"One could say a stable structure is one that has full ownership of all possible mobility; one that can return to a center point, a neutral point, or a state of rest."
- Jules Mitchell, Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined
The quote above reminded me of Weebles. Remember the "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down!" tagline?
At some point the fitness industry (mistakenly) embraced the idea that those with low back pain lacked the necessary core strength to properly stabilize their spine.
Thus began an obsession with using the core like a "corset" to "protect the low back". This false narrative equated rigidity to stability and completely overlooked that our spine is an inherently stable structure and that spinal mobility is necessary not only for a healthy back, but for whole-body stability.
In fact, there was a study done in 2013 where researchers used a "rigid lumbar corset" to restrict movement of the lumbar spine (low back) of study participants while the support surface beneath them was randomly shifted with varying amounts of intensity. The brace reduced the participant's ability to recover balance as compared to their ability to recover balance without the corset. (You can read an abstract of the study here.)
So, how do Mobility and Stability relate to Weebles?
Well, it is the Weebles ability to wobble - their "full ownership of all possible mobility" - that makes them so stable.
And how does Mobility and Stability relate to you?
Like a Weeble, when you take ownership of all possible mobility available to you, you become more stable too!
So let your incredibly adaptable, living, breathing, made-for-movement body play! Join me for a class and explore all the ways in which you can move or learn how to teach these skills to others!
Let yourself wobble, recover, and wobble again! (If this isn't a metaphor for life, I don't know what is!)
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