What is Kinesiology?

Kinesiology, as defined by the dictionary: The study of movement. Kinesiology, as defined by the Australian Kinesiology Association: a non-invasive, client centred, wholistic and integrative modality which requires utilising the skills of muscle monitoring (as a verification or biofeedback mechanism) for anatomical, physiological and psychological stressors within the person.

Until I had experienced the beauty of this modality, the above definitions sounded like jargon to me. You know, you're at a party, mingling, meet someone who is a kinesiologist, oh, what's that? You say politely, and they mumble the above. Oh, you say. You nod your head politely, none the wiser. Sure, they are describing exactly what it is, on paper. But in real life? It goes beyond this.

It is an artform. Deep, true listening, with the heart, with the hands. Can it really be encapsulated within a 30 second spiel? The bare bones, perhaps. So, we will begin with this. The bare bones. Then, the muscles that surround the bones. Then, the organs. Then, the mind body as a whole.

The bare bones: muscle monitoring. Huh? In order for a muscle to move, there needs to be a clear circuit - an unimpeded flow of information between the muscle and your brain, for information to flow in both directions. When there is this free-flow, our muscles can respond appropriately to a given circumstance. In a session, a practitioner will lightly apply pressure to a muscle, engaging it, and you will attempt to hold your muscle in the same position, despite the pressure. It's not a measure of strength, but rather, of congruency of information. Hey, anterior deltoid, can you meet me here? If it can, the muscle doesn't move from its original spot, in spite of the gentle pressure applied to it.

But, should something impede this flow of information, the muscle cannot meet the gentle pressure applied. It will give up its position - sorry, I can't meet you there.

This information the body tells us - whether it can meet us or not - indicates where stress lies. Free flow indicates no stress, water off a ducks back. But, when the integrity of the muscle is compromised, aha, there is stress. Something about the frequency of what we asked the body matches the frequency of stress, whether it be held subconsciously or consciously.

Then, the muscles: we have the tool of muscle monitoring, to guide us to where stress is in the body - what next?

Stress occurs because we adopt behavioural patterns that take us away from our core self. This isn't usually a conscious thing - throughout our experiences, and our interpretation of these experiences, we form beliefs about how to get what we want, and avoid what we don't like. We end up building an elaborate home that meets these needs, but inadvertenly, we simultaneously confine ourselves inside of it. It may be gorgeous, and filled with things we love, but we end up locking ourselves in. And when this happens, we can't experience things outside of our home. What happens if we want to travel? Bam, stress. What we don't realise is that this home is of our own creation. If we created the key that locked us within it, we can most certainly find the key to unlocking the door and letting ourselves out. The thing to remember is that we still hold the key - it is with us at all times. The bare bones indicates where the stress is - the house we live in. The muscles indicate why the stress is there - why did we build this house, in this way, with these features? What are the floors made of? The walls? The doors? This expansion of awareness is usually facilitated by exploring emotions and beliefs.

Then, the organs: The unique function of kinesiology is that once we have located the stress, and why it was there, we have the tools to re-write the script. The stress is diffused via different techniques, and from this, opportunities expand like the new day. This letting go process is guided by what the body indicates it needs; techniques range from acupressure, flower essences, muscular release, counselling, chakra balancing, sound therapy, and more. The body knows the medicine it needs - we just have to ask.

This leads us to the mind body as a whole. We see with eyes anew why we are where we are, operating as we are, and once we know how we got here, we realise we get to choose where we go next. We integrate our newfound awareness and understand that we have the ability to choose a different way. The one lane highway suddenly has multiple exits to choose from.

Traditional osteopathy has a philosophy that health is the underlying aliveness to all things - the undulating wave of life. Through the techniques of kinesiology, we explore the layers of rubble we have piled over this energy, hampering its flow, and through this exploration we begin to peel off each fabrication. We move closer to the breath of life. We move closer to our essential nature, and our life starts to align with this inner truth.

Kinesiology is a modality that bows down at the feet of the individual, revering the knowing present within each and everyone of us. It talks to the whole being - mind, body, soul - to understand patterns, and what is needed to create a new path. You hold all the answers you ever need - kinesiology is the gentle guidance that is sometimes needed to realise this.