I am finding all kinds of movement patterns with chores to become aware of! I've been watching your 7-day emails, some of what you share resonates with me. My life has been a bit like yours as far as athletics go. I was a child gymnast, a gym junkie and even competed in some bodybuilding fitness stuff, a runner, a competitive marathon canoe racer, an intense yogi, and a cyclist. Then, in my 60s, I got my first horse. I now have a mini palomino, two donkeys, and a gorgeous Quarter Horse mare at my home. For years I ran despite having sciatica, until I finally reached the point where I couldn't anymore. I found yoga, but I pushed myself much too deeply. The sciatica also showed up during long distance paddling, and now I live with a persistent flexibility imbalance on my right side. These days, with my horses and donkeys, I'm constantly doing chores and creating projects that require a lot of physical strength, not complaining I love it, and I haven't been able to resolve this latest imbalance from a rock creek bed I built without help. It was sort of the straw that broke the camels back 🙃 What I know is that underneath it all is a lifetime of overuse, compensation, and injuries that I've simply learned to live with. That's why I'm here...to reveal those patterns and begin unraveling them....and I will! BTW I have very little awareness/connection with my deep core muscles of the transverse abdominis. Attached is pics of the rock creek I built to help offset erosion. My body is a bit upset with me right now!! 🤣 I do get periods of relief where my abdominals stop bracing for hours at a time, but I am really noticing the rest of the story in my body. Glad to be here....you make a LOT of sense to me.

Hi Ania. Being on Day 6 now, the one main thing I can tell you is that awareness is making the biggest difference. Rather than just taking on the shape of the imbalance and bracing, I can notice it and respond in a more exploratory way. For example, when I begin to feel fatigue and contraction in my upper abdominals, I can use the "string" cue and realize my upper back is rounding and my pelvis has gotten lost in space. It's instant relief, but I know I have a lot of undoing and relearning ahead of me.