Balance isn’t static. It is dynamic and ever-changing. It exists within a relationship of opposing forces. Gravity is the force from below. It tells us where we are and where we come from. We situate ourselves in relation to gravity. We move away from it as natually as trees grow. This action is what Alexander teachers call direction.
Balance. How do we achieve it?
We have two feet to stand on. The feet are designed to support our weight. The natural arches allow our feet to support an immense amount of weight and still remain balanced and upright. In fact, in our culture, because of how we’ve had to adapt our bodies to the design of our furniture and tools, we easily forget where balance is. It is lost in the slump toward the computer or TV screen. It is lost in the squinting and straining to see a blackboard. The daily mis-use of our bodies, over time, becomes permanent habits. Keeping that in mind, we begin to look for balance in our feet.
The design of the foot is that as we press weight into it, the arch springs open and lifts us up. We rise up, tension is released and circulation improved
Support the Feet. Use the Tail.
There is value in considering that if our spines were longer, if we had a tail, so to speak, we would have better awareness of balance. Our tail could help us identify our relationship to the ground. If long enough and strong enough, it could even serve as another “foot.” If we had three “feet” supporting our bodies we would have a strong tripod as our foundation. A tripod is the most stable foundation there is. If you can visualize a strong tail supporting you, you may begin to have a different relationship to your feet, your balance, your body and your environment.
Whether you’re strolling or winning a marathon, the way we find balance, the way we experience and trust our bodies to move appropriately determines our vitality and our health. Poor posture inevitably leads to poor health. Poor coordination due to lack of balance leads to less trusting of our own physical skills.
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