"The shape, or pattern, of the body is therefore a moving one, dynamic, not static."
THE THINKING BODY
The Thinking Body - The Psychophysical Basis of Posture
Should the term “posture” seem to convey a fixed outline or shape, recall that the body, like all other objects on earth, is continuously subject to the pull of gravity and to inertia and must incessantly meet them. As it is being drawn toward the earth’s center, it maintains itself by constant movement of the various parts; and it must as persistently withstand a tendency to continue moving in the same direction or to remain at rest. The shape, or pattern, of the body is therefore a moving one, dynamic, not static.
In the human body, posture is the pattern of many small parts moving definite distances in space, in a scheme perfectly timed, and with the exact amount of effort necessary to support the individual weights and to cover the time-space-movement.
To understand the structural balance of the human body, we must develop our awareness of its component parts, their relationships, and the forces acting upon and within them. We must understand its materials and their functions and behavior. Understanding the mechanical principles of weight support which apply alike to animate and inanimate structures must be a part of this knowledge.
The bones are the weight-bearing parts, and gravity the primary force to which they are subjected. The balance of bones at their contacting surfaces, the joints, as well as their movement by the muscles, must be taken into account if economical adjustment of materials of the body is to be attained.
This adjustment involves psychophysical reactions as well as the purely physical reactions to the forces of gravity and inertia which operate alike on organic and inorganic mechanisms.
With its infinite branches forming a network throughout the body, the nervous system is constantly acting on all structures and organs, conveying impulses to and from the centers in the brain and the spinal cord. Stimuli are ceaselessly producing reactions. All are recorded in the nerve centers; some we become aware of at once, others do not rise immediately into the field of consciousness.
There can be no such thing as fixity in such a fluctuating mass. Every sensation from the outside world, every activity and thought within causes a change somewhere in the organism. This balanced adjustment may be disturbed by jarring forces, whether they be physical or emotional circumstances, and the balance can become seriously impaired.
The ability to improve a pattern of support and movement for the reduction of mechanical and emotional stresses comes from the study and appreciation of our proprioceptive sensations, the organic sensations which identify our self. Through this process we are able to bring about a better balancing of parts, and thus coordination of the whole
The Thinking BodyMabel Elsworth Todd©1937
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