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58. Our Miraculous Form August 25, 2004
"PUSS" by Dora Levakis Pastel on Paper
“Combining Full Awareness of Breathing with full awareness of the movements
of our body during daily activities—walking, standing, lying, sitting,
working—is a basic practice to cultivate concentration and live in an awakened
state.”
Breathe! You Are Alive --Thich Nhat Hanh, .
~~~~~
This is a comment recently posted;
Hey Harmon,
I've been a PT, yoga enthusiast, massage therapist, among other things for a number of years. Lately, I have been contending with the reemergence of an old sports injury causing pain to the right hip. After self diagnosing and trying many approaches nothing really seemed to help.
Then I came across your generous blog. Curious, I performed your arch lifting standing practice without intending so much to address the hip (I was beginning to just accept it) as to simply experience the technique. What a surprise when I finished. 90 % of the pain immediately resolved.
What a cool technique you have there. It is very sensible, but more importantly, so simple.
Thanks,
jo
******
Over some forty years of presenting Alignment and Bodywork this type of statement is not that uncommon in terms of results. It points out that with ‘accurate’ information our body will respond fairly fast. To me, this also shows how the long term accumulation of tension and stress to our body can be washed away within a short period of time.
Alignment principles, as I have worked with, are a specific set of ideas that appear to apply to all bodies. I say this because the same ingredients that are presented in the basic stance are presented time and again in sessions and the resulting ‘good indicators’ show up. When a person has an ankle, knee or hip problem, working with having an arch in the feet etc. tends to relieve the problem directly.
There are many stories I have accumulated over the past of experiences that in some circles may seem like miracles, yet to me, are nothing more then learning how to apply alignment to our body. A story to illustrate how direct results can be when alignment is appreciated and applied with walking and standing, is another piece of antidotal evidence for the ABC’s of alignment.
******
A 39 year old man came to me because he was having hip and leg pains. He wore one elevated shoe, which he started to wear when he was 13 years old. He also used a cane to assist him with walking, a new addition because of back problems. The original problem was diagnosed as having one leg shorter then the other. This is a diagnosis that I have heard from many people. In each case I have found this not to be true.
When one leg seems to be shorter then another, it invariably is from the misalignment of the upper body where the weight of the right side (generally) is collapsed towards the left side of the body. This can cause the hip on the right side to rise higher then the other side and creates the impression that one leg is shorter then another.
The first session we worked with breathing and releasing tensions from the whole body. In the second session we worked with walking and breathing. I had him walk very slowly without any limping while using breath to help lift and align his upper body. Within 15 minutes he was able to walk at a normal pace with out any discernable limp. We spent the rest of the session walking to break down any habits he had developed after 26 years with an orthopedic lift in one shoe.
After two sessions he no longer needed the orthopedic shoes and is able to work with his body. As Mr. R continues working with his body the openings are like discoveries of new abilities that were dormant because he felt he had a permanent disability.
*****
So our body need not be a hindrance, when we have a fuller understanding of how our body was intended to deal with ‘Gravity’. As we work the many forms for lightening our experience mentally, spiritually and physically it could be said that we are overcoming gravitational pulls of different qualities. As the forces of ignorance (gravitational pulls) are overcome we unfold what is true in us and become subjected to less laws. Mr. Gurdjieff did write; "as we work with ‘self remembering’ we reduce the laws impinging on us, geometrically". This gives the notion of ‘lightening up’ new meaning, yes.
Do not
believe that health is retained or maintained through doctors and drugs. Were
that so the dead should all be alive now.
~~~Sri Sai Baba~~~
Peace.
Posted by harmon at August 25, 2004
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