Although people most often associate tension and stiffness with their muscles, it is actually the connective tissue that accumulates much of this stress. If you have lived for even an hour, your body has experienced the aging process, Most of us have experienced years and years of this process. There is nothing inherently wrong with the progression of years - many things actually ripen with age. There are three main factors that cause our movement patterns to become imbalanced. Continually carrying a briefcase on one side of the body is an example of ongoing physical stress.
Gravity pulls the briefcase down, and the shoulder with it.
With repetition, the connective tissue layers begin to get stiff and to stick to one another, like ironing two thin sheets of plastic together. As a result, the body becomes stuck in that position and, even when the briefcase is not being carried, the shoulder still remains lower. The whole body will adjust to this imbalance, and soon the impact of the briefcase will be reflected throughout the entire body. An example of one's emotional attitude causing imbalance in the body can be seen when we are depressed, which is often characterized by a sunken chest. If this feeling and the bodily stance become a continual patterns, the body becomes glued in this posture.