Standing wild

Words GAYLYN AITKEN

We have an elemental connection to this Earth through our feet. Look down at your feet and check out how tiny they are compared to the bulk of your body; yet, they move and support this weight. From an engineer’s perspective, they’re perfectly proportioned for the task if they’re used as designed.

The arch of our foot is actually the same shape as the springs on a car. It is the part of the foot that flattens as the weight drops towards the earth, then accelerates the rebound action off the ground back up the bones to the spine, like a bouncing ball.

If the feet aren’t aligned under the hip joints and in relation to each other, the rebound is like a ball with a spin on it. Adjustments at the joints are needed to keep the structure upright as the weight zig-zags its way back up the skeleton, offsetting the base of the skull and the shoulder blades.

In my experience, the most significant adjustment made is the ribs and thoracic spine. The bottom of the ribs is pushed forwards and tilted a little towards the chin, deepening the incurve of the lower back and pushing the head forward and slightly up. The entire boney structure is out of alignment in an effort to stay upright and functioning. This is okay in the short term; it’s part of our design, as we’re self-adjusting and self-healing.

In the long term, it is not part of our design – the muscles contract around the bones to hold everything together. Contraction is shortening; it’s half of the natural opposition principle for harmonious motion… yin/yang.

The other half is lengthening or letting go of contraction. It’s a lot like the springs in our feet; they expand and contract, creating a bounce or rebound, generating human movement. When there’s only one type of motion, things get stuck or flaccid. Back pain, shattered knees and battered feet are results of poor long-term use of equipment.

Before ideal alignment of the feet can be reset, the ribs and thoracic spine need to be considered. The muscular tension around the shoulder girdle and ribs restricts the free-flowing wave-like motion of the spine from the pelvis to the top of the neck then back down to our feet as we move ourself. This forces the lower back and neck to take on the natural flexion movements of the thoracic spine; movement they weren’t designed for.

To begin resetting alignment, the ribs need to rest and let go so that the feet are free to maintain alignment and bounce Earth rebound up the spine, moving us to our own personal rhythm.

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