Proximal Stability For Distal Mobility: The Concept We Need In Yoga.

The first time I heard the phrase proximal stability for distal mobility my head spun a little bit. I was listening to one of my yoga teachers explain the nuts and bolts of movement science as it applies to yoga and I was understanding about every other word coming out of her mouth. Still, somehow I knew that this concept would show up again in my life, and that no matter how esoteric it sounded at the time, it was a worthwhile idea to explore. 

Part of the complexity of the phrase comes from the anatomy speak. Proximal and distal are terms used to describe how close or far something is away from the torso, where something proximal is closer to our body and something distal is farther away (think: distance). 

Stability and mobility are terms best described as movement nutrients. Stability refers to our ability to control whatever it is that we’re moving or holding still. Mobility refers to our capacity to move deliberately in a given range of motion. 

Put together, the phrase proximal stability for distal mobility refers to our ability to control our torso--the ribs, spine and pelvis, so that our other limbs have more freedom to move.

It’s sort of an if-then scenario: If I’m able to demonstrate good control in my torso, then I’ll reap the rewards of better moving hips and shoulders, arms and legs, hands and feet. 

I’ve found this concept to be quite helpful in developing priorities with my movement. It gives me a starting point and a rubric for success. Some days my movement goals are more performance based: I want to build up my body’s capacity to handstand; and some days my movement goals are focused on rehabilitating something: Ouch, my old shoulder injury has been bugging and I want it to feel more supported. What I love about proximal stability for distal mobility is that it’s a strategy that can be applied universally, no matter what the movement goal is. It’s equally appropriate for building up my capacity to handstand and to rehab an achy body part. 

I’ve come to think about it as a best practice for movement--a best practice that helps bodies work and feel better as they age. Here’s how it works:

The Ultimate Trifecta: Mobility, Stability & Strength

Imagine you’re squatting down to pick up a 60 lb bag of concrete. 

In this scenario, proximal stability means that you’re able to maintain a neutral relationship between the pelvis, spine and ribs throughout the range of movement. When the upper body is in neutral, the legs are tasked with becoming an elevator that lowers a stable upper body towards the floor, low enough that the arms can reach underneath the bag of concrete without disturbing your neutral torso. This is quite a deep squat and requires ample flexion of your ankles, knees and hips. In other words, a stable torso requires the legs to actively take up more range of motion than they might otherwise if you were to just squat to the ground in any old way. 

Now imagine that you’ve actually achieved this--you are at the bottom of your squat ready to lift the bag of concrete, your torso is stable, your leg joints are actively flexing, your shoulders are activated and your hands are wrapped underneath the bag. You’re ready to lift. Now, the moment the bag of concrete leaves the ground, you are adding 60 lbs of load to your position. The likelihood is that your torso wants to cave in or buckle or bust to one side or do something other than maintain stability. Why? Because 60 lbs is a lot of weight, and our body is trying to figure out the easiest way to manage it. The easiest way of managing it is to try to distribute the challenge to as many structures as possible based on our normal habits of carrying things. It’s much harder to maintain a stable torso when the legs are utilizing an intense range of motion in a deep squat. 

If we can make proximal stability a priority and requirement in our movements, we will begin to develop mobility and strength in our surrounding structures. When our torso is stable, we ask our hips and shoulders to explore deeper ranges of motion and to become competent at doing tasks in those deeper ranges. In simpler terms: Get ready for some sculpted glutes, thighs, back and arms. As this happens, proximal stability becomes more second nature to us, and our arms and legs are more fully equipped to engage properly in a variety of scenarios. They begin to build a strong container of support for our torso, creating a feeling of buoyancy and ease in our pelvis, spine and ribs. Our low back never feels like it has to get involved in movement it shouldn’t get involved with *cough picking up that bag of concrete cough*. Our upper back doesn’t feel droopy and achy from disintegrated shoulders. Our neck isn’t chronically jutting forward or backward or kinked off to one side. 

Benefits of Proximal Stability

It’s like the adage goes: Exercise is not so simple that we can’t mess it up. When we prioritize proximal stability, we emphasize balanced biomechanics in our movements. This is the foundation on top of which we can start talking about things like progressive loading and increasing our capacity to move in different ways. 

Not only that, but our brain actually developed from the center outwards. This means that we need to first establish proximal control before we can effectively control the distal areas of our body. And since our brain has a safety bias, it’s actually hardwired to crave proximal stability as a protective mechanism. 

If we are currently more fascinated with distal mobility than proximal stability, this is likely a sign of our ego talking and has nothing to do with our nervous system’s preferred lifestyle and movement patterns. When we emphasize proximal stability in our life, our brain develops more sophistication around the body. It understands our body with more nuance and is better able to activate one thing versus another. It allows our body to become stronger, more stable and more mobile. As this happens, it becomes more confident in our movement options in any given scenario. This makes it feel safer and happier. Day to day, we observe ourselves feeling better, both physically and psychologically. In my eyes, that’s better than achieving any fancy yoga shape. 

Proximal Stability & Distal Mobility In Yoga

I find this strategy particularly useful in yoga, which does a pretty good job of moving our joints in all directions. Because of that, it’s often known for it’s fancy looking shapes. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it often means that we try to become distally mobile without first becoming proximally stable. 

The current mainstream yoga culture is still fascinated with flexibility, and many people spend years trying to get their shoulders and hips to make impressive-looking shapes. Yoga is great at having the conversation around distal mobility, but there’s not a significant emphasis placed on its necessary prerequisite proximal stability. I have a feeling that mainstream yoga culture will get there (unfortunately as more people become injured from this partial education), but for now you can find the early adopters of these ways of thinking talking about it on their personal blogs (heyo!) or podcasts (not yet, sorry!). 

When we’re focused only on distal mobility, we’re focused on our ability to do impressive things, usually pretty sloppily. When we’re focused on proximal stability, we’re focused on the health and longevity of our bodies. It’s necessary to find the middle ground if we want to be well-suited for the world. 

The best way to start applying this concept to yoga is to make proximal stability a priority in every position. At first, you may not even be able to discern what proximal stability feels like. With practice and over time it will become self-evident, and will be a great guide for knowing when to push deeper into something and when to pull back. 

Here are some goals to work towards in every yoga pose: 

• To be able to feel the position of our pelvis, spine and ribs in relationship to each other. 

• To be able to feel this in different orientations: When standing, when sitting, lying on our belly, on our back, or tipped upside down in downward facing dog. 

• To be able to articulate the different movements of our pelvis, spine and ribs in every physical scenario--we should never feel stuck or locked into any position. 

• To be able to move our hips and shoulders independently of our pelvis, spine and ribs. 

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