Back to the Basics: A Different Perspective on Weight Loss
Continued from Back to the Basics: Introduction to Block Therapy blog…
I couldn’t believe it. In just two days my body had changed more than it had in all of the preceding years of hard work. My abdomen looked flatter, more relaxed, more toned. I also felt taller. The funny thing was, it felt like I already knew this somehow; that the combination of diaphragmatic breathing and pressure applied to pain would cause something significant to happen. I think the best part was that my awareness didn’t stop when I finished the work. I retained a sense of control in my body and peace of mind that was tangible.
Other things were happening, positive things. The color of my skin was changing. Before it had looked unhealthy and blotchy; now it looked clearer and more uniform. After a couple of weeks of continued work and awareness, other problems like chronic back pain and constipation were diminishing. I was thrilled.
I felt it was time to share my insights with my patients. I had an established clientele who trusted me. I asked them to let me try this approach. Almost all of them let me flip them onto their backs and work my way into their abdomens. I was going deep, but the consistent force, combined with applied diaphragmatic breathing, allowed them to activate the pressure fibers, changing the sensation of pain to something positive and healing. Of course, I would adjust the intensity according to the patients’ comfort zones, and learned quickly that the breath is the guide. As long as they were breathing in a relaxed way, they enjoyed the work. If the breath became challenged in any way, I would lessen the intensity until the balance was reached.
My patients were thrilled. They all noticed positive changes in their bodies. Before long I had more patients than I could handle. Word was spreading. I was also attracting therapists who heard of my success with challenging patients and issues. I began teaching others the technique.
On my own body, I followed my path of pain. On my patients, I followed the path of least resistance. I learned that my technique caused a heating effect that generated a gradual movement under my fingers. Years later I would coin the term Fluid Isometrics, a name that captures perfectly the effect of this art.
Isometrics is a contraction where the muscle fibers don’t change in length. In Fluid Isometrics, pressure is exerted by the fingers (later also the Block Buddy) and the movement of the diaphragm. It is the meeting of these opposing forces that brings the tissue to the still point; the place of balance where pain cancels itself and magic happens. The prolonged connection heats the tissue, creating a lubricating or fluid effect: Fluid Isometrics.
Size Loss - Space Gain
I used to be obsessed with weighing myself, to the extent that my weight represented my self-worth. The mood of the day was based on the number on the scale. This went on for many years. Unfortunately, my extreme eating habits didn’t provide many “magic number” days. This meant that most of my life I was beating myself up, feeling like a loser, consequently making choices that reinforced that feeling. All I wanted was to be thin.
When my journey began, it was driven by the fact that I had a way to control my anxiety, but it very quickly became about my appearance. For years I had been getting bigger, but with Fluid Isometrics, my size and shape were changing. It seemed that each day I worked on myself, I was making significant headway. The more time I put into it, the more my fat seemed to melt away. Something so simple and convenient was changing my size and shape to what I wanted them to be.
I decided to give up the scale. I was feeling confident enough from the effects of the work that I didn’t need a number to measure my self-worth. It was liberating and I was able to keep my mind on the goal. For those of you who suffer as I have, and I know there are many, I want you to know there is a solution.
When we connect to the inner ridges of tissue through pain and breathe life into that space, we nurture cells that have been blocked. They tell us what they need through physical sensation. It is through learning to interpret the sensations and connecting them with the right action that we become empowered to heal ourselves. Part of self-healing is learning to keep our size and shape in healthy alignment. I don’t like the term “weight loss”, because a number on a scale has nothing to do with body health. It is how the cells are positioned and supported that will influence how they manifest and function as a whole.
There are only two times in our lives when our number of fat cells increases: when we are babies, and at puberty. This means that, at any other time, if our size and shape are changing, it isn’t because we are adding fat to the body. Rather, the cells that exist are becoming larger.
What happens to a balloon when you squeeze one end? The other end becomes larger, “ballooning out.” This is the most important approach to understanding the body’s shape and size, and taking action to change it. It relates directly to posture. The body has trillions of cells, and each cell has a specific place, or alignment, in which to perform its function. It is through proper posture and breathing that we maintain this alignment.
If we aren’t conscious of proper posture and breathing, the body will collapse into itself over time. As in squeezing the balloon, if there is compression somewhere, there is tissue ballooning somewhere else. We notice as we age that it becomes harder to keep a flat belly.
Even if we continue with the same workout regime and eating pattern, it is almost inevitable that the “spare tire” will rear its ugly head. We may even ramp up the workouts and cut out the carbs or fats to try to reduce this, without success. What we need to understand is that it isn’t an increase in fat that causes the “spare tire”, but tissue displaced by the collapse of the rib cage into the core. Once we understand the mechanics, we can apply the right action to correct the problem.
Another factor to consider in maintaining healthy shape and size is cellular needs. When cells are properly aligned, there is optimal space for blood to bathe the tissue, feeding and cleaning the cells. Cells produce waste when performing their functions, and if that waste isn’t removed, it backs up, causing the cells to expand. For optimal flow there must be specific tissue temperature. Like any fluid, blood flows most effectively when warm.
If you are feeling stuck, in pain, frustrated and have lost hope in any way, try a persuasive approach to feed, heal and energize your body. That is what Block Therapy does; healing, exercise and meditation all built into a system that you do lying down, even on a bed. It’s okay to be comfortable and restful while you make changes. See for yourself and join our private Facebook community to see what others have to say.
Don’t miss next week’s blog where we will discuss two key elements to achieving optimal health!
Breathe & Believe
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