Washing Dishes Dance

Stand at the counter. Feel the height of the sink, how far you stand away from it.
Notice how you reach into the sink. 
Are your knees straight? Or bent? 
How do you reach? Do you use your chest, or simply reach from the shoulder?
Do you bow your head and neck only? What about your chest?
Are you comfortable? Are you breathing? Would you stay still here and be able to breathe without effort?
If you've had a neck injury like whiplash, I would bet this is not your favorite activity. 

What I used to do all the time: If I look down only from my head and neck keeping my sternum (breast bone) aloft, as if I am standing tall, there is a conflict:  If I am trying to bend down, but my chest is up, I am going two opposing directions, creating 1. Neck pain and overuse; 2. Low back tension to help support me here, 3. Upper Back tension to hold me "erect".

What else is possible?
​My counter is often wet; I stand about 4 inches back from the counter, and find that the sink reaches me below my waist, around my hip bones.  That seems very low for me--and it used to be a problem. 
Now, I have many ways to reach into the sink.
Sometimes, I am fast, and think nothing of what I am doing. That used to mean only using my neck, and clenching my teeth. Headaches resulted from dishwashing. I've had many opportunities to learn other ways, though, so it is usually easy.
Today? I recorded a version of today's playing around with this. 

What to notice:
My trunk. Sometimes it is very quiet, usually when my neck is moving too much. Sometimes, I use my legs, and my whole body turns. You can tell when I am comfortable--it is quite obvious.

The roots of folding forward to reach the dishes:
The sternum, breast bone, is attached to the ribs with cartilage. The ribs attach to the spine. In order for me to bow effectively, the sternum can soften down towards the earth. That makes looking down easier, as it then comes from my whole spine. 


I also am aware of my contact with the earth, with the way I shift my weight, knees soft.

I know today, that much of my trunk movement is really coming from how I shift my weight in my pelvis, and how much I am using my whole spine. It was so much fun to play with keeping the glass still and moving my self around it.

What's true for you?