Postural control and why I love the slackline

I've been spending a ton of time this summer in the park on my slackline. Let's be honest, there's not much else to do in Toronto at this point. I've been learning to slackline over the past year, and it was a rocky start to say the least. We started one day over May Long weekend, needing two paddles stuck into the ground just to be able to get onto the damn thing. I took quite a few tumbles that weekend, but I had a blast.

I was thinking the other day on the line about something my mentor Jamie has been preaching to me since I met her. "Our nervous system keeps our eyes level on the horizon. It's what keeps us feeling safe." In relating that back to the slackline I started to remember how helpful it was to keep my eyes on the tree in front of me rather than looking down at the line and my feet. The second I looked down--WHAM. I'd be on the ground again.

I've started to incorporate the level eyes consideration into my postural assessments. In the past it's been easy to blow through posture; rounded shoulders, forward head position, sits at a desk, without putting too much thought into what it all meant. If my patients hips aren't level, how are they compensating to keep their eyes level on the horizon? This leads me to which muscles may be habitually kept in a shortened position which can often lead to facilitation and increased tension. It also highlights muscles that live in a lengthened position, often leading to inhibition. From there we can figure out which areas our brain may be trying to protect and why.

As a patient, this is an easy way to start looking at your body as a whole rather than just a bunch of isolated parts. If you put your hands on your hips and look at yourself in the mirror, are they level? If they're not, how are you keeping your eyes level? We move in patterns that require a LOT of cooperation between each region of the body. If one area isn't doing its job, another area needs to pick up the slack.

This comes back to why I love the slackline. It requires so much coordination between opposite limbs to keep you on the line instead of flat on your back. It's a great way to work on your strength, stability, balance, and awareness all in one activity. If you haven't tried one before, I highly recommend it! And if you need any motivation, I remember seeing MEC putting on a demonstration at a festival one time and thinking, "There's not a chance in the world I'm getting up on that line". Now I can change directions without falling! (most of the time). You'll never know how much you'll love it 'til you try it.