Category: gait

Innate human coordination requires being in sync with the STRAIGHT-down influence of gravity. This enables us to tap the substantial energy generated by the downward movement of our body mass. In infancy, we all learn this highly evolved skill as we teach ourselves to sit, stand and walk with grace and power. Early in childhood, however, through deep cultural conditioning, we forget. From the day we are born, we see everyone around us sitting back in chairs, sofas, car seats, etc. At around 3 or 4, we get sucked into this utterly normal, but mal-adaptive behavior. We begin sitting-back with staggering repetition. In so doing, we interfere with gravity’s influence by sending our body mass down on a BACKWARDS trajectory. Our brains automatically react — with muscular strain and skeletal distortion — to keep our head/neck functionally vertical. We don’t notice these reactions nor feel anything unusual. It all happens subconsciously. This kinesthetic disconnect spills over into how we stand and walk. The consequences are all around us: society-wide epidemics of bad posture, lower back and neck pain, knee and hip replacements. For people with Parkinsons, the consequences are even more severe, restricting free movement considerably. This can be changed — through re-developing sensitivity to our downward-moving body mass and how it is affecting us moment-by-moment. If you are planning to listen, it will be worth your while to check-out in advance an illustrated essay on this topic at www.uprighting.com/Parkinsons.pdf.