Slowly I turn … step by step … inch by inch … 

Those of you who have taken the PetMassage_TM for Dogs Foundation Workshop know how valuable it is to be conscious of your body/energy mechanics. We spend quite a bit of time in our hands-on class, developing awareness of the skills of awareness. Without a thorough grounding in awareness of body/energy mechanics skills your canine massage will, simply put, be “less than.” Less efficient, less effective, less connected, less nurturing, and less safe. 

One of the awareness skills we emphasize is body awareness. One aspect of body awareness is being aware of where you bear your weight in your shoes. While standing in front of the dog, is your weight over the heels of your feet, your arches, or your toes? What do you think you might be expressing with a forward posture? Do you think it is plausible that a forward position, in relation to the dog, might indicate assertiveness or aggression? Could your weight balanced over your arches suggest neutrality of intention? If you were back in your heels, could you be signaling the withdrawal or withholding of willingness to commit? Could your body language be saying that you would prefer to hide in your protective castle and you’d feel safer when you do not send your energy out? 

Developing awareness takes practice. It takes lots of repetition to internalize the movements. It can become part of your muscle memory, as natural as breathing or drinking from a glass or riding a bike. Awareness is a skill. Awareness can be habitualized, too. 

As I was walking our two boxers Lola and Camille this morning, I found myself in the usual and disconcerting pattern of being tugged, jerked and dragged from tree to tree. There were squirrels, cats, rabbits, new mounds of curious dirt everywhere. However, I needed to protect my body so that I can continue to PetMassage_TM. I began to gently apply resistance to their pulling; it would be their choice to follow me. I don’t do battles. 

I paused, and waited until they stopped pulling and turned around to look at me. Yea. I was finally more interesting to them than whatever else was holding their attention. I took a step and they lurched off again. So, I paused. They immediately stopped, turned and waited for me to give them the clue to what I was going to do next. I stepped and stopped, stepped and stopped. Stepped and stopped. My pace was slow. I became aware that I was doing the intentional walking meditation that we practice in the PetMassage_TM for Dogs Foundation workshop. I noted that I was more aware of how and where I stepped and what I was avoiding stepping in. I was aware of my thoughts, my weight and my balance. 

As I stepped, I recalled my old ice skating days, learning figure skating and ice dancing in Chicago, at the McFetridge ice rink. Ice skating is all about maintaining balance; developing your ability to keep your body within its “body box.” On the ice it is essential to have control over how you place your blade and which part of it is used. Pressure over the inside edge causes you to turn toward the inside. Weight on the outside edge, bends the arc of your movement off in that direction. Too far forward, you trip forward over the toepicks; too far back, and you topple backwards onto your keister. And, he says from experience, when your legs fly up into the air in front sometimes it’s the back of your head that hits the ice first. Ouch. Can you say “stars?” 

I stepped again. The gait of cats has a rolling quality. Cats place the lateral edge of the outside pad down first and then roll their weight medially, across, from outside in. I began stepping with my foot rolling from outside in, my weight rolling inward. Awareness of my environment and everything in it flashed inward, toward my core. I was inhaling the world. I was moving with the assurance of a majestic predator, the mighty feline. I thought about how, when one pushes off into an ice skating glide, the power comes from pushing from the inside edge of the blade. 

That’s how the cat charges. She pushes off from the inside edge of her paw. In PetMassage_TM, the way you change the attitude of your hands is by shifting the weight distribution in your feet. Sometimes disparate facts come together to support each other. Who’d have thought? 

I inhale, and with my inhalation buoying up my chest, straighten my standing leg, and swing my now non-weight-bearing/empty leg forward. Heel of empty leg to ankle of full leg. The empty foot extends and hovers over where it could set down as I decide where I want to put my weight. If it is on the inside edge, I turn one way; on the outside edge, I’m heading off the other way. With my exhalation, I slowly transfer my weight down and into its center. I have chosen to move straight forward. The grounded leg is now full. It supports my weight. 

Lifting the now empty leg, whose knee is bent, I bring its heel to my ankle. With the next inhalation buoying up my chest, my spine lengthens, straightening both the “full” leg that bears my weight and the empty leg which doesn’t. The empty leg is drawn forward, heel to ankle, extends, hovers, and with my breath, lowers, becoming the full leg. 

Breath moves in and breath moves out, Up moves to down. Open moves to closed. And full moves to empty. Okay, and yin moves to yang. This is the PetMassage_TM walking meditation. It is a variation on the traditional walking t’ai ch’i. 

Every movement is executed with awareness. Breath controls movement and each movement of the body is rooted in balance. 

Lola and Camille respect my intentional walking and stay within their 6 foot comfort range on loose leash. Slowly I turned … step by step … inch by inch … and the dogs, who are used to this rate, entertain themselves exploring the bounty of scents calling out for their enthusiastic investigation. They are happy. I am safe and into my practice of meditation. 

I know what it feels like to slip, slide and skid on the ice. I learned this walking technique so that I could walk safely across Chicagoland ice rinks in my street shoes. It works, when you do it. I also can attest that I have fallen when I was walking “on” the ice, rather than “in” the ice. It hurts. You could be pulled down due to an uneven surface, and/or your inattentiveness, and/or you are walking dogs who have their own ideas of what is fun to do on a walk. Scrapes and bruises can often take weeks to heal. 

If you will be walking your dogs this winter and your route takes you over slippery, icy places, I encourage you to learn the PetMassage_TM walking meditation method of walking … and practice it before the snows and ice accumulate. 

Please email me if you would like specific directions for the PetMassage_TM walking meditation. 

We wish you a safe and healthy winter.