What Maxx the dog can teach us.

Maxx came in with some gait issues and a cranky shoulder. Fortunately for him, his owner is a long-time yoga student and was particularly observant in how Maxx was walking. She was able to identify where his tightness were, and she was right! We found a knot by his shoulder blade. When I started to do a “hairpull” technique on him just over the knot his breath slowed, and he relaxed into the technique.  

Here’s what his owner shared with me:
“After two fascia release sessions with Bonnie, my dog’s gait improved so much he stopped limping and could get in the car on his own. It was amazing to watch his breathing quiet and his body soften as Bonnie worked on his shoulders. He sighed, smiled, and clearly enjoyed the process.”

I’m not looking to work on more dogs, but I wanted to share this for a few reasons. First, to highlight the importance of understanding where our restrictions truly are. Pain is not always located where the structural issue is.
When Maxx first came in, he was dragging his feet when he walked and his knuckles were getting rubbed raw. At first glance, you might assume it was his ankle, but we had his mom work in his armpits to address the problem. That brought us up to the shoulders last week, which helped with his limp. We had to work our way up and see what happened.

Another important point is to notice if conditions are getting better. We tend to think nothing has improved if pain is still present. But using a benchmark—like being able to jump into a car with ease when that wasn’t possible before—helps us recognize progress. It might move slowly, buy knowing it is moving is important.
When it comes to understanding restrictions, we have to look to basic anatomy. Many assume their back is the issue when the real restriction is in the hips. Or they’re convinced it’s the neck, when the knot is in the shoulders. Sometimes it’s ankles instead of calves, or hamstrings instead of quads. You get the idea. If we misread where the weakness or tightness is, we’ll also miss the mark in how we try to address it.
In class last week, I used this metaphor: the hips are like the Midwest. If you grew up on one of the coasts, the states in between can feel like a big mass of rivers, lakes, mountains, and roads, with unclear boundaries. And boundaries matter: rules change when you cross them. It might be plastic bags in the grocery store, speed limits on the roads, or, back in the day, the drinking age.
When people complain of hip pain, they’re not always sure exactly where “the hip” is. Driving to Minnesota last month, the only way I knew I’d crossed into another state was when the GPS told me—or if a huge sign on the side of the road welcomed me. Our bodies don’t always put up clear signs when the neck blends into the shoulders.
When the pain you feel in your back is actually rooted in your hips (or vice versa), relief can often come more quickly once you understand what’s true and begin to address the source. And that understanding doesn’t come by overthinking—it comes by feeling and observing and sometimes by talking about it with your yoga teacher. Your asana practice is the perfect way to study your inner geography: Where are your hips? How do they move? Where does your neck end and your shoulders begin?
It’s a bit more complicated than just studying a chart. Think of it this way: your bones and muscles are like highways and roadways—mapped out and predictable. Your subtle anatomy is like rivers and streams—what happens in one area inevitably affects what’s downstream, it is difficult to contain, but the flow can be traced and addressed. And your fascia? That’s like flying a helicopter over the land: aside from a flight plan, there’s no clear map, no fixed flow, no road signs. Tension in fascia doesn’t always follow predictable pathways, which is why it can be confusing. So once you’ve studied anatomy, you also need to look more broadly—then come back to the yogi’s advice: feel what you feel, and let it guide you toward truth.
If you are interested in learning more about these things, join me this fall for the anatomy and fascia workshops and the yoga immersion. These courses will help you understand the boundaries and outline of your anatomy, and also the subtle movements that can assist in healing.