Movement is an integral part of our daily lives, but have you ever stopped to consider the impact of your movements on your body and overall health?  Whether you're an athlete, a desk worker, or simply going about your daily routine, understanding and modifying your movements can have a profound impact on your well-being.

We're not made from the same cookie-cutter shapes (can you imagine how boring that would be?!?).  Sometimes we're born with physical differences such as bone length or hypermobility.  Often we've had injuries, whether super tiny or epic, that continue to impact our bodies even years later.  And we might need to modify movements because a recent event impacted us (think: yardwork and having tight muscles the next day).

When we attempt to keep our movements the way they've always been, or try to do the same movements as others in the class or at the gym, that's when things can really go sideways. The same goes for how you treat the left and right sides of your body.  

Both sides should be treated as individuals, similar but not exact – like eyebrows, and not like identical twins.  Just because your range of motion on one side is wide open doesn't mean the other side will be the same – and likely it won't be.

There are many reasons your body might be asymmetrical.  Again, this could be from an injury and the way your body healed.  But it could also be due to the way you sit at your desk.  In this example, if you have a tendency to sit a certain way – say, one leg is usually crossed over the other, or you lean on your chair with one arm more than the other arm – then your body is more likely to have one side tighter than the other.  It doesn't take much for muscles to adapt to repetitive movements.

Approach your movement practice as unique and fresh each time you're on the mat, on the trail, or at the gym to accommodate your body's unique and asymmetrical self.  When you remove the expectation that both sides are mirror images, or that because you felt really flexible yesterday you should have that same level of flexibility today, then your movement sessions will be even safer.

This is where applying modifications is the key.  

In addition to using props to help support your body, adjust your intensity levels to meet your body's needs that day.  

The "no pain, no gain" philosophy of the '80s should've remained in the era of Aqua Net-plastered bangs.  Like your aerosol cans of hairspray, dump that mindset right now and instead treat each day's movement practice as a unique exploration of your glorious body.