“Dumping”: A pet peeve from my own movement patterns.

“Dumping” is a term I use to describe hanging out in an active pose without engaging to support the joints. Is it the end of the world? No. You’re not likely to get a sudden traumatic injury, but you’re also not getting very much benefit out of your poses and will likely end up dealing with repetitive stress issues.

One reason I struggle with this personally is because it is so easy for me to do this, that it makes it hard for me to relax into a yoga sequence and feel confident in my body. I’m constantly battling my desire for clear, definite alignment for a shape, and the reality that only I will know what that is and it is somewhere between dumping and rigidly practicing shapes in only one way.

I no longer have the muscle development of a ballet dancer, and well-rounded strength training is a blind spot in yoga asana. Additionally, more and more research is demonstrating the importance of muscle mass in healthy aging, and I keep seeing examples in my real life. The message is practically smacking me in the face: I need to stop messing around and step up my strength game. It will not be a straight line, it will likely be ugly and frustrating. But rigorous self-reflection and adaptability is at the heart of yoga. So… like, I guess I should maybe… start doing something about it. Stay tuned.