If we achieve the level of positive regard for our bodies that reflects the idiom "my-body-is-my-temple", what are the "how-to's" that support permeation of that attitude into the nuance of daily routine? How do we translate an attitude of respect for our bodies into practical guidelines that accompany us through the day, promoting body-use patterns (and thereby structures) of increasingly refined balance? How do we apply the lessons in balance learned in yoga asanas to washing windows, carrying the baby, playing the clarinet, or sitting at a keyboard?

I am quite aware of the view that yoga answers all of these questions. However, after being in practice as a movement therapist and Aston-Patterner® for 22 years, I have seen many interpret the influence of Yoga to mean that they should attempt to hold aspects of yoga asanas throughout their daily routines in an attempt to gain "good posture". I have seen this interpretation get many people into trouble.

I say to ballet dancers, "don't take your ballet body to the Safeway store". Or, to Tai Chi practitioners, "let the horse stance release into a nuetral pelvis when you are not practicing". Similarly, if you discover yourself lifting your kneecaps or applying mulla bandha * in the check-out line at the grocery store, or, relating to Tadahsana as resting-standing-balance--you may be getting yourself into trouble with too much of a good thing.

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* mulla bandha-energy lock of the pelvic floor

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This arena, the relationship of structural and functional balance within the human body, is the focus of Aston-Patterning.® Structure and function are less like flip-sides of a coin (only two dimensions), more like a holographic-gyroscope mirror that includes influences such as: the gait pattern of your parents in early childhood, your adolescent heroes, residue of accidents, injuries, illnesses; the imprint of repetitive activities; and of course, psycho-emotional and spiritual forces from all stages of life. Thus, functional/structural balance is inherently absolutely unique to each individual.

Functional-use patterns (your habitual pathways of body-use on a daily basis), to a large extent, supply the formula for deriving balance of the physical structure. The possibilities for that formula are myriad, and the amount of effort needed to maintain one's unique formula for balance range across a continuum. If you is able to stand, you are balancing on your feet, but are the forces and counter forces called into action by your unique formula for balance adding up to a struggle?

Over time, functional-use patterns not only shape the structure, but also influence relative density, volume and strength of specific body parts. Also, function determines the availability of the tissues within a particular part, and the body as a whole system to take advantage of the potential benefits of gravity, the counter-balance to gravity (ground-reaction force), the use of body-weight for momentum, etc.

The subject of functional balance is vast and Aston-Patterning® has a wide array of tools to offer here. These include movement analysis, tension pattern analysis, Neuro-kinetics, or "Neuro" (movement re-patterning), Myo-kinetics or "Myo" (myofascial work), Arthro-kinetics or "Arthro" (joint mobilization), a unique Aston massage form, ergonomic design, and Aston Fitness, which offers very individualized exercise programming. The Aston Paradigm is a consistent set of working principles which brings streamlined cohesiveness to all of these various tools. It is based on the observation of human movement, with consideration of the forces of physics.

For the scope of this article, I will focus on the basics of standing posture and question some commonly held beliefs about standing. Rather than focusing on the end result, and what standing balance should look like from an external perspective, we'll look at the process, "the how", of coming into a refined level of balance in standing, for a more individualized result.

We will also look at the relationships between functional balance and Yoga. The easy answer to the quest for the most effortless place is to learn how to recognize balance. What does balance actually feel like, given that our tension patterns become normalized? It is more obvious to feel what it is to be out-of-balance. To be in balance could feel more like the absence of strain, pull, compression. Balance can feel light, like nothing, a void of sensation.

The more you know yourself and your body, the better equipped you are to understand, what is the best formula for balance for you? If you try to fit into a prescription for balance, an external model of what balance should look like, you will only flatten the unique characteristics that allow you to truly fine-tune balance to your unique body.

I will provide the reader with some simple guided experiences that will allow your body to answer for you: what is optimal standing balance for me in this moment? This will provide an introduction to the Aston Paradigm--a thimble-full of this body of knowledge.

You have most likely already given consideration to some of the issues I'll be addressing. Here is yet another perspective. I encourage you to experiment with all six of the following exercises. Together, they may provide you with a new arena of discovery within your bodymind, and reason to question further. The collective exploration of our bodies as teachers is taking us into such exciting territory in our times...and the best is yet to come!

I. ASTON STANCE

Let's begin by looking at stance, which is the position of your feet on the ground relative to each other and the whole body. Culturally, there is a lot of influence which says that holding the feet parallel to each other is correct. In the Aston Paradigm, we question that premise. We ask: why? does is work? what are the effects through the whole system of having a parallel stance?

The goal is to find the best position for your feet to support the structures above them.

First, notice your present stance. Before making any modifications, notice what is the spatial relationship of your feet to each other?

* Experience: Shift your weight to the leg that is generally predominant in weightbearing. (If you're not sure which leg usually takes more weight, or if they seem even in weightbearing, choose either leg.) While you are on this leg, at the hip and foot of the non-weightbearing leg open slightly outward into external rotation. This will bring the front of your foot slightly wider in stance than your heel. The amount will vary from approximately 1/2 to 3 inches depending on your comfort level.

Now shift your weight to this "open stance" leg. See if the amount of external rotation feels right. You may want to adjust it to be slightly wider, or narrower. Now, while weight-bearing on the "open-stance" leg, let the other leg experiment with opening. Try slightly different placements until your body tells you it feels right, that it's in a good position to bear your weight. Then shift your weight onto this leg, making adjustments according to the feedback your body gives you.

Now, transfer to weightbearing on both legs. Can you feel your heels are more under the middle of your body--more specifically, your ischial tuberosities (sit-bones)? This supports the midline structures. Your slightly wider forefoot is more directly aligned under your hip to support the lateral line.

This open-stance angle of the foot echoes the angle of the neck of the femur as it extends from the acetabulum (hip-socket), seemingly an echo in nature's design. Check it out if you have an anatomically-correct skeleton available to you.

Think of this process as a negotiation within your body. You are looking for the stance that is right for your unique structure. Optimal balance may indicate that one foot open (into external rotation) more that the other, depending on your structural holding patterns that are the result of accident, injury, congenital anomalies, emotional influences, etc. For men, because men generally have less width across the hips, the amount of "openness", or external rotation, of the feet will be less.

This important contrast to the feet straight ahead has the Aston signature on it. Can you recognize it? You have gone through a process that allows your own individuality and your body-wisdom to have a voice in terms of: differences in shape, tone, buoyancy, tissue density, three-dimensional volume, and asymmetry left to right. Once you have found the stance that is right for you, let the sensation of this placement of your feet sink in, feel the floor, sense your whole body resting over this stance.

Contrast: Place your feet parallel to each other. For a more extreme contrast, place the outside borders of your feet parallel to each other.

Now, notice the directional forces of your femurs (the long bones of the thigh). Unless you have an unusual structural pattern, the parallel placement of your feet causes your femurs to internally rotate. This rotation has the effect of increasing the tension in your legs, narrowing the pelvic floor, and a number of other consequential effects which I will discuss later.

A useful image here is to visualize the pelvic floor like an aperture, such as the lens of a camera. In Aston-Patterning, when we refer to a body aperture we are talking about the available space at a juncture between two dimensions on the same plane in a body segment. For example, the aperture of the knee may be limited if there is an internal rotation of the lower leg, and external rotation of the thigh. In this example, the aperture will be diminished at this particular horizontal plane, or cross-section, of the knee in terms of depth and width . The result is stress on the knee joint and limited support available from below the knee for the upper structures to rest on. (For more on apertures, see the Aston Postural Assessment Workbook, pg. 152.)

Back to the parallel stance, and the consequent effect of internal rotation of the femurs which, in turn, narrows the aperture of the pelvic floor. The image of the aperture helps us perceive that depth and width are diminished on the horizontal plane of the pelvic floor, but with a spatial effect similar to the lens of a camera closing. Narrowing the aperture of the pelvic floor may have some appropriate functional-use applications. Here is one example: if a pregnant woman has a history of miscarriages and low tone in the muscles of the pelvic floor, the orientation of the feet in parallel stance may be helpful in securing the pelvic floor to carry the baby to full term. Of course, there are many other structural aspects of this problem that she would want to consider such as: toning the pelvic floor muscles, improvement of her overall structural alignment, the positioning of her uterus, etc.

In yoga, conscious narrowing of the apertures--of the pelvic floor or others--is essential to the awareness and control of flows of energy and breath, sometimes with the intention of very specific direction of energy flow.

However, imposing parallel feet, as a functional habit, will minimize the available mechanical support from the ground through the legs, and interfere with the energetic connection of the spine to the ground. Other structural consequences of internal rotation of the femurs will vary according to the individual, but the influences will often include: transfer of torsion to the knees and ankles, increased force of weightbearing through the medial arches of the feet, torsion of the sacro-iliac joints, diminished aperture of the lumbar spine, increased tone of the paraspinal muscles, and thoracic flexion/cervical extension (orientation of upper-body alignment with upper chest back and head forward--more on this later.)

Why is there such a strong cultural acceptance that parallel feet are part of "correct posture"? I suspect the enormous influence of the 17th Century deductionist, DeCarte, which viewed anything that cannot be mathematically deduced, such as sensory experience, as invalid. The "correctness" of straight lines took precedence over sensory information which said, this is torqueing my legs and pinching my bottom. Much of Western culture's love affair with linearity--straight lines and right angles-- came from the Cartesian model which, as Fritjof Capra puts it in his book The Turning Point, "viewed the human body as clockwork."

And as we know, Western influence has pervaded much of the entire world. I was fascinated with Yoga Journal's article New Light on Yoga (Summer '99) which pondered the possible influence of British gymnastic exercises on Yoga. Perhaps the preponderance of parallel feet in Yoga is due in part to British colonial influence. Yes, parallel feet may be a good thing, if we are looking for specific entrainment of flows of energy and breath in certain Yoga postures, or certain dance or athletic endeavors. It does not serve well as a general rule, or in terms of functional-use patterns, except of course, with consideration that every guideline has it's exceptions.

II. STABILITY TEST

Experience: Standing next to a wall, find a parallel stance, and test your stability by pushing against the wall to displace your stance.

Contrast: Repeat the exercise for the open stance (from above), and repeat the test.

Generally, people find they have much more stability in a slightly open stance. Consider that one of the functions of the feet is to keep us from falling over sideways. Of course the feet can perform this function better if they are slightly turned out into an "open-stance", because the base of support is wider.

III. MOBILITY TEST

Experience: Facing a mirror, place "sticky notes" or tape on the mirror to mark the placement of the lateral border of your shoulders. (This is easiest to do with a friend because when you move, so will your mirror image, but one can do it alone by just "eye-balling it".) Now, with your feet in parallel stance, test how far you can lean to the left, then to the right without moving your feet. Mark your range of movement on the mirror.

Contrast: Find "your open stance", and repeat. Again, mark the mirror to record your range of movement to the left and the right without moving your feet.

Most people, depending on their unique pattern of muscle tone, will find they significantly increase their range of motion in the frontal plane (side-to-side) with an open stance.

IV. Aston-Mechanics-- neutral:

Next we'll consider the positional relationship of your torso and spine relative to your base. The traditional postural model holds that "good posture" has the torso in alignment with plumbline. That occurs when the mid-ankle, mid-knee, mid-hip, mid-shoulder, and ear canal are all in a straight line that is perpendicular to the floor.

Again, the Aston paradigm questions this partiality toward right angles and straight lines. Try this.

Experience: Align yourself in traditional plumbline posture. This is not so obvious as it may seem. A photo of your profile could be very informative. You may want to use a mirror or the feedback of a friend to arrange yourself so that mid-ankle, mid-knee, mid-hip, mid-shoulder, and ear canal are in a line which is perpendicular to the floor. Parallel feet is usually part of this model.

Survey yourself. Where do you feel tension in your body?

Contrast: Start by finding your Aston open stance. Then, using your ankles as a hinge, (careful, your ankle hinge...not your hips, head, etc.) experiment with coming a little forward and back. Notice that the open-stance encourages you to come slightly forward of plumbline. Also, now your knees can soften and come slightly forward as you bring your whole body a little forward. Look for even distribution of pressure on your whole foot.

Now, return to parallel stance, and repeat the ankle hinging motion. Notice that parallel stance pulls your center of gravity slightly farther back in space, and encourages a slight flexion pattern (or, "C-curve").

Return to your open-stance, and the ankle-hinging motion. We find that just a few degrees (2-5 degrees, to be specific) forward of plumbline offers these advantages: more springiness for ankles, knees, hips; increased volume of the lungs, freedom for the relationship of the occiput (the base of the skull) and jaw to hinge, and more mobility in general. Overall, more ease. There is a feeling of settling into the place that illicits the least effort--nuetral.

Neutral is not a static point, but a subtle range of movement, always in dynamic negotiation for optimal balance in the moment. It may be oriented slightly to left or right, depending on your weightbearing pattern, or your asymmetries.

This movement sequencing makes it possible for you to rest down onto your base rather than hold up into "good posture".

See illustration #1: (caption) Plumbline posture is literally a fixation of Cartesian linear-thinking. Postural orientation 2-5 degrees forward of plumbline offers access to "up" (ground reaction force) easier balance, and support for the body to express it's full volume.

V. GROUND REACTION FORCE: the source of "up".

If we don't "hold" up, how do we get up? We get up by pushing down--ground reaction force. Well, it is not quite that simple. There are some important prerequisites for ground reaction force to be effective, but most importantly, ground reaction force (GRF) is a counterbalance to gravity.

Without GRF, soft tissue tends to yield to the down-weight of gravity by sagging, or harden with the compression of being held up through muscle contraction. GRF can provide support and buoyancy to upper structures. That is, once understood on a kinesthetic level, the connection to the ground through the feet and legs can provide length to the chest, lift for the head, bring the pelvis to nuetral, supply forward action for the knee and lower leg, etc.

From a perspective of functional anatomy, consider how different the heel is from the forefoot. In a few inches, we transition from a mass of bone cushioned with soft tissue (the heel) to the forefoot with: five digits, access to the spring of the longitudinal and transverse arches, muscles above and below that allow movement in three dimensions. Most importantly, the ability to push down, and, if one's center is slightly forward of the midline-- voila! the result is a vertical lift--this is ground reaction force.

This journey of a few degrees forward is really an important thing because of how it connects you with the ground. I think of it as the great journey. Indeed, it is a very different experience of the world to meet the earth with the down-weight of too much heel-weight, rather than the down/heel followed by the springy up-weight supplied through ground-reaction force.

Personally, I find that ground reaction force greatly enhances the flow of energy from my body to the earth and from the earth to my body. For me, it is a much more gracious and sensitive way for my feet to relate to the Earth as a Living Being.

Experience: Begin in your open-stance

1) From your ankle hinge, align your weight slightly posterior to plumbline (ie. backwards, just (2-5 degrees). Now, push gently on your forefoot. Result: with this alignment, you will continue to fulcrum posteriorly.

(2) Now, align yourself in plumbline posture. Again, a mirror or the perspective of a friend may be helpful, because you may think your normal standing posture is plumb, when it is not. Next, push down gently with your forefoot. Result: you may get some vertical lift, but with effort. You may just feel increased pressure or compression in you feet and legs.

3) Align yourself 2-5 degrees forward of "plumb", what we call "Aston nuetral", and push against your forefoot. Result: Uplift. That is GRF. In this position, a push against your forefoot translates to vertical lift, and increased width, length and depth to the front of your torso.

Implications: When the orientation of weightbearing is plumb or posterior (that is, back in space) of plumb , it will encourage a flexion pattern, or C-curve of the torso. Natural response to the forces of physics will cause the length and width of the back of the body to increase and the length and width of the front of the body will decrease. Many people try to correct this natural flexion response by straining to hold a perpendicular line of "good posture".

The result is unnecessary effort, and often, over-correction, with the chest held wide, the upper thorax braced even more posteriorly (back), and the head forced to counterbalance forward. Part of my motivation in writing this article is that over the last several months, five yoga teachers, from five different schools of yoga, have come to my practice seeking help with muscle-tension problems. All of them were caught in this pattern, in varying degrees, without awareness of it

We find that when the body has its best stance and is aligned over that support (2-5 degrees forward of plumbline), the chest opens and the shoulders fall back. The forefoot can access ground reaction force to add upward lift. This allows for full internal volume of the thorax and lumbar regions front and back, provides ease for the breath, freedom of movement of the head at the junction between the spine and the skull. The pelvis is slightly anterior--a natural accomodation for the lumbar curve--and important for shock absorbtion. The body can rest and is ready for action.

Further individualization: Next, consider a woman who has forward rotation at the left shoulder and left pelvis, with an extreme preference for left weight bearing. When we look at her history, we see the wisdom of her body-use patterns.

She was born with a closed right ear (unformed inner ear canal and 80% hearing loss). All her life, she has turned her hearing ear forward to gain an auditory advantage. Her body has adapted this rotation into her body shape.

Now, imagine her trying to stand in Tadasana. Imagine her trying to stand in an open stance with her feet equal distance to the midline on both sides. Either of these is going to be an imposition on her. For her to find genuine balance requires that she adapt the placement of her right foot to the unique support needs of her right side, and that she discover the placement of her left foot that supports her left side to also be in it's full expression. Recognizing that the two sides of her body are different, and for good reason, it follows that her base on the right and left would also be different. To stand in a symmetrical stance would be to iron the body-wisdom out of her for the sake of conformity.

While her body is in her individual pattern of rotation, an individualized asymmetrical stance that is adapted to the rotation will serve her best. She may choose to engage in a process of change (eg. bodywork, yoga, etc.) that may help her modify and perhaps disengage from the pattern of rotation in her torso. If she were to choose that transformative process, it would be important to re negotiate her stance to stay current with her body's changes. Now, consider that we are all anatomically asymmetrical. Some of the more evident examples of this include: the heart is placed on the left side of the thorax, the lungs have two lobes on the left and are longer and less deep on the left, with three lobes which are shorter and deeper on the right.

Each person also has their unique history of injuries, both physical and emotional. The resulting compensations shape our bodies in unique, often asymmetrical ways. Some have true limitations from birth, disease or injury that result in structural asymmetry. Considering all this, why do we consider symmetry to be the norm? Why do we think that something is wrong if we are not perfectly symmetrical? Should we be symmetrical?

If it is true that asymmetry is natural (nature is actually an excellent validation for the normalcy of asymmetry), is it not a stressful imposition to try to be symmetrical? Judith Aston began observing the importance of the body's asymmetries in 1976. "One of the reasons I felt compelled to study the body's asymmetry was the dilemma that if the body was supposed to be symmetrical, why had I never seen or heard of anyone who was truly symmetrical." In current theories of body therapy, it is increasingly accepted that some degree of body asymmetry is normal, but this is often accompanied by the notion that even though we are not, we are still supposed to be. The Aston paradigm posits that one's unique asymmetries make a significant difference in how we find balance, and thus, how we move in the world.

The body's asymmetries are continuously changing. We have our natural anatomical asymmetries and the others caused by injury and habit. Learning to change some of these asymmetries and optimize our body usage can increase power, stability, resilience and presence.

--Judith Aston

VI. 3-D RE CALIBRATION OF STANCE FOR ADAPTATION TO INDIVIDUAL ASYMMETRY

Now we will make some subtle but important adaptations to the first exercise, Open Stance, that provide for matching stance to the support needs of your individual asymmetries, left to right, and front to back. So far, we have dealt with individualizing your base of support with regard to two dimensions: 1) width, 2) length. Now we will add depth (anterior to posterior, the frontal plane).

Center your weight on your leg that tends to be dominant in weight bearing. (Again, if you are not sure, or if your experience is that you weight-bear on right and left evenly, choose either leg to begin.) Look for the placement of weight that seems to provide optimum support. Let the other leg simply rest on the ground. Using small incremental movements, search for the optimal placement of the non-weightbearing leg by making small shifts in foot-placement in terms of 1) width of stance, 2) angle of "openness" (turn-out, or eversion), 3) placement anterior to posterior (front to back). (see enclosed diagram showing 3 types of adjustment) When you find the foot placement that offers optimal support, often there is a body-message of "that's it". When it feels like you've got it, push down against the floor on the weightbearing leg to create an uplift of ground reaction force to transfer to the opposite leg. Check it out. Did you find the optimal foot placement? It will likely feel good, or not, right away. Transfer back to the initial weight-bearing leg, and make adjustments on the placement of the "resting leg" if needed, until you can settle your weight on this second leg in a way that feels like optimum balance for this leg. Now that you have arrived at optimal balance on this leg, repeat the process for the other leg. Then, transfer to both legs. Look down at the placement of your feet. You may be surprised to find more asymmetry than you thought. This foot placement reflects the subtle (or not so subtle) differences of the right and left sides of your body.

Adapt your stance with consideration that the support needs of your left / and right sides of your body are distinct and different. Having a means of working three dimensions relative to stance, (or other movement issues) allows us to accurately address our three dimensional bodies. One case in which this movement sequencing was particularly useful was with a man who had extreme external rotation in his legs. His sensation from his gait was that he was "walking on ice skates". This sensation was because his legs were rotated so severely, that the aperture of available support was reduced to a very narrow margin, which felt like a skate edge. He was having severe low-back and leg pain, as well as other musculoskeletal symptoms.

The advice he had always been given regarding this problem was to try to hold his feet more parallel. Instead, following the Aston concept of "matching", I coached him through "3-D Recalibrating Stance". Theresult was that his feet were even more turned out than usual. One was significantly forward of the other. And, he was inclined to have weight on one foot or the other, not both. I encouraged him to follow that sensation. Also, in terms of movement patterning, I coached him to exaggerate lateral weight transfer (shifting side to side) in his gait to match the availability for support provided by his fan-like stance (heels narrow, forefoot very wide). That is, my movement cues helped him match his movement patterns to his structure. For the first time in years, he felt as though his foot plant brought him to a flat surface on the sole of his foot rather than the ice-skate sensation.

From there, with his support improved, we could pinpoint the source of hypertone that was causing the extreme external rotation, and work on releasing it; while building tone in the muscle groups that were too slack. This approach, along with some limited Myo-kinetics and Arthro-kinetics work, allowed his legs and feet to migrate to a more forward position, further increasing support. In terms of gait re-patterning, we gradually re-introduced forward momentum as his structure was able to accommodate it. The result was an enormous relief in terms of reducing pain and effort, and the result was lasting. Almost all of the Aston work that this person engaged in was in the small group setting of Aston Fitness classes.

Very commonly, "good posture" is perceived as something static to hold onto while one moves through their world. Good posture is dynamic. It is an interplay between gravity and GRF, the unique asymmetrical differences within each individual's structure, and that person's specific daily actions.

In general, the intention behind hatha yoga asanas is quite distinct from practicing patterns of balanced functional use. For example, the downward dog, the cobra, etc. are not positions that we can usually directly put to use in our daily lives. Rather, they are practices that help us come more alive. They influence how we move our bodies in the world, but they are not meant to be templates to adhere our bodies to. Judith Lasater, P.T., Ph.D., CO-founder of the California Yoga Teachers Association in 1973 says it, "Asana practice asks people to do things that are unusual and sometimes uncomfortable so that they can learn about themselves and a new way of being in the world, experiencing their own resistance for a variety of psychological, emotional, and physical reasons."

I spoke with several Boulder-area Yoga teachers about this. We discussed Tadhasana, the mountain pose, because in my practice I find Tadhasana is often perceived as a resource regarding "rules of good posture". Often, the result is vigorous bracing of the thorax posterior and the head anterior. I asked, what is the purpose of Tadhasana? Is it meant to be a place of rest? Is it meant to be a reference point for functional movement?

Gretchen Spiro, yoga teacher in the Iyengar tradition says, "Tadasana is a very active pose, it is not meant to be restful." Ravi Dykema, founder of Yoga Laya, a traditional full-spectrum yoga, asserts that in the Gitananda lineage, Tadasana is meant to be restful. "Every pose is a restful pose." He explains, " The purpose of Yoga is to see yourself, and what appears to be external, as it really is. Tension is numbing. Relaxation frees energy flows, which corresponds to the flow of awareness, which leads to the revelation of truth."

Laura Allard, Vice President of the International Iyengar Association, once attended a training session with B.K.S. Iyengar in which Tadasana was the theme and primary focus for four weeks, working six hours per day. Laura was reticent to speak of guidelines or parameters regarding Tadasana, emphasizing that the specifics are situational. However, she did say that the pose of Tadasana is not something to strive to be in all the time, rather, one returns to neutral. She and her husband, Norm Allard, chiropractor, certified Feldenkrais practitioner, and yoga teacher instruct their yoga students to return to neutral standing posture frequently during the course of a class.

Willow DuHamel, yoga teacher in the Shoshoni tradition, puts it aptly, "every asana is a dance of duality between rest and inner calm; and actively working with the muscles, the breath, and focus to find the essence of the posture."

The practice of asanas helps the practitioner clarify the difference between work and rest. This can develop to a very refined level. Ravi's view is that in the mulla bandha (energy lock of the pelvic floor), only the pubococygeus muscle should contract. "This is a very advanced move. It shouldn't be included in the beginner or intermediate person's casual practice, or the result could be an ongoing, unconscious contraction of the entire pelvic floor, the low-back, the diaphragm." He claims that "the use of relatively less tension is much more beneficial in doing asanas than doing them in a way that requires extraneous tension." Gretchen adds, "Drawing up the knees, lifting the perineum, certain breathing techniques, etc. that are meant to create awareness can become an ingrained habit which can easily shift into an unconscious pattern." From Richard Freeman, "Alignment techniques are a back and forth play of shiva and shakti, working to derive balance through the palette of the pelvic floor. It is a dance of prana, the flowering uplifting patterns with the apana, the downward rooting patterns to find external balance--which supports internal freedom, or liberation. If one is oriented too far back over the heels, the springing power is shut down, one is a bit stuck."

In these conversations, there were many common threads with the Aston principles: the emphasis on negotiation, process, less effort, the distinction between the asanas and functional balance. As well, for standing functional balance, I am making a suggestion to honor existing asymmetries and include them in the negotiation for a more individualized result. I have offered some ideas for how to heighten sensory discernment for refinement of balance. These include Aston open stance and Aston nuetral. We have touched on a few other Aston principles, such as ground reaction force and matching in this fundamental exploration into the basics of standing balance. You may want to explore more via private sessions or classes from a certified Aston-Patterner® in your area-- or begin to study the system through the Aston Postural Assessment Workbook.

It is interesting to step back and look at where we have come in the last 100 years in terms of body-mind awareness. Of course there are exceptions, but as a global culture, we have moved eons away from corsets, bound feet, hob-nailed boots and buck-board seats on horse-drawn carriages. We are generally much more sensitive, informed and caring of our bodies than our grandparents' generation. We are privileged to be living in a time that is a Renaissance in the exploration of body-mind awareness. The wisdom of the ages from around the globe is available to us, plus all of the highly sophisticated sources of information that have emerged in the last three decades.

It's important to own our place in history, to integrate, and exercise our knowledge base. Our own experience is a potent indicator of the truth. The design of the human body is enormously intelligent. In our collective journey of awakening, there is so much yet to learn from it.