True Balance Dynamics – John Lake All things in the natural world, from the incredibly vast to the infinitesimally small, move in a dynamic balance. The innate tendency of all movement in nature is toward equilibrium, an inborn return to balance should there be a disruption. Natural systems left uninterrupted are self-adjusting, their innate capabilities keep things in balance should a disruptive event occur. The human body also operates in dynamic balance. The innate capabilities of the body are constantly making adjustments to keep the body in balance (when energy is low we feel hungry and eat to restore the balance, when we have taxed our body enough it craves rest so we sleep to restore the balance, when we overheat the body sweats to cool us and restore the balance, etc.). But the most overlooked, and perhaps the singularly most important balance the human entity needs to maintain is the actual physical balance of the body itself, that is, the anatomical positioning and postural alignment of the body. The important point is this. Once the body's natural postural balance is disrupted, even to a slight degree, not only is the inherent strength and efficiency of motion the body possesses greatly reduced but also postural misalignment which becomes habitual inevitably leads to physical problems (including back pain, pain in the joints, loss of strength and flexibility, sagging breasts, protruding abdomens which cause a displacement of the internal organs as well as pressure on the heart and lungs...). Why do so many things go wrong when one is out of postural balance? The answer is gravity. From the moment we are born; we are under gravity's influence. Standing, sitting or lying down, in motion or at rest, we never escape its effects. However, the human body is designed to function problem free in the gravitational field. Problems usually arise when the body is out of balance. When one stands or moves out of balance one must constantly "fight" gravity rather than flowing through it. Imagine for a moment a telephone pole balanced perfectly upright on the ground. Not only could you steady it with two fingers, it would feel weightless. But what would happen if the pole tilted even slightly off center? The pull of gravity would cause the pole to feel immensely heavy, and no matter how strong you were you could not keep it from falling. The same principle can be applied to the human body. When held balanced there is no strain, all the muscles are in tune (relaxed, neither too tense nor too slack). The chest is open so the heart and lungs have ample space without pressure, the stomach wall is in tone so there is no sag and the organs are held in proper position. The spine is aligned and there is no strain. One feels light and comfortable and movement seems effortless. But once balance is lost, the "fight" against gravity begins. The body is not meant to fight against gravity, it is designed to be balanced within the gravitational field. This balance is not static but rather dynamic, and functions constantly and effortlessly if it is allowed to. I emphasize the words "'allowed to" because no amount of conscious posture holding or straining to "stand up straight" will ever achieve the goal of true balance. Besides removing the source of much physical suffering, true postural balance will allow the individual to reach his or her absolute peak performance in any physical endeavor. When out of balance the body cannot perform at its best. Imbalance causes excessive tension in some muscles and excess slack in others, which destroys the integrity of body motion and impedes physical performance. Another point worthy of attention is that exercise done in improper postural alignment can be and often is actually harmful, because it can magnify the existing stress of misalignment. Rather than being beneficial. But on the positive side, even very simple exercise done in true postural balance can be very beneficial, which amounts to large gains for little effort.