The Psychology of the Architecture of the Body

“Some individuals may perceive their losing fight with gravity as a sharp pain in their back, others as the unflattering contour of their body, others as constant fatigue, yet others as an unrelentingly threatening environment.  Those over forty may call it old age.  And yet all these signals may be pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, it has been ignored: they are off balance, they are at war with gravity.” — Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D.

To begin, what is the architecture of the body? The answer can be framed on many different levels. From the cellular to gross anatomy. Here we're referring to the basic what-you-see with your everyday eyes level.

There's a head, a neck, shoulders, arms and hands, torso with chest/rib cage and abdomen, the pelvis, legs and feet. We all know where all of it goes. You know ... "The foot bone is connected to the leg bone". The nose isn't twelve inches long for good reason; otherwise, it would be a foot. 

Okay now that we're all on the same page on the basic anatomy point of view being used, let's talk "architecture".

The Architecture of the Body 

There's a lot more to the architecture of the body than the basic the head goes on the neck, goes on the shoulders, goes on the torso, and so forth. Those are the obvious basic connections.

Fit ...

The architecture of the body also has to do with just how those parts get to go together. The fit. 

How the segments of the body are actually connected and working is developmental. The patterns of our bodies get set over time with use. See for yourself: at a busy pedestrian scene, notice how people move, how they walk. All with the same essential parts, right? But look at all the variations. Notice how those parts are connected so differently. And, obviously, how those connected relationships affect their movement patterns. How come?

Genetics ...

Basically genetics determines the arms are connected to the shoulders; the knees go in between the upper and lower legs. Like that. And, the size and shape of all those parts too. Lots of variety based solely on God-given inheritances. 

You get born, then things start to get complicated. We naturally get bigger and stronger as we grow older and mature. How those parts actually come to fit and work in relation to one another, there's a lot of learning that goes into it. Crawling, standing, climbing, walking, running, using a fork, brushing your teeth ... and all the rest, numerous enough in each individual's life to fill volumes.

Shaped by Experience ...

So why all the differences? Aside from inherited characteristics there are a handful of contributors. Just in living day to day we are shaped by our experiences. 

We develop habits. We need habits. You don't have to figure out which way to turn the knob to open the door like every time it's your first time; like you were born yesterday. What side of the road to drive on. The slice of Pizza goes into your mouth. Etcetera ... etcetera ... etcetera.

Body Imbalances ...

But, there are bad habits too. 

At this juncture it's important to once again underscore we are indeed shaped by our experience(s). Notice the ballerinas from the Julliard School at Lincoln Center in New York City. That dance turnout they so assiduously practice, they take it to the street with them as well. Even though everyone knows well enough that feet go straight ahead to walk. But those lovely dancers have that turnout pattern set into the fabric of their flesh. Literally. That's some sacrifice for their art.  Or, take the example of my Uncle Stash. Not too bright a boy; he also has round shoulders and a flat forehead. Ask him a question, he invariably shrugs his shoulders. Give him the answer, he slaps his forehead. You get the idea. Over time repeated patterns get set in. Muscle memory combined with set patterns in the soft connective tissues. Think in nature the Grand Canyon: years upon years upon years of being shaped by nothing but flowing water. 

There are good, useful, efficient, effective patterns. And, in the average individual, mixed together with imbalanced patterns which limit performance, expression, sap energy, color perception. 

Simply stated, the unresolved imbalances accrued from incomplete unresolved past experiences are putting you in default of living under their influence; whether you want to call it karma, or just dragging the past around. And, operating, sub rosa to your waking consciousness. Also, having a locked-away vault of unconscious patterns in the body/mind makes us susceptible to being manipulated. 

Body Imbalances — How Come? ...

The usual suspects for body imbalances are many: those bad habits, unresolved accidents and insults, insufficient or incorrect training, modeling significant others who themselves may have not been adequate examples of correct aligned balance.

Body/Mind ...

It's important to know that there's a body and there's a mind.  Words tend to frame things singularly, one thing at a time. The body and the mind are not separate. They exist in a unity. What's in the body is reflected in the mind. It works the other way too. Watch a scary movie and notice how your body tenses up. If there is tension in the body your view is filtered to see the world as a source of tension. Entertain a harrowing thought and watch how your body tenses up.

Psychological ... 

How you see the world is a projection of your inner state. Is this a new idea to you? It's axiomatic in psychological understanding. "The world is as you see it." The good news is if you don't like how you see it you can change how you're seeing it. After all, who's responsible for how you see it? 

It does, however, take some courage since you have to at very least entertain the possibility your present view may be in error. God's Creation is Peaceful. If you don't see Peace then there's something amiss. Take responsibility for your seeing. Jump out of the praise and blame way of living. Attraction and aversion is another way to describe it. 

When the inner side goes unexamined whatever complications go unaddressed and unresolved are unconscious operators ruling our lives. 

So, now you want to purify your heart? Now what?

The Message of Feelings ...

Feelings have a message. They have a say. It behooves us to let feelings have their say. How? I feel my feeling, you say. The key to this practice involves disconnecting feelings from the interpretations and meanings we've attached to them. This is not to deny or negate the meaning(s) carried by feelings. At the moment of the original experience we made sense of things and the associated feeling with what we had in our store of understanding about what's what. Now, however, those feeling come up and we may still be carrying the load of the original associated thoughts. And, besides, especially at a young age, what we may have made of things back then wasn't probably based on too much understanding, much less wisdom. Now, the wisdom is in disconnecting the thoughts from feelings. Clarifying and healing the soul, if you will.

The Practice ... 

The practice is to abide in  "Choiceless Awareness", as advised by J. Krishnamurti. The Buddhists' version of the same practice is "Presence Awareness". In other words, abide quietly letting what shows up to show up. That is, without any attempt to analyze or manage whatever feelings and thoughts may arise. This is a healing practice. It's worth doing. It's realistic. Practical. It's the essence of forgiveness. Letting go of what you haven't got. Consider, as The Course In Miracles states: "Nothing real can be threatened. And, nothing unreal exists." Adding, "Herein lies the Peace of God".

Disclaimer ...

Don't take this as gospel. Just an invitation to discover those truths yourself. The suggestion offered in this article is this: take some time aside regularly, daily, and sit without judgement and let what shows up, show up. At first expect a flood of thoughts, and a flood of feelings. But the Dude would also advise ... abide. He does. The Dude abides. Simply sit in awareness of those thoughts and feelings. Don't wrestle with your thoughts. That's just some more thinking. Let the river flow. Soon you'll discover yourself on the bank of the river of thoughts and feelings. That's where you belong. That's home. The Witness.

Again, the key is to unlock the hold we've created in the associations of feelings and thoughts. Repeating, feelings have their say. Let them. It's a path to freedom and wisdom and mastery.