The future is now, plan well

Hi, happy holidays. I'm taking a break from clients to recharge on the east coast. Get back to my roots in the snow covered suburbs of central mass and let me tell you, environment effects you!

But anyway, with the new year coming up, people are often into making resolutions so I wanted to talk a little about visualization and future planning from a somatic standpoint. I lately have been using a lot of visualizations in my own life and while working with clients. It's a powerful thing indeed. And I think that something needs to be acknowledged and that is, thought is action. On a scientific physiological level, thought has an effect.

Movement is a great example. In the conscious motor area of your brain there is the motor cortex which initiates voluntary contraction. But right in front of that is the premotor cortex. This part of your brain is active way before your motor cortex starts actually moving your arm or leg. So in effect it is the premotor cortex that is initiating the movement. The premotor cortex also helps by selecting appropriate movements and discarding innaproriate movements and since it connects into spinal tracts, motor planning is stimulating the motor nerves even before you start moving.

So if you were trying out for a tennis team, it may benefit you to consciously visualize the various strokes you will use, visualize the side to side maneuvering your legs and body will go through, visualize that smooth kick serve. By doing so beforehand, you are priming the muscles for the action. In effect you are already playing tennis even before you step onto the court.

I see this with my clients, just the focused thought of muscles releasing and blood flowing freely through tissues starts the release and healing process. The thought of the release essentially becomes the release.

Think about that in the new year. If there are particular changes that you want to make in your life or things that you want to tweak or improve, start by visualizing them first. Don't just think about them, but really go through them in detail what you plan to do and the desired outcome of that action. If you have a specific outcome in mind, you'll be priming the steps needed to achieve that goal and will be much more likely to follow through to completion.

Here's to having the year you want to have!