Signpost #5: Fighting for Hearts

Meeting and interacting with the women of PNG is what tugged at my heart the most while volunteering on the YWAM Medical Ship.   This signpost is what has lingered around the longest inside of me, even now nearly 3 months after being back in the US.  This should come as no surprise because as I look back on the last ten years, one of my most favorite jobs has been what I have begun to call "fighting for women's hearts." It started almost 10 years ago when I stood up and made the announcement about the first sorority recruitment worship gathering.  It continued as I met with college ladies in Madison.

In PNG, the women I met were solid and grounded and strong.  At first, they may be somewhat shy.  They are moms, and they are hard workers.  They typically don't finish their education due to these duties.  They are loving.  And like all of us - they long for connection.  It seemed like once you got an in - you were golden.  Sometimes getting an "in" was a little tricky as communication was often a barrier, but I tried to push through the communication barriers.  Sometimes this came in the form of being overly expressive in my facial expressions. During one class I caught a lady performing a squat mimicking not only the squat I was doing but the same facial expression I was making as well.  So funny.  

I came to PNG wanting to serve but quickly found that simply just being there was enough.   Despite my best attempts at delivering the best therapeutic exercises I could come up with, I know these fell short of meeting everyone's musculoskeletal needs.  One day I was feeling discouraged about how little I had to give these people.  At that time I was sitting by a group of women and one of the ladies brought over a palm leaf and made a basket in about 2 minutes.  She then gave it to me.  I was floored.  At that moment I realized, as most people do on these type of service trips, that I am being given so much more than I can give.  My perspective opened to the thought that just being there may just be enough.  I am the one who continues to think I can do more or what I bring is not good enough.  These ladies are unaware of the MRI machines and rehab equipment that is out there.  At that point a large wave of freedom came to my serving and my intention shifted.  I began to try to communicate with every gesture just how much value these women have.  The payment I received came in smiles and hugs, and I have never felt so rich.

Most likely the women and men that I worked with are still dealing with some of their aches and pains, but hopefully me and my team brought hope and life to these people in only a way that their prayers dreamed of...  And I pray those virtues continue to endure and be nurtured in PNG.

This post concludes my collection of signposts from my travels and service in the Oceania Region.   It took longer than I thought it would to record these moments, but I hope these signposts will continue to be woven into my life and point me to the other way of living that I learned.

Monday Moves: Prone Mountain

We are continuing the Monday Move series on posture.  Check out last week's post on the Brugger Exercise, as all the posture exercises together will play different parts on transforming your posture.  This week it is all about changing our orientation to the floor to improve our posture.  So often when I was a kid and I heard my mother say, "stand up straight," I (with an eyeroll) stuck my chest out and pulled my shoulders back.  This "better posture" may have lasted for about 1 minute and then I would return to my normal slouch.  In yoga class, you often hear the teacher say "pull your shoulders back" while standing in Mountain pose and once again this correction typically lasts for a only a few minutes.

Prone Mountain exercise was created by Scott Anderson at Alignment Yoga.  He found that moving to the floor could be beneficial in learning how to stand.  So this exercise begins with your belly on the floor.  Your hands are flat on the floor on either side of your lower ribs. Now bring your chest bone (aka sternum) and flesh of the chest firmly against the floor.  In doing so, most people will find that their nose and chin also are pressed firmly against the floor in this position due to the forward position of the head.  Simultaneously as you press the chest toward the floor lift the nose and chin about an inch off the  floor.  Keep the head parallel to the floor and stretching the crown of the head towards the front of the room.  The toes stretch backwards.  Your bottom muscles relax.  You are grounded to the floor through your hands, sternum and pubic bone.  Take deep breaths, fully and naturally committing to the exhale.  You can start out by holding this position for 5 breaths and move towards holding this position for several minutes.  Even though this may seem like an incredibly simple exercise, students report that this pose can be one of the most transforming on their posture.  What are you waiting for...get on your belly!

  

Monday Moves: Back in action

No, I have not forgotten about Monday Moves.  I did take a brief hiatus as lately my life has been in a state of constant movement.  Since November 14th, I have moved from Madison, Wisconsin, started a new job, visited South Georgia and Chattanooga, and continued to settle in (as much as possible) to a new schedule and job setting.  Life is good.  God provided a short-term job and even though it may be making me feel slightly crazy at times...it is a good thing.  It has been fun to be back in the traditional athletic training setting.  I do believe that everything is preparing you for the next thing...you just never quite know what the next thing is.  The athletic training room has been the perfect spot to practice this belief as there is a lot of preparations for the next thing going on constantly.  It seems like a place where you continually "hurry up to wait."  There is also a lot of movement going on and that is what the body is made for - so, I'm sorry for my neglect of Monday Moves  these past few weeks.  But we are back and for the next few weeks we will be hitting movements that are action packed for the posture.

The first weekend of November I attended a CEU course that focused on "Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance" using the Janda Approach.  It was a quick introduction to the teachings of the late Professor Vladimir Janda, MD who was a pioneer in treating muscle imbalance and chronic musculoskeletal pain.  This workshop was definitely an information overload weekend for me.  I am still trying to understand and put into practice some of the principles from this workshop.  One thing that resonated with me was assessment of the posture and how it contributes to our movement patterns.

Living in this day and age so much of our function is performed in front of our body.  Whether it is typing on the computer, fixing a meal or dribbling a basketball, our focus is placed in front of the body.

Today's exercise incorporates movements that reverse this habitual posture.   Start with wrapping a long theraband around your wrist.  Then from this computer sitting posture, extend your fingers and wrist.   Rotate your forearms upward as though you are holding a soup bowl.  Begin to lengthen the distance in between your hands by extending your elbows and arms.  Then repeat.

Check out this video with a demonstration of this Brugger Exercise.

It would be great to add this exercise into your daily life by keeping a theraband at your desk or in your living room.  And since extension movement are stimulating to the nervous system try this exercise in the afternoon instead of reaching for a caffeine jolt.