# Chapter 10

Gait mechanics are the most crucial thing you never noticed until you do and then boom! Trust me you should be so pleased if you are ignorant of gait mechanics because that means your limbs are working in a generally coordinated fashion that is balanced and functional. But if you are injured or using crutches or a cane or walking with a limp, or if one leg tends to buckle or not be able to bear as much load as the other leg, all these things and more will alter your gait mechanics and then the real pain begins. These small or large alterations in your normal walking motion demand that other parts of your limbs compensate and other muscles bear the load and other bones bear the pressure and they will have their own pains as they protest this load shift! You think its just a little limp you got going there, wait until all the other body parts start complaining about your changed gait mechanics and you will understand that you have fundamentally altered how you move.

This applies to more than just gait mechanics of course, it applies to our spiritual experience, our relationships, our finances, our work, our passions and goals. Sudden changes upset the equilibrium and balance that your life systems have in place, like your gait mechanics when you blow out your knee and suddenly you are essentially one legged instead of two legged. Of course the resilience of your life systems vary from system to system, and how much safety net you have built into those systems. But your physical body generally does not have a back-up strategy or plan. If you break it, it is broken period.

Be thankful today if your gait mechanics are not on your radar at all and if your life systems are all healthy and getting stronger.