To Open and Close

We’ve moved on to some shoulder work this week, and we did some Shoulder CARs. Those of you who have been coming regularly over the past few months know that I’m certified in FRC which is a training system that promotes mobility, strength, and control throughout the entire joint.

So we’re doing a shoulder rotation in class, and a lovely regular student asks, “This is amaaaaazing! Does this open the shoulders?” A common question in it’s various forms. And just like the previous blog post, I sort of stumble on my words trying to figure out the most efficient and palpable answer possible.

To ask if an exercise “opens” a part of body, the assumption is that that part of our body is “closed.”

First of all, what do those words even mean? Does “open” mean flexible and “closed” mean tight? Or does “open” mean expansive and “closed” mean narrow? Which direction of the body are we talking about? When you broaden your chest, you may be “opening” the front of your body, but then aren’t you “closing” the back of your body? If you do a backbend, you’re “lengthening/opening” the front of the spine, but then aren’t you “shortening/closing” the back of the spine?

Second, in assuming that we’re closed, we’re saying that our body is so static that we remain “closed” at all times and wait for a movement to “open” us up—that we’re living stuck in a closed state of being. We’re also determining that opening fixes closing. We are saying that the problems we have with being “closed,” such as feelings of tightness or pain, can be “fixed” with the opposing state of being, which is “to be open.” To reduce our feelings and sensations, our bones and joints, our muscles and tissues, and our nervous system to a state of either “open” or “closed” is harmfully binary and simplistic.

What we can and should ask about any movement in a class is, “What is this movement doing for my body? How does it make me feel and how might it be beneficial?” Ask this of yourself and the teacher!! I loved being asked these questions because it keeps me accountable to what I’m offering and why. And if I don’t have an answer, I absolutely will the next time I see you.

So, instead of thinking about opening and closing, think about three dimensional movement. In how many ways can I possible move each joint every day? When was the last time I took my arms behind my back? When was the last time I took a step bigger than one stair? When was the last time I tried to sit in a squat? Let “opening” mean varied movement and “closed” mean little or no movement and see how that shifts your perspective throughout the day.

keep moving

xoxo