I mention this idea in almost every lesson. The body is a spring made of springs, or an arch made of arches. This is true in every structure and every combination of structures within the body. As shown in the images below, every part and structure of the body forms an arch.
Every structure and combination of structures in the body forms an arch. There are no straight lines.
What that means:
People often look for straight lines in the body, but really, the body tends toward a roundness and openness both in structure and in action.
What you can do:
- Allow for a feeling of roundness in the space between your between your arms. This will make your chest feel more open without having to pull your shoulders back.
- No matter your position, think of your body as a spring from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Instead of pulling yourself down toward the ground, think of your body as expanding away from the ground.
- When standing, recognize that you rise also from the arches under your feet. Even the flattest foot has some remnant of an arch– don\’t discount it.
More on Arches:
Video: Good Posture Is Like a Wave
There are more resources available on the Free Your Neck Blog. Please write your requests in the comment section.
Buy The Secret to Using Your Body
“Expand yourself away from the ground” was really help full”
I do MMA, I used to struggle with maintaining my foot arch when I outside stepped + pivoting to throw my hand. Turning with the hips instead of turning with the shoulder is more energy echonomic + u get dont loose your stance, meaning u get to counter immediately, the key to making this hip movement work is by half stepping. Barefoot/ foot shaped shoes is the key to making this work
This can be implemented to daily task as cooking in the kitchen ect. “be like water, my friend”
Wow, MMA! Alexander can be useful for anyone.
Thanks Anne!
“Allow for a feeling of roundness in the space between your arms. This will make your chest feel more open without having to pull your shoulders back.”
I did that and my whole chest opened up. I got a deeper breath than i can ever remember getting. I have received conflicting information about this through the years – hold your ribs up; let your ribs sink. None of them felt right to me. When I took your advice and felt a roundness in the space between my arms my ribcage automatically expanded and felt free and my breathing became much deeper. I think this is especially important now with Covid, with a number of doctors advising how to breathe deeply to get enough oxygen if you have Covid.
Thank you for generously sending me informative emails. I took lessons with you a number of years ago on Long Island because of hip pain and you very quickly cured me of the pain and it never came back. Much better and cheaper than hip surgery! I also bought your book which is very helpful.
My brother is a mental health counselor who does encounter people who are having physical problems also, especially from tension in the neck. I have shared your information with him and he does recommend to these patients that they consult with you. Of course I do not know if they do.
Thank you again for all your generous tips that you email. Most emails I get just want to sell me something or to get me to donate to them, with very little in the way of tips. You instead give of yourself with just brief mention of your services. It is really appreciated. I urge anyone reading this to take advantage of your services if they want to have a mobile and pain free old age.
Your views make so much sense Leland. And I feel awed by how well you elucidate. I already sort of knew about the arches because of my art background, but I didn’t know it so clearly before reading your post.
I feel at a loss to describe my work as clearly as you do. But I want to try. In addition to the one-line arch, I know as an artist that there’s actually two-sides to every bone. So when one side becomes longer because of the arch, the other side becomes shorter because of the arch. AND WHEN YOU CONNECT ONE ARCH TO ANOTHER, such as top of leg to bottom of leg, or top of finger to middle of finger, THE LONG SIDE OF THE 2ND ARCH CONNECTS TO THE SHORT SIDE OF THE FIRST ARCH. THIS MEANS THAT THE 2 SIDES OF THE ‘STICK’ DON’T LAND ON THE SAME ‘GRID LINE’.
Just sharing a bit of my information with you because you are so generous with us. Thank You Leland. And because I feel like I might have actually found someone who can possibly understand what I say 🙂
Alison