Posture in Action

7/27/2019 Posture in Action

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Acture!Posture in Action

B y T h o m a s M y e r s

42 M A S S A G E & B O D Y W O R K O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6


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What we commonly call posture is instead a patternof movement. Moshe Feldenkrais coined the wordacture to describe posture in action (see Figure 2, page44). First, standing or sitting still is, in fact, an action,and we are never placed in stillness; we are alwaysmoving, shifting, balancing, adaptingeven in thestillness of meditation. Its in our nature; the utter

stillness of an actual posture will always be denied uswhile we still breathe. Your firstposture will be theone you die in. (And even then the inner movementcontinuesread Mary Roachs crazy/wonderful Stiff[Norton, 2003]).

Secondly, we never do it exactly the same way twice, aswe adapt to a particular seat, or shoes, or circumstance.Thirdly, the range of our posture varies with the time ofday (were all shorter in the afternoon, for instance) andour inner attitude (fear, eagerness, fatigue).1

So we have a range that we move througha postur-al set if you will. That range is familiar to those who

know us. See a friend walking a couple of blocks downthe street, or see someone doing anythingshoveling,on a swing, pulling on bootsand your brains move-ment sense can create recognition and identify thatperson without seeing her face or hearing her voice.

(The brains sense of seeing movement was the firstform of vision to evolve. The visual senses of line,form, and color we take for granted came later. Our

brains are very adept at differentiating various move-ments, honed over millennia of hunting and being

hunted. This information even takes a different path-way, down through the reptilian brain on its way tothe occipital lobe. You can often sense movement bet-

ter by watching with your peripheral vision: look atsomething else and assess the clients movement fromthe corner of your eye.)

So, I use acturenot a real word, but it should bebecause I think Moshe hit this nail on the head:posture is always in action, and the characteristicrelationships among body parts are commonly main-tained in all kinds of different movements andactions. Reaching into the neurology, physiology, andthe fascial stuckness of these patterns is the job ofthose of us who labor in the vineyard of changingposture.2

The word posture, which comes from the

Latin placement, is used to describe how

we stand in space, and it is a good enough

word for common use: His sunkenposture

conveys defeat. Or for metaphoric use:Our

posture toward Iran is evolving, meaning attitude.

But for those of us in the massage and bodywork

trade, especially those who wish to, or claim to,

change posture for the better, the term will not

stand up to close examination.

Figures 1A and 1B.These photos show substantial postur-

al change from pre- to posttreatment (Rolfing, as it hap-

pens, but similar results are obtainable with different

methods), but what actually has changed? What is pos-

tural change and how does one measure it?

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That said, let us look at a few ofthe greatest hits (or call it Tomsplaylist) in the realm of acturalissues with which we commonlydeal. Since this is a column, we will

have to address them shortly, but

each is written about more fully inbooks and other articles, which arereferenced here.

Actural IssuesHead Retraction

The first, most common, andperhaps the most damaging, acturalpattern is head retraction, com-monly associated with HeadForward Posture, or HFP (seeFigure 3). Chronic contraction ofthe suboccipital muscles, which

pulls the back of the head towardthe upper neck and back, createsmany postural problems, all ofwhich relate to HFP. Though HFPis often associated with fear (boththe startle response and theLandau [extension, flight] reflex),such a pattern can also be caused

by poor vision, the desire to please,airway obstruction, back pressureissues, or malocclusion of the jaw,to name the more common causes.

Correcting this pattern of chronicand reflexive upper cervical hyper-extension is a mainstay of theAlexander Technique and the focusof sustained interest in both osteo-pathic and chiropractic approaches,as well as the Rolf-evolved methods.Without length in this area, theeyes lose their coordination to thespine, and our natural spring andgrace are lost. Lengthening these

small, highly innervated muscles, aswell as activating their partner theanterior scalene, is essential busi-ness for most of our clients in orderto get their head on straight.3

The Two Diaphragms

Secondly, we can look for reci-procity between the two abdominaldiaphragmsthe respiratorydiaphragm and pelvic diaphragm(pelvic floor). In a relaxed and bal-anced acture, the two diaphragmsface each other, like the top and bot-tom of a beach ball, or the two

hands in someone practicing tai chi(see Figure 4). Commonly, in aswayback (lordotic) acture, the twodiaphragms will both aim forward.

In the less common flat back(flexed) pattern, the two diaphragmscan aim backward, again missingeach other. Sometimes the rib cagecan be shifted forward or (morecommonly for us Westerners) back-ward relative to the pelvis, and thesetwo diaphragms again lose theirreciprocity.

This loss has detrimental effectson breathing, of course, but alsomultiple and nefarious effects ondigestion and organ function in

the pelvis, causing congestionaround the kidneys and sexualorgans which then creates deleteri-ous long-term preconditions fordisease. The pelviss relation to the

legs and the rib cages relation tothe shoulders figure into this equa-tion, but the primary actor in thisarena is what I call the four pillars(a bad name as they are heavy fas-cial tensile strings not compressive

bony pillars, but you know how

Length and alignment are the overarching

values that allow posture/acture to

become an active contribution to your

health, rather than a strain on it.


a c t u r e

Figure 2. Moshe Feldenkrais coined

the term acture to designate theunderlying structural and functional

relationships recognizable in all

movements.

Figure 3.You do not have to travel

far or practice for long to see how

common the forward head isthe

source for a host of problems.


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engineering and the object of studyfor osteopaths, chiropractors, ortho-pedists, and the wide variety ofmovement teachers. Each seems to

have his own key or secret to prop-er pelvic function, but there is asyet no consensus on proper pelvic

balance in acture.Pelvic tilt refers to the angle

between the pelvis and the femur.Let us ignore right/left tilts for themoment, and all its concomitantcomplex issues of leg length, sacralshear, and the effects on the spine,in order to concentrate for amoment on anterior/posteriortiltsthe rocking of the pelvisforward and back on the headsof the femurs.

Pelvis means bowl, and an anteri-or tilt means hip flexionthe pubic

bone going down, so that the milkwould spill from the front of the

bowl. This pattern is, of course,associated with a swayback or lor-dotic pattern of the lumbars. In a

posterior tilt, the milk would spillout the back, as the hips are extend-ed, the lumbars are flat, and theposterior iliac crest is lower thanexpected relative to the pubic bone.

But how far, exactly? Variousposture experts, notably FlorencePeterson Kendall, have postulatedthat the ideal neutral for the pelvictilt is to have the anterior superioriliac spine and the pubic bone inthe same vertical (frontal) plane.5

Ida Rolf asserted that the pelvis ishorizontal when the bottom of thetailbone was level with the top ofthe pubic bone (see Figure 6).6

Personally, I find these measure-ments too geometric, with insuffi-

cient recognition of the variationamong humans and what mightwork for different people.

So I offer the following test asone I use that allows for individualdifferences and does not try to fiteveryone into the same box. Itoffers up some surprising resultssometimespeople you think lookanterior tilted turn out to be poste-rior and vice versa.

TestCup your hand and rest it ever

so gently on top of your clientshead as she stands quietly, almostresting in her hair, just barelytouching the head, so that you can

be very sensitive to changes inhead position. From her normalhave her tilt the pelvis slowly ante-riorly, then back to normal, thenposteriorly and back to normal.

a c t u r e

In a healthy body,

the organs are free

to move over each

other like well-oiled

balloons with every

breath, and the spine

is sprung into the air

like one of Kenneth

Snelsons tensegrity

structures.


Figure 6. Ida Rolf and Florence Kendall say the pelvis is horizontal when the

anterior superior iliac spine and the public bone are in the same frontal

planebut is that geometric measure really the best we can do these days?


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As much as possible, confine theclients movement to the pelvis. Ifthe client is shifting her knees,dropping the rib cage back, orretracting the head, the test wontwork as wellfor this reason, this

test works better the freer andmore supple the person is. If theclient is truly rocking just the pelvis

back and forth slowly, you shouldfeel the head rising into your handsand then falling away.

Where is the top of the arc? Thepoint where the pelvis is in the

best position is where the head ishighest into your hand. Thats whyyou have to be very sensitive andpoise your hand carefully just on

the headso that you can feelchanges in height measured in mil-

limeters. If the clients head is at itshighest at normal, then the pelvisis positioned best for them. If the

height increases as she moves intoan anterior tiltremember, isolat-ing the pelvic movement, leavingthe rest of the body at restthennormal is too posteriorly tilted for

her. If the client lengthens intoyour hand as she tucks her tail

under, then normal is too anterior-ly tilted. Confirm your findings byhaving the client do it a fewtimesyou are looking for themore consistent result.

This functional (rather than geo-metric) measure of pelvic positionworks well for me in practice, andcan be quite surprising sometimeswhen you compare it to the normalvisual cues we use. The testanswers the question: in whatpelvic position is the spine freed to

be at its longest? The spine living itsfull length is the higher value, not

having the pelvic angle conformingto someones idea of good posture.7

In general, spinal length is astrong value in good acture. Evena minor collapse or shortening inthe spine, and/or in the organiccore that hangs from its front, can

have deleterious long-term effectson health and well-being. In a

healthy body, the organs are free

to move over each other like well-oiled balloons with every breath,and the spine is sprung into theair like one of Kenneth Snelsonstensegrity structures.8 Proper (andpersonally adjusted) pelvic posi-tion is essential to both thesedeeper goals.9

Prehensile FeetFinally, is the issue of feet.

Shoulders may have ubiquitous

bad positioning, but what happensto feet in our society is positivelyiniquitous. Shut up in leathercoffins all day, or bound tightly inmis-sized running shoes while wepound on them, our societys feet,while not as deformed as Chinesewomens of former times, verge onthe same set of problems. I am notadvocating an atavistic devolution

when I say we need feet more likemonkeys. We need prehensile feet.Partially I mean just what I saytoes should be more mobile andable. Ruthie Alon (a mega-move-ment teacher from the Feldenkraistradition) had us tearing up news-papers into small strips using onlyour toes. What agile feet I hadafter that! Toes are so jammedtogether and superfluous in ourculture. Bring back the toes! Theyoga teacher Kali Ray can inter-

lace her toes (all five)withoutthe use of her fingersin fact,while in a handstand (see Figure8, page 52)! Just sits there anddoes it while talking about yogaphilosophy. No, I cant.10

But such prehensility can alsoextend into the arch. Some feet justgo flat, while others have the archsupported by the mechanics of theshoe or extra arch supports.Neither are vital, active arches. To

a c t u r e

The more human

use of the human

body is the great

challenge of our

timespatial

medicine, I call it.

Figure 7.The spineindeed the

whole bodyis like a tensegrity mast.


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a c t u r e


create great arches that offer suf-ficient support for the superstruc-ture above, there needs to be aslight but active feeling yourground in the tarsum of the foot.

I definitely do not mean a

white-knuckled grip on theground with the toesthats not

healthy. In a proper posture, thetoes simply rest on the groundawake, but not tense. But in thefoot itself, a slight feeling of gath-eringas if there was anotheryoga banda in the feetin themiddle of the arch lends an alert-ness and springiness to the arches,and harkens back to when yourfeet were your ear to the ground

as we walked over uneven andvariable surfaces, not cocooned insynthetic materials cruising overman-smoothed surfaces. Try itwith your handthe slight feelingof gripping in the palm as if test-ing or hefting an orangeandthen try to get the same feelingwith your feet. Keeping that feel-ing in your feet as you go aboutyour daily business is a good medi-tation for those with dead feet.

Spatial Medicine

From living feet to a lifted cra-nium, we have hit the highpoints of posture as I perceive them, thirty years (justgetting started) into my practice. Length and alignmentare the overarching values that allow posture/acture to

become an active contribution to your health, ratherthan a strain on it.

The more human use of the human body is the greatchallenge of our timespatial medicine, I call it. Howdo we get body mechanics right for a headlong popu-

lace in an urban environment? Bad posture/acture

contributes a large share to human misery, and it is sounnecessary. How can we most easily transform it?We are all working on this one person at a time, andwe all know how slowly that works.

In our next column (and our last column in thisseries, at least while I write my next book), we will lookat what I have found to be the most effective and natu-ral way to build good posturefrom the beginning.

(Authors note: With the cooperation ofMassage & Bodywork, I ampublishing a collection of the Anatomists Corner articles, including thosereferenced herein. To find this collection, visit www.anatomytrains.net.)

Thomas Myershas practiced integrative bodywork for nearly thirtyyears. He teaches workshops internationally on anatomy, movement, andsoft-tissue work. His book, Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians forManual and Movement Therapists, was published by Elsevier in 2001.He lives, writes, and sails on the coast of Maine.

Notes1.You can read more about the art of changing posture in the Anatomists Corner article on The

Anatomy Trains recipe (Massage & Bodywork, June/July 2004,page 80) oras a self-help projectin

Mary Bonds new bookHeal Your Posture (Inner Traditions, 2006).

2.You can read more about acture in Moshe Feldenkraiss The Potent Self, page 108ff. (Frog Books,

distributed by North Atlantic,1985.)

3.You can read about the suboccipitals in detail in Massage & Bodywork, October/November2002,page 98.

4. You can read more about the reciprocity of the diaphragms in a couple of my AnatomistsCorner articles inMassage & Bodywork:August/September 2000 (Cups and Domes) and

February/March 2003 (The Plywood Principle).

5.Muscles,Testing and Function, 3rd edition, Florence Peterson Kendall and Elizabeth KendallMcCreary,Williams & Wilkins Baltimore, 1983, page 25.

6. Ida Rolf, Rolfing(Rochester,VT: Inner Traditions, 1977), 102.

7. Some issues in pelvic repositioning are dealt with in Anatomists Corner columns in the follow-

ing back issues ofMassage & Bodywork: February/March 2001,April /May 2001, June/July 2001,

August/September 2001 (all on the psoas and its friends), December/January 2003 (the femoral trian-

gle), and June/July 2003 and August/September 2003 (on the deep lateral rotators).

8. Jean-Pierre Barral and Pierre Mercier, Visceral Manipulation (Seattle: Eastland Press, 1988).

Snelsons versatile artwork is available online at www.keneethsnelson.net.

9.To learn more about the body as a tensegrity structure, read Body3, available from www.anato-

mytrains.net, or go to www.intensiondesigns.com, www.childrenshospital.org/research/ingber, or

www.biotensegrity.com for great pictures and models.

10.Ruthy Alon,Mindful Spontaneity(Berkeley, CA:North Atlantic, 1996);for information on Kali

Ray, visit www.triyoga.com.

M&B

Figure 8.Yogini Kali Ray, founder of TriYoga, with toes intertwined.

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