piece of engineering – the average footstep takes a large amount of pressure (approx. 8psi) with every step – and for this reason they must be aligned in the parallel position, as in the Basic Stance, in order to function as nature intended. The vast majority of people in the Western world walk with misaligned feet; one or both of the feet are usually splayed out at uneven angles (this can be verified by looking at wear patterns on the bottom of your shoes). The foot uses a powerful system of muscles and ligaments to cope with the pressure exerted upon it; if the feet are aligned correctly then this system forms a strong arch (which is in fact another triangle between heel, arch and ball) in the foot, however, as soon as the feet start to splay this arch is weakened. If the arch begins to ‘fall’ your gait will be affected and this will lead to many other health problems. Every person is either right- or leftside dominant, usually corresponding to whether they are right- or left-handed – people who are right-side dominant will tend to splay the right foot out more; by meditating on the alignment of the body, we remove this fundamental imbalance.
Left- or Right-Side Dominant?
We take for granted the fact that everyone is either right-handed or left-handed, but how far do we see the significance of this in our life? For instance, if you are right-handed then a high percentage of every movement you make will be initiated on the right-hand side; this means that the flow of energy through the nervous system will have a propensity to move to that side more than to the left. This also affects, amongst other things, our sight, hearing, breathing and coordination. In terms of musculoskeletal alignment, right-sided dominance means you are continually putting more weight down the right side of the body than the left. When our feet hit the ground as we walk, pressure waves are sent up each side of the body; when we are right-side dominant, the pressure wave will be greater on the right-hand side.
You can demonstrate this to yourself by buying a pair of foam earplugs from your local chemist, inserting them and walking around bare foot whilst listening to the sound of your feet on the ground – you will be able to hear a louder impact on the right side. Place your hand on top of your head as you walk and you should be able to feel the vibration from the foot reaching the top of your head, and next time you are with a young child place your hand lightly on top of their head when they are walking and you will feel the pressure wave going up through them. This simple exercise demonstrates the fact that a significant amount of pressure travels through the body on every step. The feet, being at the ‘bottom’ of the body, endure most of this pressure; if we have not been taught to walk correctly (most of us do not give a second thought to how we walk) the common tendency will be for the feet to start to splay. This is further compounded by the fact that for a large amount of time we walk on a very thin hard skin that man has deemed necessary to cover the earth with: concrete. This continual contact with a very hard substance increases the shockwaves through the body and forces the feet to splay, unfortunately slowly destroying the feet. If the feet begin to work inefficiently then the force going through the skeleton increases and, particularly as we get older, causes all sorts of musculoskeletal problems such as osteoarthritis, slipped and herniated discs in the back, neck problems, cartilage and ligament problems in the knee, and so on.
Skeletal Compensation
If the feet are not aligned correctly then the upper part of the body will compensate in some way, which will eventually create misalignment and curvature of the spine. This compensation of the body is a governing principle in osteopathy, the Alexander Technique (a now famous method of body therapy which aims to bring the body back into its natural state in accordance with nature) and pretty well every form of therapeutic bodywork. It is caused by the body trying to rebalance itself at the musculoskeletal level so, for instance, if the pelvis is tilted too far forwards then the cervical region of the spine will bend to compensate, or if the right foot is splayed out then the left hip changes its position. The original Kung Fu and T’ai Chi forms were designed to align the body equally by practising identical moves on the left and right sides of the body, bringing it back into a state of harmony (a word which in its origins actually means a ‘joining or joint in proportion’ and is where we get the word ‘arm’ from).
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