The Bodywork Perspective – page 1
What follows is both a description of Bodywork, and a resource regarding the language of the body.
If you want to make this "easier to read," wear something form fitting – a bathing suit, a leotard, or wear nothing. Also have close ups taken of your neck / chest area, the small of your back and of the front, side and back your head and neck. You can compare each of your pictures to the photos and descriptions to follow.
Now, of course, none of this will be helpful unless you stand normally, as opposed to striking a pose. Just relax and be yourself. And if you’re working with a partner without the equipment, again, be natural. If you slouch, slouch.
Tilted forward
From the side, this posture looks as if the person is leaning forward. In order to do this, the knees have to be rigid. The weight is borne by the ankle joints, which are tipped forward. Were this person to walk into a wall, she would hit first with their forehead.
Try the posture. Stand. Then lean forward from the ankles, keeping the rest of the body fairly rigid. There’s no break at the waist here. Notice the strain on your legs, knees and ankles. And notice how your heels want to leave the ground.
This is an aggressive posture. This person lives life "full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes." They use their heads, a lot. They are used to battering their way, like a ram, through issues in their lives. It’s also a position of caution and vigilance. Typically, forward leaners have been hurt, and aren’t about to let this happen again.
Because of the strain on their lower bodies, they have little sense of groundedness or connectedness to ground, to feeling, to deep strength. Their strength is in their heads. Thus, if attacked from behind, they are candidates for falling flat on their faces, which they fear. Thus the guarded look.
Leaning Back
This posture looks "laid back."
I often think of this posture in terms of the cartoon "Keep on Truckin’," (© R. Crumb) and the leaning back, again, is whole body leaning. It’s often most apparent when the person is walking.
Again, locked knees and pelvis are required for balance, such as it is. While "laid back" describes the posture, the implication here is, "all’s right with the world."
In truth, most laid back people, when the expression was created, were laid back by drugs. And they were laid back as an escape from the reality of the world.
Leaning back is a way to escape from the world. The funny part is, though, if you walk into a wall, you’ll hit with your crotch. No coincidence that many laid back folk think with their genitals.
It’s almost as if this crotch / leg contact with the world keeps the heart reserved, pulled back, safe. The chest and the head are a couple of minutes behind, and like it that way. To hug such a person is, again, to come in contact with their pelvis first—you have to lean into them to reach their heart. Which forces the hugger to also be the aggressor. This, then, is a passive / aggressive stance.
Pushed from the front, the person is a pushover. And again, because of the muscle tension necessary to maintain the position, the person lacks grounding and true feeling of their feelings. Their look is "blissed out" or tuned out.
Neutral Posture
This is the posture we're looking for, as it's balanced. The ears are over the shoulders, and the shoulders are over the hip bones. The neck curve is maintained, as is a slight curve at the small of the back.
This posture is structurally integrated. There is no undue stress on any of the joints of the body, and the body appears both balanced and comfortable.
