Musings
Seeking balance with our hands
One of the things that Steve Ilg consistently coaches his athletes on is balance. Whether it’s balance on the road bike, mountain bike, trail run, or yoga mat, he is an advocate for that delicate art of seeking and achieving physiologic harmony.
He also wants his athletes to be mindful of finding balance in regard to their dominant hand and non-dominant hand. For example, I’m left-handed. Instead of brushing my teeth with my dominant (left) hand, Ilg wants me to brush with my right hand.
Whoa! What in the hell does that have to do with athletic performance?
Try it and you’ll see.
To help you a bit, think about how many things you do with your dominant hand or leg.
Think about the consequences of a lifetime of using just one hand or leg for the same thing…over and over and over again.
Being mindful of this keeps balance in the forefront of your grey matter. Another Ilg-ism is “Your workout is everywhere.”
Even when brushing your teeth or driving your car.
In my case, I recently noticed that I drive with my left hand on the steering wheel. Paying more attention to my posture, I then noticed that my hips are cocked in the seat with more weight on my right side. In turn, this create a slumped posture and I’m working my way toward a slight, but chronic misalignment of my hips and spine. Perhaps this unbalanced driving posture has been a contributing factor toward my torn Soleus issues.
Or perhaps it may have something to do with the observation that I always step off or on the curb with my left foot. I will subconsciously shuffle-step so my left foot will take that first step…whether it’s a curb, escalator or stairs.
For now, the challenge is to focus on using my right-hand while driving. And let me tell you, that is a challenging challenge. I have little-to-no coordination and…well, don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself this weekend!
Have a great weekend and I’ll be back Monday with my April Fighting the Fat update.
Find your edge and dance upon it.
hak
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Namaste Hak-
really beautiful…this drive to dig out all of these habituated patterns. was it so disorienting driving with your right hand in the beginning that it made it hard for you to concentrate on driving? i remember changing side of the pocket where i always kept my cash once…and kind of having a little breakdown in a store when i went to pay …and my nervous system did this kind of back flip when my money wasn’t where it always was and i had to get it with the other hand!
blessings,
steven
Steven,
I actually discovered this habituation while driving the seven hours to New Mexico. My left arm, and thumb in particular, where getting tired so I tried two hands, then switched to the right.
It’s not as disorienting as you’d think because there’s not a lot of coordination involved driving on the highway. Brushing my teeth with my non-dominant hand is definitely more challenging!
Having spent a few years with Uncle Sam and some other “tactical” training schools, there are some things I will not change up. That includes things that go in my pockets. I want my wallet, knife, etc. to be in the same place all the time so I do not have to think were anything is. A quick pat down when I go out the door, get out of the truck, and so forth, tells me that I have everything I need to greet the world with a smile. ;^)
hak