There is a difference between .
. .
“To Balance” . . . and . . . “In Balance”
Don’t Miss It!
I’m not entirely certain when I talk about the balance of
the body if it is clear it’s understood what I am talking about. Oh, you say, you
sure don’t know what he’s talking about. That may be a true judging from how
many times I’ve heard that said to me. But, my aim is to see that you know what
I’m talking about. At least I know that I’m talking about it. Enough about my perspicacity.
Professionally, I speak to the subject of the balance of the
body. Being in balance. That would be —
this is the key point — in gravity. Balance in respect to the dictates
of gravity on the arrangement of the human body. Your body.
Before we can even begin to discuss why the balance of the
body is important — I would say
necessary; but, hey, I’m in the business of balancing bodies so I have to
acknowledge a preference in this matter — let’s be sure it’s clear what we’re
talking about.
Simply put, on one
hand, there is the ability “to balance”. This ability to balance is a
skill we all have, each to a greater or lesser degree. The most direct evidence
of this basic ability is the plain fact that most of us can stand upright on our
two feet. (Just who taught you to do that?) Then there are the refinements; like
balancing on a skateboard, on ice skates, on a bike, on a high wire, on a flag
pole. The head of a pin? You’re no angel!
Being “in balance” is something altogether different. This will
clarify the point. If you miss it you could be missing an opportunity that will
make a significant difference in the quality of your life, the level of your
physical performance, and the fullness of your creativity.
I would like to especially make this point to parents who
spare no effort and expense to see their children get the best education and
opportunities. Yet, when it comes to suggesting their youngster might benefit
from learning something about the balance of the body from a professional such
as me . . . “Well, how dare you? There’s nothing wrong with my little darling!”
If they didn’t hightail it away in such a hurry, I would clarify. I would
agree; there might be nothing wrong, but we don’t send the kids to school
because something is wrong, do we? Unless, of course, you consider that they
don’t know nothing means there’s something wrong. A problem to be fixed. (I
went to a parochial school, and the good Sisters there did sometimes appear to
regard us kids as born devils in need of proper — and strict — instruction and discipline.)
Learning the balance of the body is a life skill we all have
on our plates to learn. Learning it consciously as a student isn’t on the
curriculum of any school that I know of. Oh, there is the injunction to sit up
straight. Hold your shoulders back, your chest up. Chin down. That is what
passes for the usual standard instruction of proper posture. Still. When I ask
my new clients to stand up straight, almost always you see this pattern
demonstrated. It is wrong. If your idea of proper posture is to keep your
shoulders cocked back and your back arched to lift your rib cage, you are living
in default of a restrictive and inefficient pattern. A pattern that is a put on,
superficial arrangement. It fails to get at the healthier possibility of having
an engrained, tangible sense of bodily balance inculcated deep down within
oneself.
When I propose a course of Structural Integration for their
children, some parents shrug it off like it’s not an issue. Nothing there to be
fixed. It used to flummox me when this would happen. Then I realized that
mostly people were taking it that I saw something wrong and I was suggesting a
remedy. And, unless they themselves see something wrong, then there is no need.
To me it’s as strange a response as if I were a riding instructor or a
gymnastics coach and the parents would respond to an invitation as if it were
an affront.
Alright, here’s the scoop. Living in a balanced body is not
a necessity. Most of humanity has gotten by this far without it. Most won’t see
the value unless it’s written about in the New York Times. Or, we’re in the
pinch of it and someone suggests that possibility. Or, we see it on Oprah. Oh,
but it’s been on Oprah. She even said that it was something she wanted to do.
Hey, Oprah! What are you waiting for? It’s about realizing sound good health.
Staying healthy. It’s a quality of life issue. It’s like driving a fine tuned,
well-crafted automobile. Enjoying an original Matisse or Picasso on your living
room wall. Having fresh vegetables and fruits from your own garden. It’s about
grace, power, and presence. Living well, in the best sense. Living a good life.
You don’t really need that. You can have it from Ms. Martha Stewart, “Living
the Good Life”. Her idea has mostly to do with what you have and to to show it;
and, maybe, doing it with some derivative sense of stylishness. Why not show up
strong, healthy, good looking, and effective in your own right? Enjoy living
unstressed and effortlessly upright. It is easily within reach. But, it does
take doing. (Do it!)
Here’s the problem. Out of balance, gravity pulls you down.
It eventually tears you apart. Slowly, but surely and inexorably. In balance
gravity is a friendly force. In fact, it uplifts and energizes. Out of balance
you have to work just to keep it together. In balance, maximum energy is
available for the task at hand. You live and move free of unnecessary
restrictions.
I sometimes think that the plain fact that most of us stand
on two feet is considered sufficient evidence of adequacy on the question of
balance of the body. It may be sufficient in terms of being able to balance,
but not necessarily on the point in question.
If you look you will see that all but a rare few individuals
are out of balance in respect to how their body parts fit together, and how it
all adds up in terms of the dictates of gravity. That is, the balance of the
body. Our bodies are like any structure on the earth. In the architecture of
structures gravity necessitates the need to be organized plumb and
square at the core. Straight and true is another way of saying it.
In terms of the human body we know scientifically the
anatomical design calls for the main segments to be stacked up in a straight
vertical line, one over the other. We also know that these parts should be
level and symmetrical in order to function fully. This is also an arrangement
we know to be correct in terms of the Laws of Physics.
Balance of the body is not just about standing and moving
about. How the parts of the body are arranged in space affects all
physiological functions. For example, if you carry your head habitually in
front of your body line, it takes effort/energy just to keep it from falling
over (falling off?). The effort gets braced into the shoulders, the neck and the
head. The legs and pelvis have to support that and thus need to adjust to make
things hold together. The breath is restricted. The heart too. And there is
extra pressure on the brain. And, don’t let me get started on the psychological
correlates of this depressive stance.
Now, just look. Who is living up to this potential for
living in bodily balance? What we mainly see is a rough approximation of the
kind of balance in the makeup of our bodies which we know is in the natural
design.
We have certain assumptions about how things are. The usual,
however, is not necessarily the normal. Naturally, we all get bigger and
stronger as we grow up. In terms of how our bodies become organized, however,
we are mainly self-taught. Trial and error. We learn copying from adults around
us. Our models themselves may not exhibit good body balance. We live, and accumulate
experience. Accidents and traumas are factors. Bad habits set themselves. Our history
is written in our flesh. Unresolved, we go on repeating the same patterns. Consequently,
unless there is some intervention or conscious education, we arrive at
adulthood with a random mix of imbalanced patterns set into the fabric of our
tissues. No one notices this because it comes on us gradually. Those around us
don’t notice because more often than not they are also living with their own
imbalances. The usual is taken for normal. We are in a fix. Set in our ways. We
have come to identify all this as just a part of who we are. Even maybe a
little proud of our eccentricities. Turned them into money makers. Don’t mess
with success.
I could go on. Just to say again there is a difference
between being able to balance and being in balance. I stand for both. I stand
for more of the latter.
