You may have already picked this up from Hayden’s articles but since we moved into our house 12 months ago, we have really gotten into gardening.

I have had so much fun planning, researching and establishing our future garden. I often find Hayden standing in the backyard, hands on his hips, gazing at his lawn. He’s probably singing his grass a lullaby - who knows. I think one of the best things about gardening is figuring out how connected everything is. Why some things will flourish and others will struggle to take off, how our landscape changes with weather cycles and why to attract a wide range of insects and animals. I seriously have so much to learn.
Sometimes we take our surroundings for granted and wander around, too busy with our own thoughts and concerns to take notice of what is going on around us. Since paying more attention to our garden, I have noticed tiny connections and I am starting to understand how this system functions. I am noticing what types of bees and pollinators are visiting which flowers, which trees are blooming at what time of the year and which birds visit during different times of the day. The whole garden is in balance, it has a pattern and is constantly changing and fluctuating with its climate. I can really understand why it’s important to pay attention to these details to promote a happy, healthy and flourishing environment.
It is with the same detail and wonder that human bodies work. I can remember in early university days sitting in absolute awe as our lecturers would explain the detail, down to cellular processes happening in our bodies to keep us moving, functional and healthy. I remember being amazed by the tiny details that keep us moving, just like I am now with our garden. Sometimes, when life gets busy and overwhelming we wander around, ignore our bodies and forget to pay attention to these small details. When we pay attention to our bodies we can listen to little signals that might tell us that something is not quite right or needs some attention. The tightness in those muscles in your shoulders might suggest that sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day is not what it is designed to do. The pain in your heels as you get out of bed in the morning might tell us the plantar fascia is having a hard time managing the load going through it. The deep ache in your calf may tell us your lower back is a bit irritated and the unsteadiness as you turn around corners quickly might suggest the vestibular system is a bit out of whack.
As physiotherapists we are experts in reading these signals and figuring out what could be throwing the body off-kilter. If you have ever been surprised at how quickly we can poke a spot you did not know was sore or reproduce pain into your shoulder by pressing on your neck you know exactly what I am talking about. By addressing these issues right down to the root cause we can work on getting the system back in balance and keeping you functional, healthy and thriving. Now, I do not know as much about gardening as I do about physiotherapy and the body, but this is exciting. If you want to swap gardening tips make sure you let me know.