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Post date: Dec 26, 2016 2:44:40 PM
Natural Method of Physical Training
Revised Edition, 1895.
Chapter 2. How to Carry the Body.
Without proper guidance most people will default into bad habits of holding the self together. The spine and other joints are left to do things they were not intended to do. We never develop the habit of standing and walking with proper reliance on muscles that are intended to make all our movements easier.
When we collapse while sitting or rest on our heels while standing the lungs are given the opportunity to only half develop. This is quickly revealed through any attempt at physical exertion.
“It is of the utmost importance at the very outset that a person should do those things properly which occupy so large a percentage of the habits of his or her life: breathing, sitting & standing”
“The formation of a correct habit will bring a certain percentage of added health and strength without conscious effort”
“A person should get good health, sufficient strength and perfection of form from the ordinary activities of life, if those activities, however meager, are carried out in accordance to right laws: Do not move carelessly throughout the day.”
Clothing and footwear, in their modern form hinder the development of the body. Modern clothing serves to hinder muscle action and generally hamper the physical system. Do not wear clothing that restricts natural movement. Do not allow clothing or shoes to dictate posture and movement behavior. Clothing should not cause the shoulder to slump forward nor should it interfere with free head and neck movement, easy walking, sitting or stooping.
“It is a duty to carry the body correctly, to move and act in every particular with reference to the health and beauty of the body without thinking about its coverings.”
“Let clothes fit and protect the body.”
Shoes is their wretched form (small and ill fitting) weaken and deform the body by discouraging exercise and impairing the circulation. Wear shoes large enough to give the feet abundant freedom.
First learn to stand. Common Standing errors:
Flat chest and rounded shoulders
Abdominal protruding
Body hanging on bones
Muscles assisting very little
Top half allowed to balance haphazardly.
Women thinking it is feminine to carry the body in a willowy, lackadaisical manner.
Bone structure should not be forced to do the work. The muscles should hold the body in position.
Use the muscles of the hip, abdominal region and back instead of allowing the trunk to settle down allows us to establish a better posture.The muscles should hold the trunk erect, maintaining the proper relationship between the spine and pelvis (the bone structure from which the backbone springs) and the upper leg bones where they join the pelvis (hip joint.)
The lips,chest and toes should come upon one line, with the feet turned at an angle of 60 degrees. In such a position the body acquires its greatest ease, its greatest endurance and its greatest readiness.
The shoulder, hip and ankle joints are also kept upon one line. The chest should be given greatest prominence as the house of the lungs
The neck is carried erect so as to bring the collarbone into a horizontal position.
The muscles must be used in support of the body-- and all of the muscles that rightfully should. this does not imply greater labor, but less. What often passes as fatigue is merely irritation from a lack of circulation causing cramping in muscles not being used.
What starts as a conscious effort will soon become habit with diligent effort and eventually done with exhilaration.
Sitting. Numbness or irritation from impeded circulation is particularly liable to result from poor sitting habits. In sitting, the muscles must still be brought into play. The muscles should never be so relaxed as to drop the trunk upon the spine, leaving its own bone structure to hold it up. The round back position puts much strain on the lumbar spine. To rise and stretch the arms above the body affords great relief. Proper maintenance of muscular action will keep up the healthy circulation and make it easier to sit without fatigue. Cultivation of the muscles in the region of the abdomen and low back will also improve sitting posture as the muscles have to use less effort to keep the body erect.
Walking. Keep the face and chest well over the advancing foot. Lift the body with the muscles and by the inflation of the lungs. Take free, firm and easy strides and avoid any hard jarring motions.
Keep in mind the muscles controlling the movement. The mind should not be above cooperation with the body. If the body and mind do not cooperate, then neither the body nor the mind can be strong and healthy. The mind and body are dependent upon each other. As much as the modern world would like to emphasize the superiority of the the mind and to separate from this relationship, there is no breaking this partnership. Maintaining the vitality of the body is of even more importance as modern convenience strips the body of its duties. In time, proper management of the body becomes largely unconscious but should never become wholly so.
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