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7. Having legs to Stand On #2 April 04, 2003
We will focus on walking and this article can also be could related to
running.
I have found that the majority of people walk in such a way that they are pulling weight up out of the ground rather then giving the weight to the ground. Again there are many conditioning factors at play here but this need not become an unconscious habit.
This is especially true of apartment dwellers that tend to walk lightly, so as not to disturb the neighbors. Nobel, indeed! The reversal of this habit is to give the weight to the ground by hitting the ground lightly with the outside pads of the feet while walking. By playing with this idea you may comprehend the difference between giving weight to the ground as opposed to pulling weight out of the ground. This is not suggesting a way of walking all the time, but a way of detecting and reversing a habit pattern. Also, awareness of the knees being soft not locked while doing this is important.
Many times when I would be taxing the hamstring muscles, and they felt like they might go into a cramp. I would stamp the ground and it would subside. I explained this to a neighbor who competes in tennis on the State level. He was having trouble with his legs cramping and was quite worried, he attributed this to ageing since he was in his early 40’s. In about two minutes of explanation of the arch and using the ground with the outside of the feet he got it. We did a few stamps or thumps to the ground to get a practical feel. We met months later and he told me it worked, he is not getting any cramps!
Often we see runners “walking it off” after a long run. This is a freeform way of following what the body feels like doing to relax and free up tensions that may have built up from the run. If a ham string cramp comes on, I’m sure; hitting the ground like this will start the relaxing right away.
I use this often in sessions to get attention grounded and feeling the full body. Our walking can be playful and free-formed with a feeling of being with the body as it takes us where we want to go.
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