Roots and Routine

Today I wanted to post something a bit more philosophical. About how our path through life can be sculpted by our fears  

Routine, such a  drab reason to do anything. A conversational shorthand, saying, I did this because it would take more effort not to do it. How did this word become so rundown?  Deriving from the French word" route", meaning road or path, it becomes a way to speak of our life trajectory devoid of any socially awkward enthusiasm. I'm thinking these thoughts while hiking. The literal route I am on has been co-created by many people as a way to navigate through thick forest. I am making connections between our human routine, how we navigate and survive life and roots the way a tree acquire so many of its need to live. Root is a Norse related to the word  "rot" meaning the underground part of the plant. These words do not seem etymological (the study of the history of a word) related even if etymology is far from an exact science. Despite having different histories and cultural connotations route and root make the same sound, creating an aural Pavlovian connection in at least my mind.

In humans, the root chakra or (Muladhara) is located at the base of the spine and like the roots of our botanical earth-mates concerns itself with issues of basic survival. Are we safe, do we have enough food and water, do we have adequate protection against the elements?  If you are reading this I’m assuming you are under no imminent threat from these primal fears, but thanks to hundreds of thousands of years of evolutionary pressures we all carry a little bit of the dread around with us. Let us ask ourselves how much of our routines are based on carefully analyzed strategies to best attain our most authentic goals? How much of our routine is merely constructed for putting ourselves on autopilot so we can avoid facing fears rooted in our mortality? 

I would say we are all a bit guilty of this, except it is our nervous systems default position. We need to be able to tune out the external stimulation of the world for us to function in it. We are no more guilty of this than being hungry after we gone without food, or tired when we been without sleep. But a meaningful life requires us to be able to break old routines and form new ones. 

Massage can be a useful component in this process. Massage has a profound effect on the nervous system. Every move you make requires a  precise neural pathway from your brain to all the affecting body parts. Much like how we psychologically fall into habits and neuro patterns our motor neurons will follow familiar patterns unless there is an intervention of some sort. It's why we don’t have to think when we do a routine physical task such as open a door, brush your teeth, walk and chew gum. This can be healthy, but we do also find ourselves in a neuromuscular pattern that needs to change. Massage is recreational (re / create)  in the most profound way. Whether breaking up adhesions in muscle tissues, stretching tendons, or just calling attention to a compromised part of the body, massage can re- create how the nervous system interacts with our skeletal muscles.   It why we can feel a bit confused moving our bodies right after a massage and probably should not drive for a while. 

Our nervous system is too complicated to really understand how changes in motor neural pathways will elicit changes in our perceptions of the world or vice versa. I believe the more we are conscious of our patterns (physical and mental) the more influence we have to change them. Whether we wish to use bodywork as a catalyst for a life-changing breakthrough, or would rather have a slight recalibration of our neuromuscular routine, massage can be a crucial part of this process. Either way, doing so can bring up those root fears. Our path led us here for and for good or ill. We can mindlessly follow its natural trajectory of least resistance, but there is no guarantee this routine will continue to serve us. We, humans, are superstitious.  A soccer player may have a lucky pair of socks they wouldn't quite feel right if they didn’t have those for a game. Likewise, we may feel the same totemic attraction to a pre-work cup of coffee despite not craving a caffeine buzz nor the familiar taste. Slight deviations from these routines can cause us to be exposed to deeply rooted uncomfortable emotions. Massage can be a holistic strategy in changing  your routine as it relaxes the mind as it recreates the mind-body interaction   

        Anthony Bruni