Recently, I have been stunned to see examples of people in Balance in my world. For a long time that didn’t seem possible.
Aplomb/Balance grew out of empirical research into the movement patterns of people who carry weight on their head — which ruled out most of the Western world. People in Balance tended to live in rural areas of the developing world, with little exposure to images of cool people in slouchy postures.
Balance came to America from France about 1988 – 89 when Angelica Thusius arrived in Mountain View, CA. As I understand it, the impetus for her move was that her husband had a widget to sell to the computer industry in Silicon Valley. What a lucky moment that was for all of us who have benefitted from knowing how to live on the line of gravity.
Angie had photos of Balanced people sitting, standing, walking, bending and working. They appeared to be strong and functional at all ages. As I learned the specific characteristics of what it took to be Balanced, I saw that almost everyone in my environment was off the line of gravity and headed towards spinal compression and joint pain.
In general, I assumed that very few people in the USA lived on the line.
But after years of looking and seeing, it’s my pleasure to assure you that there are people in our environment who are in Balance. They are upright and well-proportioned and look strong enough to live comfortably.
A Balance student in Hawaii sent the image above, of a laborer doing a hard physical job, repeatedly bending and lifting in the heat. It’s likely that he bends this way all the time and probably has no idea he’s remarkable. He’s lucky to have learned this efficient and safe movement pattern from his community when he was a child.
Could it be that there are numerous people around you who are in Balance? People you could observe and enjoy the ease with which they move around in the world?
This gentleman sits in Balance at a soccer field in San Francisco. He exemplifies sitting on the front of the pelvis, on the pubic bones. His spine stacks and his legs and feet are symmetrical. He is “planted,” solid, and can sit for a long time in comfort.
This woman sat like this for at least an hour at a bar at the Reno airport. While she’s not in perfect Balance, her upright seated posture is rare. The groove up her back indicates her spine is well stacked, although there is something odd going on at the base of her neck.
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Compare her posture to the people on either side of her and you’ll see how unusual she is. It was a pleasure to see her stacked spine. Now try to imagine what the spines next to her look like under their shirts.
Your curiosity about the posture of everyone around you is an extension of your Balance awareness. It will help you deepen your practice. Look around. You may be surprised and delighted.
