Physical And Psychological Flexibility - The Quality Of Life

What allows us to maintain psychological flexibility, adaptability, creativity? You might be surprised, but this is the flexibility of the body. It is the body that reflects the processes taking place in our mental world. Therefore, it is so important not only to maintain, but also to develop the flexibility of the body and the flexibility of the soul.

Adaptability is the key to survival. It is not true that the strongest, the smartest, or the noblest survive. The most adaptive survives, able to adapt to constantly changing living conditions. And these very conditions are changing every year faster and faster, progress is accelerating. Adaptability is directly related to flexibility - psychological and bodily. With a rigid body, it is difficult to keep the mind flexible.

A baby is like wet clay - it can adapt to a variety of conditions, learn a complex language, learn any traditions … But over time we already become baked clay: having taken a certain shape under the influence of the environment (family, society as a whole), we freeze. The level of adaptability decreases over time, as does bodily flexibility. But "old age" and "rigidity" are not identical concepts.

Think of the elderly yogis, Tibetan monks. Of course, if you let everything take its course, time will take its toll, the processes of "hardening" of the soul and body at a certain moment will not keep you waiting. But much is within our own power. By engaging in your bodily and psychological development, you can maintain and increase flexibility and creativity.

How to extend the period of flexibility, to return the familiar ability to adapt from childhood? Exercises from body-oriented psychotherapy will help in this.

1. Exercise "Snake"

In the East, they have long known: the flexibility of the spine is the key to the flexibility of the mind and the health of the whole body.

You will need:

10-15 minutes of free time.

Instructions

Sit comfortably on a chair (not leaning back) or in a Turkish manner. Concentrate on the feeling of your back, spine. Imagine that the spine is a frozen snake. And now the snake begins to "come to life". Wiggle your neck, then connect your shoulders, shoulder blades, and so on, from top to bottom. Gradually, the snake begins to bend entirely: the whole back and pelvis are involved in the movement. Move intuitively, based on the pleasure principle: it should be joyful. Try to diversify movements according to their type, direction, amplitude. This technique can be done with music.

2. Exercise "Starfish"

This is an exercise from M. Feldenkrais's system. It is built on the natural movement of the body.

You will need:

nice music, 15–20 minutes of free time.

Instructions

Lie on your back with your arms and legs spread comfortably in a starfish pose. As you inhale, stretch your right arm and left leg at the same time. Do not lift them off the floor surface. The amplitude depends on your desire. As you exhale, return them to their original position. During the next inhalation, pull the opposite diagonal: left arm and right leg, as you exhale, return to the starting position. And so alternate the diagonals. There is no need to specifically change the breath: the movement should be adjusted to the breath, but not vice versa.

A strong character must be combined with the flexibility of the mind

Luc de Vauvenargue

3. Exercise "Fingers"

The general flexibility of the body and the alertness of the mind are associated … with our fingers. And if we train our fingers willy-nilly with constant loads, then we forget about the toes. Pay attention to their flexibility.

You will need:

rug, nice music.

Instructions

Free your feet from shoes, socks or tights, wiggle your toes. Try to squeeze, spread, lift them. How easy are these movements? Try shifting small objects with your toes and throwing them into the air. Finally, knead, rub your fingers with your hands. If you have children, they can happily join this exercise, it will be an interesting joint game for them.

4. Exercise "In the Wind"

You will need:

take this exercise 10-15 minutes, turn on flowing music.

Instructions

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees flexible. Imagine that your feet are firmly attached to the floor. A strong wind has blown and you start to sway. Change directions, speed and amplitude of swaying, stretch your whole body. The main thing is to remain stable at all times.

5. A series of eye exercises

Tense eye muscles lead to the so-called canalized gaze: overly focused, direct. This negatively affects psychological flexibility. Try to bring your gaze back to mobility.

• Look up, as high as possible, expanding your field of vision. Now - down, left, right. Repeat the exercise five to six times. Thus, peripheral vision develops, our horizons become more complete, our worldview becomes flexible.
• Roll your eyes clockwise and counterclockwise trying to see as much as possible.
• Bulge your eyes and close your eyes, alternate these two movements. Repeat the exercise several times until your eyes get tired.
• Allow your gaze to freely glide over your surroundings, as molecules run during Brownian motion. Enjoy this freedom and lack of specific purpose.

What else will help to develop flexibility in the body, and therefore the mind? The next step can be yoga, stretching, or wave gymnastics.

EXPERT OPINION

Psychological workshop

The consultation is regularly attended by either a mother and a teenager (and the mother declares that her child is "broken": she does not want anything), then husband and wife (the husband is grieving that his clever, beautiful woman and chef suddenly began to make a career, horror- horror, we must "return as before"). At this moment I really want to ask: "Did you bring the warranty card for your relatives?" It's time to rename the repair shop.

These two situations are very similar in that people often miss or do not want to see the metamorphosis of loved ones. Everyone is more familiar with the prevailing opinion or idea of a person. But it is very important to see a real person nearby! Yes, parents of teenagers or frightened husbands can find it difficult to accept a person who appears next to them instead of a “little donkey”, who is quite tough asserting his rights.

And here's what's interesting: not noticing the changes in others, we miss even their very opportunity in ourselves. So if a "bright" thought suddenly comes to mind, how to change close and not very close people - start with yourself. This may increase your level of psychological adaptation and expand the horizons of your own personality.

Olga DYACHUK,

psychologist, writer