POSTURE / 2011
Dear Friends,
The purpose of this blog is to make available to a larger audience my posts, mainly in the IIT Global Current Affairs Group and a few other groups.
Most of these posts refer you to the store house of knowledge - The Word Wide Web. A few of the posts are also my 'bright?' ideas.
This blog is for posts in the category 'Posture'.
6. POSTURE
Dear Friends,
The purpose of this blog is to make available to a larger audience my posts, mainly in the IIT Global Current Affairs Group and a few other groups.
Most of these posts refer you to the store house of knowledge - The Word Wide Web. A few of the posts are also my 'bright?' ideas.
This blog is for posts in the category 'Posture'.
6. POSTURE
6.1 Efficient use of mind and body (18/12/2011)
6.2 The x position (17/12/2011)
6.3 The once and future way to run (7/11/11)
6.4 Postural health and environment (6/11/11)
6.5 Too good to be true (3/11/11)
6.6 The human body is a balancing machine (18/10/11)
6.7 Pain study to focus on Posture and acupuncture
techniques (13/10/11)
6.8 Cover BMJ (Rolfing picture)(2/10/11)
6.9 When back and down is forward and down (24/9/11)
6.10 The super sandwich model (14/9/11)
6.11 Schools should do more to prevent bad posture inchildren (7/9/11)
6.12 Luxation of the Atlas (26/8/11)
6.13 The spine’s design (25/8/11)
6.14 Cheap substitute for the Alexander Technique (26/8/11)
6.15 iPad Neck (11/8/11)
6.16 Children learning to write (8/8/11)
6.17 Our ancestors climbed like an ape but walked like a man
(1/8/11)
6.18 “Text Neck” (25/7/11)
6.19 Human grace (19/7/11)
6.20 Posture 360 (18/7/11)
6.21 Barefoot running and proprioception (29/6/11)
6.22 Endgaining, mirror neurons (21/6/11)
6.23 Getting older much earlier (23/5/11)
6.24 Beware, beware the ‘ergonomic’ computer chair (16/5/11)
6.25 A new class of clients (12/5/11)
6.26 Problems with bicycles! (7/5/11)
6.27 Free your feet change your life
(23/4/11)
6.28 Correcting a 50,000 year old mistake (A
fresh model for the human body) (20/3/11)
6.29 Good posture video (27/2/11)
6.30 Orthotics (20/1/11)
6.31 Perspectives on Yoga (14/1/11)
POSTURE - 2012
-----------------------------------------------------
6.1 Efficient use of mind and body
6.6 The human body is a balancing machine
Something to get your posture humming: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9ogQ0uge06o
Selvaraj
www.humanposture.blogspot.com
www.humanposture.com
6.7 Pain study to focus on posture and acupunctur
e techniques
6.8 cover BMJ
POSTURE - 2012
-----------------------------------------------------
6.1 Efficient use of mind and body
Dear Friends,
As you know, humans face multiple challenges - paucity of resources,
loss of biodiversity, environment in distress, general problems of
health, Global Warming .... It is important therefore that every
individual should attempt to be as efficient as possible in the use of
his mind and body.
In this regard, I have a few basic questions:
In India the farmers get up early in the morning (as early as four I
think - they go to sleep early), and go about their work, tending cows,
milking them, working in the farm..
On the other hand, many educated people get up early in the morning and meditate, take exercise, read the newspaper ...
In the morning when we wake up, the body is well rested and the brain is fresh: the questions are:
1. Should we waste this early morning freshness on meditation? Will it
not be better if meditation is done in the evening some time?
2. Should we waste this early morning freshness in taking exercise? Will it be better to take exercise in the evening?
3. When the brain is fresh and ready to go, should we divert it by
reading the newspaper? Will it not be better to read the newspaper in
the evening?
In other words, is not early morning the best time to get engaged with our primary work?
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.2 The x position
Dear All,
I have been struggling for the last six months trying to solve problems
with my left knee (this is a much longer time than what I spent in
solving problems with my spine - a total of one month).
... Shows how important the lower half of the body is integrating our posture.
My knee is improving rapidly and I am now more convinced than ever that
there is an 'x position' in which the whole skeletal system will become
'free', like we notice in all animals.
Also, I am now reasonably certain that it should be possible using computer model to prove that such an 'x position' exists.
This begs the question, what are so many scientists with their computer models doing?
(And if they are not able to properly model the human body, how the heck
are they going to properly model a more complex phenomenon like climate
change?)
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.3 The Once and Future Way to Run
.. When he tried to spread the word, however, he encountered resistance.
At a Runner’s World forum I attended before the Boston Marathon in
April 2010, he told the story of how he bounced back from a lifetime of
injuries by learning to run barefoot and relying on his legs’ natural
shock absorption. Martyn Shorten, the former director of the Nike Sports
Research Lab who now conducts tests on shoes up for review in Runner’s
World, followed him to the microphone. “A physician talking about
biomechanics — I guess I should talk about how to perform an
appendectomy,” Shorten said. He then challenged Cucuzzella’s belief that
cushioned shoes do more harm than good.
6.4 Postural health and environmen t
Posted in another discussion group.
Selvaraj
-----------------------------
There appears to be an urgent
need to relate posture improvement techniques to the needs of various
professions, and to grade the likely hood of developing bad posture to
the activities involved. More thought needs to be paid to the redesign
of environments in which people work:
Relatively safe environments:
1. ACTING .... generally, people will tend to look up.
2. SPORTS, SUCH AS BADMINTON AND VOLLEYBALL ... line of sight is higher up.
3. HOLIDAY AND SIGHT SEEING ... you will tend to look up - good for unwinding.
4. COW HERDING
Relatively unsafe environments:
1. THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH CHILDREN STUDY ... urgent need for redesign
2. USE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ... Is it necessary to look at the keys
when playing a piano? Some thought needs to be given to the redesign of
musical instruments.
3. KITCHEN WORK DONE STANDING UP ... Out of the box thinking required to
improve the kitchen environment. In older kitchens in India the pots
and pans used to be hung at eye level - not very tidy, but functional.
In modern kitchens, these seem to be in kept in drawers below the
counter; making for a neater kitchen but posturally speaking, a design
where you will be forced to look down more often.
4. THE DENTAL PROFESSION .. Out the box thinking required ...
5. THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT
6. A LOT OF SPORTING ACTIVITY
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.5 Too good to be true
Toning shoes, made by numerous companies including Reebok, New Balance
and Crocs, are popular among women and girls because they seem like a
simple way to become tone and thin. However, the damage these shoes can
cause outweigh any benefits — which studies have shown are negligible.
The American College of Sports Medicine released a report in June that
showed muscle activation and oxygen consumption were virtually the same
whether women wore Skechers Shape-ups or not.
A similar study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found
the number of calories burned were the same whether subjects wore
ordinary athletic shoes or toning shoes.
Toning shoes also might lead to posture problems and poor proprioception
— or the body’s ability to detect subtle changes in movement, position,
and force thus protecting us from injury.
... Rather than forcing the body to work in an abnormal pattern, it is
far better to let it work as it was designed, with as minimal a shoe as
possible.
Which explains why minimalist shoes and barefoot running have also become popular.
Many experts believe these are far better for the body because they
allow the foot to work as it is designed. These shoes don’t push the
body forward, helping to keep your eyes on the horizon. As your eyes go,
so too will the rest of your body. If your head and neck are balanced,
the more likely the rest of your body will be in proper alignment too.
6.6 The human body is a balancing machine
Dear Friends,
Let’s advance our ideas on Posture (www.humanposture.com) further.
In this connection let me tell you a story. In the organisation I worked
in, the first major product I designed was a Low Speed Vertical Dynamic
Balancing Machine. It became necessary to design and fabricate this
machine (if possible), as the only other option at the time was to take
the rather flexible and fragile device that was to be balanced to a
European country to conduct the necessary operations. I had never
designed a machine of this sort before and so had to work up from first
principles. After two years of work I even dumped a full set of
fabrication drawings, since I was not too happy with the design and
decided to start all over again.
… The machine was fabricated and it was time to test the machine; a
protocol had to be set up for this purpose. In this regard, I had an
interesting tussle with the head of Quality Assurance, with me (a junior
engineer) insisting that a balanced system provides its own frame of
reference and there was no necessity to mount a pre-balanced test
hardware to calibrate the accuracy of the machine. The head of Q/A
disagreed, and the pow-wow (of a friendly nature), with only the two of
us present in a room, continued for almost half an hour, with me
unwilling to concede any ground … Eventually we did test with a test
hardware – only to simulate the inertial properties of the final object
to be balanced, not to independently calibrate the accuracy of the
balancing machine.
(Our team was awarded one of the National Research and Development Corporation awards for the Year 1977)
-----------------
Similar to the dynamic balancing machine discussed above, the human body is effectively a balancing machine:
1. It is fully equipped to achieve a high level of balance.
2. No external frame of reference is required to determine whether our bodies are properly balanced or not.
3. If we know how to go about it, we can continuously fine tune this
balance - after figuring out how to achieve proper coarse balance.
Please visit http://headbalance.blogspot. com and
independently examine my suspicion that adult humans are balancing
their heads in the wrong direction, leading to locking of the
musculoskeletal system.
4. Human adults are not able to achieve proper balance because they are
doing a number of things that are wrong - in addition to attempting to
balance their bodies in the wrong direction. (Please visit the second
page ofwww.humanposture.com website. Do also visit htttp://useofpillows.blogspot. com )
5. People having improper body balance (which is 99% of adults), will be
achieving a balance of sorts, in which large parts of the body are
lumped together, without the fine differentiation that the body is
capable of.
Something to get your posture humming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Selvaraj
www.humanposture.blogspot.com
www.humanposture.com
6.7 Pain study to focus on posture and acupunctur
Dr MacPherson, a senior research fellow said: “Despite decades of
research, few advances have been made in treating chronic neck pain.
While there is already some evidence suggesting that acupuncture and
Alexander technique lessons might benefit patients, it is insufficient
for a definite conclusion.
“Our research will provide further data which will help patients,
practitioners, providers and policy-makers make informed choices about
care. If the evidence from the new trial justifies it, then both
interventions should be offered routinely as referral options to
patients within the NHS, which would mean that patients would no longer
have to pay for these interventions themselves.”
6.8 cover BMJ
Hi Maaike,
I first came across a similar diagram in a Rolfing website (I think). Does Alexander's work refer to imagining the spine as being held up externally (by a crane hook), as visualised here. Do Alexander teachers widely use such a visualization?
As long as we remember that this method of holding up is physically impossible, perhaps it can do no harm!?
Regards,
Selvaraj
I first came across a similar diagram in a Rolfing website (I think). Does Alexander's work refer to imagining the spine as being held up externally (by a crane hook), as visualised here. Do Alexander teachers widely use such a visualization?
As long as we remember that this method of holding up is physically impossible, perhaps it can do no harm!?
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.9 when back and down is forward and down
Tim wrote:
1.
The head is extremely top heavy and forward heavy. Its centre of
gravity is in front of and above the joint where the skull meets the
spine. Left to its own devices, it will just topple forwards off the
spine. (This happens sometimes when people ‘nod off’ in a lecture)
...
Top
heavy, yes, since the center of gravity of the head is above the
spine-skull joint. Forward heavy? That will depend on how the head is
held. My fear is that the skull is 'Forward heavy' because most people
are holding the head wrongly. I have improved my head balance
considerably; I see more of my skull projecting backwards than it used
to.
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.10 The super sandwich model
Dear Friends,
In my website www.humanposure.com ,
Section 5, I have suggested a model to explain the phenomenon of
postural collapse. This model has a weakness, in that it mainly focuses
on the skeletal system.
In addition to this model we need to visualize in more detail, problems specific to the muscular system.
THE SUPER SANDWICH MODEL:
Let us take a case where an individual is trying to figure out why his
eyeballs are not moving freely; he would like to solve the problem as
expeditiously as possible. Most people will imagine that the problem can
be sorted out by exercising the muscles close to the eyeballs. While
such exercise could improve eyeball mobility to some extent, it is
unlikely that for most people the problem will be sorted out
satisfactorily this way, because the problem would have got sandwiched
in multiple layers. A very simplified model of what will happen is shown
in the figure below:
Fig 1
PROBLEMS IN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movement of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE LOWER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movements of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movement of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE LOWER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movements of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movement of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE LOWER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movements of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE UPPER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movement of the eyeballs
PROBLEMS IN THE LOWER HALF OF THE BODY
Problems in the free movements of the eyeballs
Because of this sandwiching process it is not possible to easily sort
out any postural problem locally. The process of postural collapse
entangles the whole body ... minor problems in the upper half of the
body will create minor problems in the lower half of the body ... which
will cause another problem in the upper half of the body .... which will
cause a problem in the lower part of the body ....
Hence it is unavoidable that in the process of posture correction we
will have to shuttle back and forth over the whole length of the body.
Is it possible to correct such a complex mess?
Yes, it is possible to correct such a system:
1. If we think in terms of BALANCE ... which must be supported by:
2. Clothing and footwear must not block the natural movement of the body.
3. Recognize the concept of 'Present Space' (only the subconscious brain can coordinate proper movement)
4. Recognize the concept of USE; which means we must persist in adopting what we consider to be proper posture.
5. Knowing in which direction we must move in order to achieve balance. (My fear is that we are making a big mistake here).
1 to 4 are covered in the second page of my website www.humanposture.com
For more information on 5, visit: www.headbalance.blogspot.com
Very fluid balance of the head:
Selvaraj
P.S. It goes without saying that 90% of our effort should be focused on
preventing children from developing postural problems. Unfortunately,
because of vague ideas on what causes bad posture, there is limited
effort in this direction.
6.11 Schools should do more to prevent bad posture in children
Schools, sports clubs and parents should all be doing more to halt the growing problems of bad posture in children, according to Abbots Langley osteopath Daren Fletcher.
However, the first cervical
6.16 Children learning to write
Podcast:
Our
ancestors may have spent most of their time in the trees, but their
feet were made for walking 2 million years earlier than thought.
Footprints made in Tanzania, East Africa, by our hominin ancestors some 3.5 million years ago suggest they walked with an upright gait that is distinctly human.
6.22 Endgaining
, mirror neurons
Read more: http://www. digitaljournal.com/article/ 306700#ixzz1MNnDG4a1
6.11 Schools should do more to prevent bad posture in children
Schools, sports clubs and parents should all be doing more to halt the growing problems of bad posture in children, according to Abbots Langley osteopath Daren Fletcher.
.. This
includes the length of time sat at computers, how to sit and stand
correctly, the use of correct footwear when doing sport and its impact
on posture, as well as the right way to address injuries – by seeing a
professional and not always assuming that rest alone will deal with a
growing child’s physical needs.
6.12 Luxation of the Atlas
vertebra, the Atlas, is dislocated
(luxated), in most people.
This condition is known to have
existed for a very long time.
6.13 The Spine's Design
.. No thoughtful person doubts that the body is meant, either by nature
or purpose or however you think of it, to work optimally under certain
defined conditions. Identifying those conditions obviously can help
prevent or ameliorate injuries. Lieberman makes the case for learning
from evolution how best to care for our bodies. Of course, what he calls
evolution could just as well be termed design.
Thus, on evolutionary grounds, Dr. Lieberman recommends barefoot
running. He tells a story about how ancient humans found it adaptive to
be able to run long distances on the savanna, of course without benefit
of running shoes, and thereby tire out prey.
Again, if we're fitted to run barefoot, it's just as plausible to
suppose that we're designed to do so. This I have not yet gotten up the
nerve to test out myself, but would like to.
6.14 Cheap substitute for the AT (Alexander Technique)
Great, especially the idea that the beads will make you feel uncomfortable when you lean back on a back rest.
Selvaraj
6.15 iPad neck
.. She said the key to avoiding injury was to "move more, vary your
positions as much as possible and, if you want to use the iPad as a
typing device, use a separate keyboard".
While using the iPad as a reading device was no more risky than reading a
book, she said, the danger arose when users turned to the tablet for an
increasing number of tasks.
"Don't use it to replace the computer unless you give serious consideration to how the work station is set up," she said.
Massage therapist Liz Astling said she noticed an onslaught of neck pain
in her clients when the iPad hit the market last year — "especially men
getting really obsessed with it and not wanting to put it down."
6.16 Children learning to write
Podcast:
_________________
The recommendation here is that children learn to write using an easel.
This will make the writing surface almost vertical - the way to go! You
can google 'images' to find out what an 'easel' is.
Selvaraj
6.17 Our Ancestor Climbed Like an Ape but Walked Like a Man
6.18 "text neck"
Santa Monica - Could
staying connected on your smartphone be causing permanent damage to your
posture? Maybe even make you shorter? Some doctors are sounding alarms
about a phenomenon they call "text neck."
Read more: http://www.myfoxla.com/ dpp/health/text-neck- smartphones-ruining-your- posture-20110720#ixzz1T7goYQC4
Read more: http://www.myfoxla.com/
6.19 Human Grace
Franis Engel wrote: Alexander Technique benefits already sound a bit like it's snake oil! ....
There is little doubt that anyone
starting on the Alexander Technique is going to benefit at least in the
first one or two years. Just following the instructions in Dr. Barlow's
book helped me to put on 5 kg weight in the first year - I was somewhat
underweight earlier.
The problem comes when we try to realise
the larger claims made by Alexander and Dr. Barlow. As pioneers there
efforts must be appreciated - we would not be on this discussion group
but for them; but we need to recognise any shortcomings in their
approach, correct these shortcomings, and move on.
That will be the best tribute to Alexander's memory.
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.20 Posture 360
Dear All,
This is a post I had sent to another discussion group. You may find it of interest.
It has come as a shock and surprise to me that the head position shown in Fig 1 of my websitewww.humanposture.com may
not be entirely correct. I will not blame Dr. Barlow for this -
considering the tricky nature of the subject and considering that Dr.
Barlow had the courage to stick his neck out - where many have found it
expedient to play safe.
I am 90% certain that now I am moving in the right direction; but since
10% doubt remains (which I am confident I will clear over the next two
years) you are advised to take any advise on posture with a pinch of
salt : - )
Selvaraj
------------------------------ ------------------------------ --------
Since some people have voiced continued support for the term 'Posture', perhaps we should give it another chance to survive.
Dear All,
The problem may not be with the word, rather, the problem may be with
the meaning of the word. The word seems to convey different meaning to
different people! For some the word means sitting stiffly erect, for
some it means chest out and stomach in, for some it means breathing
using the upper chest, for some it means breathing using the lower
chest, for some it means breathing using the abdomen, for some it means
breathing using the back, for some it implies sitting on a low chair,
for some it implies sitting on a high chair, for some it means good
posture is possible with high heels, for some it means one must be
barefooted, for some .....
It is somewhat like trying to define heaven, I am sure everyone will
have his own idea of what it will be like. But need we be so helpless in
coming up with a proper definition of posture that everyone can agree
with?
I have always had this feeling that looking at the mechanics of the
human body it is possible to come up with a simple definition, indeed
this conviction is what got me interested in the subject 35 years back
when I came across Dr. Barlow's book. But alas since I failed to get the
required feedback which could back my conviction I had to remain
silent.
With my recent conviction that the position of the head is wrong for
practically all adults, an idea brought forth in my three blogs:
1) Postural Bias - The Eyes (Dated: Nov 29, 2008)
2) Postural Bias - The Eyes 2 (Dated: Oct 6, 2009)
3) Balance of the Head - (Dated March 29, 2011)
... I am now more confident of my conviction, which I have held for the last 35 years.
The key to a definition of good posture lies in Fig 10 of my website www.humanposture.com . Here
we see a simple two pan balance, which is morbid when it is unbalanced
but comes to life when it is in balance. My proposed definition of Good
Posture is:
The body is in good postural balance when the WHOLE skeletal system
(backed by strong and appropriate muscular system) can be brought to a
state of flux.
This definition becomes a figure of merit to analyse whether head
forward position is correct or head backward, whether it is better to
sit on a low chair or a high chair, whether it is a bright idea to ties
our trousers around our waist .. etc.
-------
By giving a number designation we provide a qualitative measure for our present posture:
POSTURE 30 .... What most of us will have, since we don't fall flat on our faces
POSTURE 60 .... What a person with good mental presence may have, even though his 'physical posture' is shot to pieces
POSTURE 60 .... The best a crippled person can have, since the natural flow of muscles may become all but impossible.
POSTURE 360 ... Where all the elements come together.
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.21 WAS Barefoot running and propriocep tion
Hi Philip,
We can use an engineering terminology 'Dynamic Balance' to define the state of balance of a system that is in motion.
Best,
Selvaraj
6.22 Endgaining
John wrote:
To be without a goal is not a goal for me. I like goals. If you are
suggesting "living in the now," that is one of those vague goals that
is unappealing to me... I wouldn't know how to draw a picture of it.
suggesting "living in the now," that is one of those vague goals that
is unappealing to me... I wouldn't know how to draw a picture of it.
....
Very true, being goalless is a problem. Once we have defined a
meaningful goal for ourselves however, it enters our subconscious and
need not be chanted over and over again. For instance, for the majority
of women in India, I don't think there is any difficulty in setting
goals; the goals are already predefined in terms of the daily chores
which keep them fully occupied in support of their families.
For modern humans the problem of setting goals at the micro level can be
sorted out by learning to make proper plans and schedules on paper.
Once proper plans have been made the subconscious mind need not labour
over what has to be done next and we can remain in the present moment.
At the macro level, modern humans seem to be goalless - despite an
impressive amount of activity - this is a problem that needs to be
sorted out for the overall advancement of human society.
Being without goals would constitute a serious postural problem on its own; you wouldn't know which way to move your limbs : - )
Regards,
Selvaraj
6.23 Getting older much earlier
Modern technology has taken a heavy toll on Australian’s spine health, new research has found. Data, to be released by the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia during
National Chiropractic Care Week (May 23 to 29), show Australians’
postures are aging at an increased rate due to mobile devices.
“When it comes to spinal health, our younger people are getting older
much earlier,” said CAA National President, Dr Simon Floreani
(Chiropractor).
-----------------
Someone has to teach our engineers to design in a better way. The design
done by our engineers threatens our personal health and the health of
our environment.
Selvaraj
6.24 Beware, beware the ‘ergonomic ’ computer chair
I’ve written countless
articles on ergonomics. I was therefore less than impressed when I gave
myself an ergonomic injury, using computer chairs. Not one, but two, new
chairs had resulted in sharp lower back pains and related issues.
6.25 A new class of clients
Houghton,
an occupational therapist for 23 years and a certified hand therapist
for the past 18, said she and others in her field are seeing a new class
of clients presenting with complaints such as carpal tunnel syndrome,
tennis elbow and hand and finger pain — young people in their middle
teens up to age 25 who haven’t been performing the type of repetitive
work usually associated with these overuse injuries.
----------------------
Observe the jeans worn by the youngster; it is simply too tight! In
India too, nowadays, we observe young people wearing excessively tight
clothes.
Selvaraj
6.26 Problems with bicycles!
Two
problems that prevent citizens "of a certain age" from becoming cycle
commuters or even recreational cyclists are: postural problems and
damage due to the shape and riding position of most bicycles; and
complexity and maintenance problems.
Those problems definitely apply to touring and racing bicycles, with their hunched-over posture, which are also hard on the neck, hard on the wrists and palms, and hard on the nether-bits (skinny saddle crammed where sun doesn't shine). They equally apply to mountain and hybrid bikes that have slightly less severe versions of those same enjoyment deficits.
Read more: http://www. ottawacitizen.com/bicycle+ built+those+certain/4743110/ story.html#ixzz1Lg6fPgR6
http://www.bike123.com/crank%
Those problems definitely apply to touring and racing bicycles, with their hunched-over posture, which are also hard on the neck, hard on the wrists and palms, and hard on the nether-bits (skinny saddle crammed where sun doesn't shine). They equally apply to mountain and hybrid bikes that have slightly less severe versions of those same enjoyment deficits.
Read more: http://www.
What’s The Deal With Crank Forwards?
http://www.bike123.com/crank% 20forward.htm
6.27 Free Your Feet, Change Your Life
In 1980, I was traveling in Kenya's Aberdare mountain range with my
father, Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld -- renowned cardiologist and host of Fox
News Sunday's "Housecall" -- when a runner burst into camp, having run
26 miles to deliver an urgent medical message. Upon receiving my
father's reply, he took a sip of water and ran back to deliver it.
Being surrounded by the creatures of the African highlands, and having
recently left the plains, I managed an evolutionary perspective on the
fact that a man could run a double marathon through the forest --
outrunning lions and all that -- but barefoot? How could his ankles,
knees and hips take the pounding, never mind his feet? The deed was
unimaginable to someone who wore leather loafers to work and soft
sneakers to the gym.
... Walk barefoot more often, too. Your feet will love you for it.
6.28 Correcting a 50,000 year old mistake (A fresh model for the human body)
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
— John Muir
Two of my earlier posts in this group had
sought to bring to your attention that the direction of our habitual
line of sight profoundly influences our physical posture (and thus our
health and sense of wellbeing) . I had also pointed out that the problem
of posture in human beings is ancient.
http://www.posturalbias. blogspot.com/ (Dated: Nov 29, 2008)
http://www.posturalbias2. blogspot.com/ (Dated: Oct 6, 2009).
In
this post we will attempt to achieve a better understanding of the
problem. We will look at the issue from a fresh perspective, the
perspective of proper balance of the head over the spine. There is
reason to suspect that the balance of the head of adult humans is deeply
wrong, and it could have become wrong not just 10,000 years back but
perhaps much earlier.
Once
we make the assumption that the balance of the head is wrong we are in a
position to answer many questions regarding posture which otherwise
appear inexplicable. The proposition we would like to make is that the
balance of head of the child in this Norman Rockwell Painting is
correct, whereas the usual balance of the head of adults where the head
is held forward is incorrect. Do your own research, observe people
around you; imagine a tangent to the two protrusions at the back (the
pelvic hump and the shoulder hump, the surfaces that would come into
contact with a bed), and study the relationship of the back of the head
to this tangential surface. Observe how the position of the head varies
dramatically with age, with the type of job a person is engaged in, etc;
in all cases you will be hard put to find an adult who is holding his
head well back. Have fun!
Proper
balance of the human body is possible only when the head is held well
back and the spine is free to flex backwards even as the pelvis tilts
forward.
Support for this proposition:
1. We
conclude that the head should be held well back, making the assumption
that the child is most probably getting it right. If you observe small
children carefully you will find that their bodies are very fluid, in
sharp contrast to the arthritic way in which adults hold their bodies.
2. We
conclude that the natural movement of the spine is to move backwards
from observing the curvatures of the spine; the places where the spine
can easily flex is at the neck and the small of the back; at both these
places the natural curvature of the spine is such as to encourage
backward movement!
Caution: Correcting posture is risky and it should not be undertaken lightly.
(I
would have preferred to introduce this subject to you after two years,
when I would be 99% certain about my hypothesis; I am taking a chance by
introducing the subject to you now, when I am only 90% certain. But
then, can we afford to sit on such an important issue forever? It is
unfortunate that we have sat on this problem for a hundred years even
after x rays made it clear that there were serious distortions in the
human skeletal system. If my hypothesis is correct, it is very unlikely
that more than a handful of adults whether rich or poor, citified or
rural or tribal, athletic or non-athletic can be getting their posture
any where near right.)
Selvaraj.
To be continued:
1. How did the adult head balance become so wrong?
2. Answering some important questions using the above model.
3. Developing a concept of 'Human Posture'. (Harmonizing the Nature - Human relationship)
If you are new to this subject please visit:
P.S. For more John Muir quotes .... http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/j/john_ muir.html
6.29 Good posture video
Good posture video
6.30 Orthotics
His overall conclusion: Shoe inserts or orthotics may be helpful as a
short-term solution, preventing injuries in some athletes. But it is not
clear how to make inserts that work. The idea that they are supposed to
correct mechanical-alignment problems does not hold up.
Joseph Hamill, who studies lower-limb biomechanics at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, agrees.
“We have found many of the same results,” said Dr. Hamill, professor of
kinesiology and the director of the university’s biomechanics
laboratory. “I guess the main thing to note is that, as biomechanists,
we really do not know how orthotics work.”
----------------------------
So long as we apply the wisdom of the stock market to understand natural systems, we are not going to understand them.
Selvaraj
6.31 Perspectiv es on Yoga
Neither eternal nor Vedic ......
The reality is that yoga as we know it is neither ‘eternal’ nor
synonymous with the Vedas or the Yoga Sutras. On the contrary, modern
yoga was born in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. It is a child of the Hindu Renaissance and Indian
nationalism in which Western ideas about science, evolution, eugenics,
health and physical fitness played as crucial a role as the ‘mother
tradition’. In the massive, multi-level hybridisation that took place
during this period, the spiritual aspects of yoga and tantra were
rationalised, largely along the Theosophical ideas of ‘spiritual
science’ introduced into India by the US-origin, India-based
Theosophical Society, and internalised by Swami Vivekananda, who led the
yoga renaissance.
In turn, the physical aspects of yoga were hybridised with drills,
gymnastics and body-building techniques introduced from Sweden, Denmark,
England and other Western countries. These innovations were creatively
grafted on the Yoga Sutras – which has been correctly described by
Agehananda Bharati, the Austria-born Hindu monk-mystic, as ‘the yoga
canon for people who have accepted Brahmin theology’ – to create an
impression of 5000 years worth of continuity where none really exists.
HAF’s current insistence is thus part of a false-advertising campaign
that has been going on for much of the 20th century.
Yoga may result in knee injury ......
Dr. Ashok Rajagopal,
chair man of the Bone and Joint Institute in Medanta, The Medcity warned
that practice of certain yoga like vajrasana may cause damage to knee
joint and require total knee replacement. He said that many yoga gurus
have been performed with total replacement of knee for pain and
inability for smooth movements.
------------------------------ -----
The above information seems plausible.
1. It is after the industrial revolution that people started to have
sedentary life styles and the need would have arisen for exercise
systems to keep sedentary people fit.
2. Even the military became relatively sedentary with the
introduction of gun powder, hence the need for exercise systems to keep
them fit. Before the advent of gunpowder the military would have trained
by wrestling, archery, sword fighting, stick fighting, etc (Actually
all these would have been vastly superior to present day exercise
systems, even superior to most modern sports, as these would have
engaged the EYES in a much better way).
3. The idea of sitting cross-legged would have caught the western
imagination. For Indians there would have been nothing special in this,
as sitting cross-legged was a way of life (even better, squatting!).
4. The yoga exercises in their present form may have benefited from
western exercises, and may have also picked up some of their faulty
ideas.
5. Most probably the earlier forms of yoga would have been more meditative in nature.
Selvaraj