in certain patterns to accomplish a task, especially those actions we take over and over again.

What does this mean for your body?

The way the body moves is imprinted in the brain in a pattern and carried out like auto-pilot. This can be a good thing. After all, I don’t want to have to think about how to move my legs to walk up a flight of stairs or consider where my arms should be to carry my groceries. Butthose ingrained patterns of movement are harmful if they were not created from an optimal blueprint.

You may know the structural importance to your entire body of sitting on the apex of your SIT bones, how standing with intrinsic leg muscles alleviates pain and lower body dysfunction and why keeping your toes pointing forward can prevent injury in hips and knees. (and if you don’t know these, we need to meet!)

You may also have experience with how challenging it is to implement these alignment tools. Stick with it, like any habit, moving the body in new healthy ways can take time to reinforce. Your body is worth your effort!

Taking it easy in the slow lane,