Breathing without going Viral
Here in the Northeast COVID is gracing us with two new strains just in time for back to school. As people decide whether to start masking again and whether it even matters, we are all shallow breathing. This isn't a…
Mechanics: A Murmur, A Song
Murmur: A low, sometimes indistinct, but continuous sound. Song: A distinctive or characteristic sound. When we think of speaking or singing well we imagine great moments. We imagine clear and authoritative arguments or soaring vocal lines filling the room. Those…
Mechanics: Like Riding A Bike
One harsh reality about skills is that they are not permanent. If you stop working on something, it will slide — eventually out of reach. Even the ubiquitous adage about riding a bike is only partially true. Anyone who has…
Mechanics: Stuck in Gear
This week, I went back to dance class (virtually). It had been a while. Moving is an excellent way to discover the parts of your body that just don't wanna. Three days in, I discovered sudden freedom low in my…
Mechanics: Contracts and Releases
We are here to talk musculature, not legal instruments but, in a way, the concept is the the same. One process binds and the other holds free. Neither is inherently good or bad. For the most part, the muscles in…
Mechanics: Under Pressure
Do any conversations benefit from being conducted under pressure? Conversations can, and are, conducted under stress every day. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean they wouldn't be as, or more, productive without it. Our own physiology is at the heart of the…
Mechanics: Physical Realities
At least once per year, I get to fight my spine and/or hips on a sticking point. Mainly, that they would like to stick to a bizarre contortion and I would like them to be mobile. This week has been…
Mechanics: So Nosy
Ah, the nose. It is the only externally visible part of our respiratory tract. It is also the primary air route into the lungs (those of you who mask under your noses take note). Structure and Function The interior of…
Mechanics: Mind the Spine
I am often surprised by how many people haven't thought about the range of movement possible in a functioning spine. First of all, the spine is curved, not straight. It is comprised of 29 vertebrae -- 7 cervical, 12 thoracic,…