in motion

A few months ago I started noticing that my body wanted to stretch constantly. My fingers feel stiff and constrained unless they can stretch out and explore the full range of motion. My wrists are no longer content to just stay in position over the keyboard -- they want to roll around and explore other options.

My arms want to extend and twist and swing widely while I walk. My feet and legs are happiest when bouncing or rolling back and forth. I feel almost addicted to exploratory movement; testing the limits, trying to feel muscles that I haven't sensed before, seeing how far I can expand and contract.

I've had all kinds of weird symptoms since getting rear-ended this winter, so I just went with this motion thing and didn't think too much of it until my osteopath made a comment that generated a flash of understanding: "We want your system to MOVE under stress, not to lock down."

I'm starting to suspect that this desire for constant motion may actually be an indication of health. All the various therapies I've received since the accident (massage, cranial, pilates, etc) may have released me from some old bodily patterns of holding and tension. With the old habits gone, my body is free to play and experiment.

I can feel tension building up inside me these days, and it feels so good to release it by moving. It doesn't take much -- just the subtle clenching and relaxation of a fist -- to shift from stuck and stagnant to fluid and free. Frequently, when one muscle group gets to play, the others want to join in, and I end up in a full body stretch.

I am surprised at how quickly the tension seems to build up and I need to move again. My marathon writing sessions may be a thing of the past (although sitting on a big bouncy ball at my desk buys me some time before I have to get up again ...)

This makes me wonder about kids who are diagnosed with ADHD. What if our bodies are actually designed to be in constant motion? Maybe certain folks are just unable to suppress their natural instincts, and couldn't that actually be a really healthy thing?

I think maybe we could do better than simply medicating them into stillness -- perhaps we could start by giving them all bouncy balls to sit on, and experiments to learn from instead of just books and lectures, and lots of fresh air and sunshine and opportunities to expand and express motion. I'm aware that ADHD is probably more complicated than that, but I still find it entertaining to ponder transforming supposed liabilities into assets by changing the context. Surely we can find some useful outlet for that abundant energy supply!

I imagine there's some sort of mental/emotional corollary to this exploratory movement thing, and it may reveal itself to me down the road a bit. Or perhaps my mind has been in constant motion for a long time, and my body is just now catching up. Anyway, for now, I'm just happy to be fidgeting and stretching and bouncing and enjoying inhabiting a body that can do so many interesting and rewarding tricks.