Body consciousness originates from the first attempts in action control, i.e., through his movements; the beginner skier becomes self-conscious of the new environment. This conscience process relates sensorial information with postural and kinesthetic references. The expert skier distinguishes each part of his body and manipulates them influencing his state of relaxation/tension, his actions are internal and the technical gesture is his expression.
Body consciousness is carried out through a continuous process of our body’s schema contrast. To have a bodily experience, we must adjust certain muscle groups that usually go unnoticed, experiencing motor and proprioceptive alterations. As we go through these situations, we will increase the perceptual skill of our body and will accommodate it to the needed movements and postures. By modifying perceptions and developing body consciousness, we change our postural states and, at the same time, originate new sensations and perceptions.
Body consciousness and tension
We feel the need of having control of our skiing, and when we do not, we begin defending ourselves by tensing not only our body but also our mind. In such situations we lose body consciousness because of focusing only on the threat, abandoning the perception of our body status. It is a vicious circle that works by paying attention to the threat (loss of balance, fear of falling, etc.), which leads to tensing and losing contact with our body, resulting in greater muscle stiffness. In this way, we are getting insensitive and cling to our conservation instincts, when skiing should be much more than just surviving going downhill.
This situation is solved by changing struggle for reconciliation, muscular conflict for logic, looking for ways to restore our body and our emotions. Expanding consciousness is not only the perception of what is coming but also the tension/relaxation process which will assist us in the current body state. Being conscious of the body predispose us to individualize bodily habits to become aware of the incoherence of our exaggerated effort, contrasted with the effects of distended movements.
Corporeal self-observation
Implementing the observation of one’s skiing behavior is required to deploy a skiing-free of inefficient habits. To build this self-observation, we should feel the curiosity to study our own habits and change them gradually. To succeed, it is fundamental to recognize the need to rely on body consciousness. Recognizing our body to then perceive our actions will allow access to the sensitivity our skiing requires. Just by paying attention to our body, the adjustment of our behavior will begin. This constant paying attention means being receptive to current sensations and detecting new ones. Many skiers, due to insensitivity, are stuck in a rigid body structure. This is due, in part, to an almost non-existent capacity of self-observation and to limited contact with their skiing reality.
Self-observing means being attentive to what is happening within the Self. It is the path of self-perceiving and self-understanding, drawing attention and discerning, discovering the answer to self-transformation.
While self-observation is the beginning of body consciousness, for some skiers it is not easy to determine it. This process is considered as a method of body re-education in which we start attending certain body parts during action performance. While focusing, our conscious state changes thanks to new stimuli we perceive, as for example, the recognition of our plantar stance as a base of support that helps our balance together with proprioceptive and vestibular senses.
According to these considerations, you can apply the following recommendations in your own skiing:
- Distinguish each part of your body so you can manipulate them to influence your state of relaxation or tension.
- By modifying your perceptions and developing body consciousness, you will be able to change your postural states and, at the same time, originate new sensations and perceptions.
- In situations you feel threatened and feel the need of having control of your skiing, avoid focusing just on the threat, but on your body status first and then on your actions.
