Episode #57. The subtle art of alignment; Feel better by noticing more with Verity Bell
"What if pain isn’t the problem - but the message?"
You’ve probably heard the word alignment used everywhere. But what does it really mean, and why does it matter in your everyday life?
In this episode, I speak with Verity Bell, a human movement specialist with over 20 years’ experience, whose work blends biomechanics, breath, yoga and gait.
Together, we explore:
– Why “good posture” isn’t the goal
– How your body communicates through pain
– The subtle but powerful role of gravity and breath
– Why curiosity is the key to lasting change
Verity shares practical, science-backed insights and stories that will make you want to pause, check in, and reimagine how you relate to your body.
Chapters
05:23 The Importance of Individuality in Alignment
13:05 Recognizing Signs of Misalignment
20:33 Practical Tips for Achieving Alignment
28:10 Exploring Left and Right Body Dynamics
33:48 Understanding Body Dominance and Its Effects
38:45 The Importance of Symmetry in Movement
44:30 Foot Awareness and Its Impact on Health
52:17 The Role of Breath in Body Awareness
01:01:21 Curiosity and Positivity in Movement Practice
About this week’s guest:
Verity Bell
Verity is a human movement specialist based in the UK.
She has worked with over 10,000 clients over the last 20 years; in private sessions, groups, corporations and retreats around the world.
Her sessions combine gait, biomechanics, breath, yoga, meditation, somatic release and relaxation.
Her mission is to empower everyone to optimise their physical alignment and movement, so they develop a confident and sustainable relationship with themselves, improving their quality of life.
She runs a full practice in London where she lives with her husband and two daughters.
When she is not investigating client movement patterns she is out walking, playing padel, cycling, kitchen dancing with friends and reading with her kids.
Connect here:
Website: https://www.veritybell.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veritysgotthemoves
List of studies mentioned:
Visualisation & its effect on muscle studies & articles
From mental power to muscle power--gaining strength by using the mind - PubMed
https://assets.pubpub.org/k9og4slt/31643844339559.pdf
Positive visualisation & its effect on strength training
https://drdavidhamilton.com/can-you-use-your-mind-to-improve-your-strength/
Visualisation on muscle
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3783980/
Visualisation study on physical skill
https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/mental/visualization.html
Mental imagery on basketball skill 2021
https://saudijournals.com/media/articles/JASPE_44_68-72.pdf
Posture & mental health
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25222091/
Mental illness effect on posture
https://austinpublishinggroup.com/medical-sciences/fulltext/ams-v5-id1039.php
Tongue position
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3940506/
https://themusclephd.com/quick-tips/tongue-position-and-strength/
Imagery affect on physical
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4438&context=etd-project
Our brains are far more complex than a left/right split | The Divided Brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNHybcK7psQ
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More about your host, Wendy
Wendy (51) founded Reclaim Movement after a running injury at 40 turned into 4 years of chronic pain. In her search for answers and to reclaim her own movement again she discovered natural movement. The philosophy of training real life practical movements to be able to keep using them as we age, coupled with the benefit of using strengthening and mobilising whole-body movement patterns that are underused in today’s modern world made her realise she had found a way to move for life.
Wendy’s aim is to help people embrace a movement-rich life, at any age, to improve mobility, strength and confidence to keep moving well and doing the things they love for as long as they want.
MovNat Level 1 certified & Functional Range Conditioning certified, she coaches online group classes live & by replay in the Reclaim Movement membership as well as online and in-person private coaching in Oxford.
Find out more about Reclaim Movement:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/reclaim.movement
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@reclaim.movement
Facebook: https://facebook.com/reclaim.movement
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