John’s Sunday Blog

Hydro Pump

Stiffness, aches, all the things that come with aging, right? I tend to disagree from my experience. I had more body “problems” in my late 40s than I do now. What changed? Well, lots of things, but the main theme I guess for me would be consistency in study and movement.

So, what does this have to do with a Hydro (water) Pump? Well, that’s you my friend! Your body is a fluid operation; 70% of you is water. The body is tubular and radial with rivers of fluid flowing through it carrying nutrients and removing waste. The body is sponge-like. And how do you rehydrate an old sponge that’s been sitting in a dusty cupboard? You squeeze it in water, repeatedly, and the sponge becomes clean, soft, and supple. So for us humans, that squeeze is exercise, movement. In my opinion, based on experience and study, some, if not most of those pains from “aging” can be relieved and yes, even disappear. It’s true that as time goes by the cells in our body begin to duplicate in a weaker manner. Having a little less stamina over time is normal, but would nature design pain into aging? Maybe the scientific evidence pointing to sedentary living while under stress is the cause of pain.

1). Muscle weakness - sedentary lifestyle leads to muscle weakness, loosened tendons and ligaments, both of which enervate instability signals to the brain, and the brain signals pain. Yes, pain is in the brain.

2). Dehydration - sedentary lifestyle leads to stickiness within the body. Tissues can get gluey, toxins pocket. Instability signals will go to the brain, it registers soreness, achiness, pinpricks, heat, you name it. Yet, when one moves the body the fluids flow, stationary facia will loosen and become supple, lymphatic clears, etc.

If one is drinking lots of water but not moving you could be just over working the kidneys and flushing out minerals. See, pouring water over a dried, stiff, sponge, does not work. It needs the squeeze! Same applies to bones, if they don’t experience impact from walking, crawling, squatting, climbing, and carrying, they get weak. Our bodies need the load and the movement to stay supple, strong, and hydrated. So squeezing your hydro pump, the hydraulic body sponge, daily is good medicine.

This is where yoga comes in. Adding stress as one is making changes for oneself need not play a part in it. Yes, stress comes in many ways, yet learning to relax in mind and body whilst exercising has surprising results. In addition, Yoga will move the body in diverse ways getting into those place that haven’t been moving. And that gentle consistent fire can renew and restore. Restore what?…Endurance, strength and stability. The body, like a river, needs to flow. The beauty in yoga is to feel that flow; focusing yet relaxing through strain. Experiencing the wonder of learning how to feel the body in its relaxed, natural state, rather than numbing it or distracting the mind. We come home to our bodies in yoga. And we come to that home with friendship and trust, with the gift of attention, not judgment or fear. Then, we move forward living our lives a little more vibrantly, free to do the things we want. And yes, one can focus on the body too much, hovering over sensations or worry, but yoga has the answer to that too. There are 168 hours in a week. If you spare four or five of those hours developing a practice, what would life be like?

One hour.

Each day.

Welcoming yourself home.