This blog is primarily so that I can add comments and image exercises, if I wish, that are not present somewhere in my articles. It is also for anyone who wants to make comments or ask questions about a particular posting or any imagery and concepts. If you are new to the blog you might want to start with the older posts at the bottom of the page.
The universal imagery I suggest is designed, among other things, to allow the body to do what it once knew, to efficiently respond to gravity. I have been rather consistent in suggesting what to imagine sensing on the dorsal surface… expansion, lightness, fluffiness, and so forth. I have not been so consistent in describing how to envision the ventral surface. In these blog exercises, I have had you see the ventral surface as pressed up against an egg, pulled down by a lead ball that is trapped under its surface, controled by marionette strings from below, and separated from a floating dorsal surface due to it weight. These do not produce identical sensations yet, as images and kinesthetic sensations, they are compatible. In this image, however, I want to be as true to the origins of land-bound organisms (and the neurological structures that we inherited from that time). So here’s the story: In the beginning, the dorsal surface had contact with and expanded into the air and sky about it… and the ventral surface lay flat upon the ground, period.
The illustration and image below is an effort, tactile/kinesthetically, to give us that originary experience.
The first panel to the left shows an early organism “immensely” supported by the earth. The second panel shows in archetypal form our evolved selves standing. It shows us as well as we think we are supported on earth… first by our feet. The third panel shows the “reality” that we want to experience here, that our ventral surface is fully in contact with the earth and supported by it. Even the vertical “motor” segment of the body can be thought to be in contact with ground that is perhaps “sticky” and able to support the falling weight on the ventral side.
As you develop an image or sensation that the earth is there to support you all over, you can “test” it by allowing your chin or tail or whatever to drop. The body may shift about for a while, as it finds its new place on earth. Once you establish the sensation of the ventral surface being fully grounded, allowing the dorsal surface to expand and float above, you can carry that sensation (and postural advantage) around with you as you move. Do you agree?
A problem with this exercise and perhaps others is that the illustrations are not as clear as they might be. My illustration here is not exactly as I would like it. Not being a true illustrator, I am forced to just describe the picture I would like here. So here it is: Add to the above illustration the image and thought that your arms AND legs are extended latterally outward (parallel to the shoulders and hips). This would be in reality a difficult if impossible move for the legs, but imagine it just the same. With the legs and arms in this position, the portion of the arm that is part of the “director” segment can appear and feel horizontal and the portion that is part of the “motor segment can appear and feel vertical. By the same token, the portion of the leg that is part of the “motor” segment can also appear and feel vertical and the portion that is part of the “rudder” segment can appear and feel horizontal. (That is a lot of words for what could for someone else have been part of the illustration.)
This addition brings about a sense of distinct breaks in the relationship and orientation of the three segments of the body… and that can be quite revealing and freeing.
If confused, just read it all over again. If still confused, leave a query or comment and I’ll respond.
Here is an image to play with enlivening the senses… and also putting them to bed. If you have read one of my articles, you could recognize, in the upper portion of the above illustration, a stripped-down simplified depiction of the dorsal-ventral archetype with the smaller director segment to the left and the rest of the body next to it to the right. The lower figure is the same, except for an important difference… the seam or border between the dorsal and ventral surfaces is “awake.”
In this image, you are not to try to imagine these figures, but rather to imagine the concept of the image by identifying the seam or border between your dorsal and ventral surfaces on your own body. In a couple of the articles the concept and general location of the dorsal and ventral surfaces are described. OK, I’ll put a drawing of the human dorsal and ventral surfaces below so you don’t have to search (right now) through my articles to find the info.
Along this seam on your own body, as completely as you can, you should see if you can imagine something vaguely equivalent to eyelids opening… and later closing. You can first imagine this on either sides of your eyes, as though you have a longer eyelid and eye. To do this is like waking up… more. You can imagine it also around the ears along the dorsal-ventral seam. You may or may not feel you are hearing more, but you may feel more “awake” there. There is the nose as well. The fingers and toes, also, can have ”lids” opening, creating as general sense of more sensing, of whatever kind. Everywhere else along the dorsal-ventral seam can be similarly enlivened. Later, following the logic of this image exercise, one can “close” the lids all about the seam when it is time to take a rest or go to sleep.
If you have a hard time visualize this exercise, try to “kinestheticize” or “tactilize” the experience as well. That would mean here to see if you can imagine the physical sensation you have by opening (and later closing) your eyes… or… the physical sensation of flaring (opening) your nostrils happening all along the dorsal-ventral seam.
What do think (besides, “you’re crazy”)? What have you experienced? Have I been clear enough in my instructions?
The drawings in this post may be only for those who have read enough of my theories to make sense of the fun going on here. Some of the drawings here are rather silly but they may be the ones that demonstrate my basic postural principle the best to you. Look the drawings over and then read on:
The top colored drawing is my simplifed depiction of evolution of the dorsal and ventral surfaces. The three drawings below are all possible ways to access the kinesthetic sense and appropriate muscular and postural changes in yourself. In all cases try to imagine what you see happening to you… exactly. A little story line along with the drawings might clear up any confusion caused by my less-than-professional drawing ability:
First drawing (and story line) - “My dorsal surface is becoming or has become all fluffy and light… everywhere on that half of me. My ventral surface feels like dark thin rubber or nylon stocking material. A lead ball is placed in it such that if feels like that side of me is being drawn in and downward.
Second drawing - “I am not a marionette hanging heavily from controlling strings above… I am the opposite. Instead, I am a helium-filled humanoid balloon that is controlled by lines from below (perhaps like a Macy’s Day Parade float). I am pulled back to earth from all ventral points though I wish to float away!
Third drawing - “I see myself as being two separated parts, a saint and a sinner… the dorsal part moving upward and the ventral part moving further downward.”
I like to strip illustrations down so they convey only the most basic of ideas. They necessarily become more abstracted from reality, but we are familiar with them (frequently as logos) in our lives. Here I want to consider two “logos” together. First, the yin and yang symbol, which illustrates the opposing forces in the universe… I think. I am not an Eastern scholar and only have this sense of meaning of the symbol. It is a symbol of Heaven and Earth, male and female, etc. , symbolizing a sort of divine tug-of-war. The second illustration above the yin/yang circle is my suggestion for a symbol of appropiate or healthy organismic response to the yin-yang forces in the universe. More fully stated, this illustration represents a healthy response by (at least) all terestrial tetrapods (four-legged or originally four-legged land-bound organisms) to the opposing forces of the universe. It suggests a response…(for the dorsal surface) to expand up and (the ventral surface) shrink down… to calm up and tense down… to lighten up and weigh down… to float upward and fall downward. What does anyone think?
Here is an image for you to try. Instructions are below:
Examine the illustration here. The person on the right is sitting forward on a chair. Follow this example by sitting yourself forward and up in a chair… far enough forward so that a slope in the seat does not make it hard for you to sit up like the person in the drawing. Uncross your legs an rest your hands on your legs. If sitting up like indicated is very uncomfortable for you, just do the best you can.
Next, imagine that you are, in fact, not a person sitting in a chair but, rather, a lamb-like creature balanced on a chair, with its chin, limbs, and tail wrapped around a dark, cool, slightly heavy egg. This egg is something the creature wishes to protect. (This all may sound ridiculous, but you are this far along so don’t turn back.)
You are to imagine, but in no sense imitate, that, as this creature, you have very very light and fluffy fur (If you wish, you can imagine light balls of cotton instead, if that gives you a greater sense of a light and fluffy). This light fluffy fur extends all over your back but just as importantly includes your tail (which is long and wide), back of neck, back of ears, head, upper eye lids, and nose.
All the features of your face are very relaxed, just as shown in the drawing. Imagine holding the cool, dark egg as closely as you can, making body contact with it as much as possible as the drawing indicates. You are attempting to cover it as much as possible, with your chin, neck, arms, chest, stomach, legs, groin, under side of tail. Take some time with the image. Finally, imagine that you, wrapped around the egg, rock backward a little bit and then imagine rocking considerably forward. At this point, you can allow yourself to actually rock forward enough to be effortlessly over your feet…and then stand up. Even in the standing position, you can imagine yourself surrounding the egg as you were before. Miraculously you will be standing though your legs are still wrapped around the egg!
You should experience an easy trip to standing position, without the usual effort. You can get better and better and experience its beneficial effects more and more, with repeated experiments with this image. Remember, just imagine, and do not consciously physically imitate the illustration or directions. It is also important to endeavor to experience the qualities suggested all over your body, leaving no surface unconsidered. Do not be surprised if small changes take place that do not seem to be right for the illustration. The goal is to release body parts to their most relaxed and yet structurally sturdy positions… not to learn how to hug an egg.
The purpose of this image is to promote appropriate or ideal postural sensations, which are 1. a sense of expansion on your dorsal surface (the fluffy side) and 2. a sense of contraction on the ventral side (the side in contact with the egg). If you have what feels like success and experience some interesting changes, I would love for you to let me know. If you have troubles with the image, I would like to help. So feel free to post a comment or two.
Cheers, John
It may be that you have not read an article yet. To interest you to do so, I suggest that you play with the simplest of imagery exercises that I suggest here:
First, look at the following illustration:
The drawing illustrates a way towards better posture with less effort and discomfort than you (or most of us) generally experience. It illustrates what can be stated as a powerful new posture mantra: Calm UP and tense DOWN.
Try it. In other words, endeavor (while you are sitting fairly upright in a chair or are standing) to see your self as full and fluffy on the upper part of your body and becoming dark, condensed, and cone like on the lower and under side of your body… and / or you can just imagine the mantra, calm up and tense down.
These are quite imprecise visual and verbal images but can frequently have unexpected and welcome consequences. If you doubt the validity of the specific instructions, try giving yourself the opposite visual and verbal instructions.
All of the articles explain the basic theory behind the imagery’s effect. Chose one and read it and make a comment either before or after that.
J
