Gravity and Aging . . . Self Help Tip

by David D. Wronski

Professionally my field is focused on human balance. The balance of the body. Balance of the arrangement of the human body in respect to the dictates of Gravity.

Dr. Ida P. Rolf recognized how chronic symptoms such as pain and stress, fatigue, poor self-image, early aging may be “. . . signals pointing to a single problem so prominent in their own structure, as well as others, that it has been ignored.  They are at war with Gravity.” 

It is possible to enlist the force of Gravity as a prime foundational factor for living pain and stress free. Balance is key if you want to attain high levels of physical performance and fullest creative expressiveness. Who doesn’t want to live effortlessly upright, stress free, self-supported, graceful, and powerful? It not only possible. It’s easily available. It takes doing.

Imagine that. Talk about deep ecology: The force of Gravity itself is a vast untapped natural resource for human health and wellness. 

A friend of mine when he got it (finally!) about Gravity, said, “It’s amazing that with all the interest in ecology and natural living nobody’s talking about gravity.”  (Much less doing anything with it, I would add.)  We certainly wouldn’t buy that house if the foundation was off, the walls were cracking, the doors and windows didn’t work.  Or, put up with driving down the street struggling to keep straight because the suspension is out of alignment.  At Pisa I’ll let you take my picture next to the tower; but, no way am I going up there.

Yet, when it comes to the body, mostly we take how we are for granted, as a given. After all, how the body ends up being shaped is a product of years of use, a mix of good and bad patterns that slowly but surely get fixed into our very flesh.

My friend suggested that I write a piece on “Gravity and Aging”. So here we are. (Thanks, buddy.) 

There is a problem with talking about Gravity as such. Gravity is the single most prominent physical force the body has to deal with. Yet, it is also so constant its presence in our everyday life goes unnoticed. Of course, perhaps we’re reminded it’s there when we drop something, or take a spill ourselves.  Every architect, structural designer and building trades worker knows the rule: vertical and level. To get that rocket to Mars scientists surely had to take Gravity into consideration. Insofar as our body is concerned, mainly it doesn’t register. 

It is so commonplace we don’t notice it. It’s like if you asked a fish, “how’s the water?”  (And if fish could talk . . .) “What water?” Imagine if human beings were adapted to Gravity to the same degree as the fish are to their sea. If dolphins can leap into the air, can we even imagine what leaps might be possible for us humans? 

So what about Gravity and aging, you ask?  And the significance of bodily balance. Simply this . . . doesn’t it make just plain common sense that if you are not spending energy holding yourself up, keeping yourself together, that you have more of it for living?  You got to be in it to win it, though.  It takes doing. And when your body is in balance along the lines of gravity you will discover its inner secret:  It uplifts you.  It is supportive, nourishing.  It energizes. You feel great.  You live well.  And, you last longer too. A balanced body self-reinforces itself through balanced posture and balanced movement. It puts you on the path of constructive growth in every way.

Now that you’re all convinced that you should have more Gravity in your life, now what to do? 

I do offer motivated clients personalized assistance to balance their bodies along the simple line of Gravity. My aim in writing this, however, is to open you to the question and to give some pointers that will get you started. 

My Rx: This may seem a little strange to you at first; but try it.  Just like when you drive your car you pay attention to your vehicle and the road (unless you’re one of those with a cell phone glued to your ear), so from now on — are you ready — feel your feet.   That’s right, FEEL YOUR FEET. 

Your feet are the foundation of your body, literally.  By being mindful and including feeling your feet in your awareness you will start creating the habit of paying attention to your body as a whole.  Such mindfulness will soon become an ingrained habit. It will grow to the point where you will become conscious of the felt sense of your whole body and the feelings that are moving through it.  That’s when you will also be able to be aware of the signals your body gives when it is out of balance in Gravity.  Then you can make the necessary adjustments … yourself.

Easy, comfortable, relaxed is the hallmark of living in balance. It’s in you. Go there.