During the initial stages of a first consultation, it is common for people to tell me that they are “feeling old”.

They talk about experiencing “aches and pains”, restricted movement in their joints, lack of energy, stress, depression, anxiety and perhaps one or more chronic health conditions.

In fact, if you are over 50 years old (and often younger), the above symptoms are regarded as normal in our society. They seem to be the standard by which people are judged by our conventional health care system. This situation is inevitable in a system that specialises in trying to fix people’s problems rather than empowering them to find the resources within themselves to live a more dynamic and resilient life.

I believe that we all have the energy and potential within ourselves to make our lives more fulfilling. Occasionally our problems can be “fixed”, but we are more likely to improve our health by:

“Accepting the things we cannot change, finding the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

It takes great courage and insight to step away from a system that promotes dependence, insecurity and fear.  It takes energy and commitment to embrace the truth of the above quote (the Serenity Prayer).

Taking control of our lives requires wisdom (see Heart Wisdom) combined with a positive determination. There are many studies showing that it is one’s attitude to aging that determines one’s quality of life and even one’s longevity. Having a positive attitude contributes enormously to our wellbeing as we age.

A good starting point is to accept that our life at any one moment is the sum of all that we have experienced to reach this point.  Our ancestral makeup, our childhood, our physical injuries, our emotional and mental traumas, our relationships with others and our way of thinking about ourselves in the world are the very substance of our lives.

In my profession, I can gain a snapshot of someone’s life through their posture.  Posture is a reflection of who we are – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, at any moment. The shape of our body is brought about by the tissue that holds us together while allowing our movements: our connective tissue. (see Our Dance between Stability and Movement).

Much of our “feeling old” is from the long term build-up of tensions in our connective tissue as the result of physical, emotional and mental trauma. Over the years this leads to tension in the muscles and joints which in turn causes aches, pain and arthritis. We compensate for trauma in our connective tissue with subtle changes in our flexibility and movements. (Most of the time we are unaware that this is happening.) Our body is trying to do the right thing to keep us going but gradually the compensations build on earlier compensations until we experience pain and stiffness.

The pain and stiffness is noticed because these compensations lead to inflammation and adhesions in our tissues. What we often don’t notice initially is that the inflammation and adhesions are also in and around our organs leading to organ pain and reduced organ function.

I help people by carefully observing their posture and movements and encouraging them to understand the compensations that they are using to get by in life. I like to point out to people just how clever our bodies are at keeping us active, despite the wear and tear that we all experience. Then, by using a few sessions of Network Care, I focus on restoring the flow in the nervous system. The process of Profound Tension Release also has the ability to release the restrictions in the connective tissue system, to achieve the energy and freedom that we all have within ourselves to live a more enjoyable and effective life.

We can all “live younger” by paying tribute to our body’s natural ability to adapt, by being patient with the process of change and acknowledging the profound capacity we all have to be energetic and wise.