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Pillar I: Mechanical
Optimal dynamic alignment is vital to forces flowing healthfully
though the body. This aspect of the practice aims to deepen awareness
of how to move with ease, balance, and minimal muscular effort.
It is natural for a person to develop habitual ways
of moving. The challenge is that these habits become compulsive and
these repetitive movement patterns, no matter how small, can strain
the body, causing or supporting structural wear and tear. Most people
have patterns, that though subtle to the eye, cause emotional,
neurological, and physical strain, and lead to pain and/or negative emotional
patterns.
Not all compulsions are created equal. Sometimes people create
compulsions that seem to work fairly well with the mechanics of their
body or that are supported by some constitutional strength that allows them
to continue in the compulsion for many years without obvious signs of
strain. This does not mean the compulsions are “good” or that they are
not wreaking havoc in other areas.
Our goal in this area of development is to learn and/or enhance
healthy movement patterns and create new ones. This is accomplished
through learning simple sequences of movements. Each sequence is
designed to teach the student how to perform certain actions with
greater ease and choice. Eventually one builds a library of internal
knowledge which develops into principles and qualities that will
enhance every aspect of one's life.
Pillar II: Transference of Forces
The goal of this part of the practice is to learn to generate and
balance internal forces, as well as to learn to use external forces
beneficially. This is accomplished by practicing a combination of
stationary and moving exercises in combination with aligning oneself
to internal and external forces. This stimulates the body fluids
so they can improve and correct their flow. The result is that the meridian system,
including the five channels, is cleansed and health and
well being are radically improved.
To understand what “forces” refers to in the practice, one must view
the body as a closed system. It is also important to understand that
we cannot experience forces separate from their effect upon the
medium they are influencing. As basic as this may sound, internal
forces are forces acting upon elements inside the body and external
forces are forces acting upon elements outside the body. This does not
mean that an internal force is generated only internally and an
external force is generated externally. A simple example of an
external force that causes an internal force would be whiplash. Though
this is an application of a very jolting force applied at a
non-beneficial angle, it is clear that the external force created an
internal one.
It is important to understand that forces are neither “good” nor
“bad”. Rather, the way in which forces act upon elements determines
whether you have a positive or negative result. The forces themselves
are neutral.
The beating of your heart is an example of an internally generated
force that has internal effects on the body. This movement creates a
force that acts upon the blood. Another example is the breath, which
is a force created by the movement of the diaphragm.
There are also external forces that act upon the body, for example,
gravity. This force can have a positive or negative effect on the body
depending on the relationship between the body and the ground.
There is also a ground force that moves up through the body in
reaction to the downward force of gravity. Ground force is what keeps us from
being reduced to a flat pancake by gravity. If you have a well aligned structure, you
can actually receive many health benefits from these two forces. When
your alignment is poor, they can be detrimental. Again, the forces
themselves are neither positive nor negative.
Because of modern conventions, most people have severally diminished
their own capacity to generate forces. The problem is that limited
forces cause fluids to become stagnant and negative emotional patterns
literally become stuck in the body.
Pillar III: Limbic Brain and Spiritual Awareness
At first this may seem a strange heading. However, with the advent of
recent neurological discoveries, we find that there is a strong
correlation between spirituality and the functioning of the limbic systems. In our practice, we can not reduce spiritual awareness
to a neurological function; however it is a good place to start, as it
enables us to access and effect the spiritual through the physical
realm.
Generally, we use meditation and discourse as the primary vehicles to
access this pillar, but the principles are also thread throughout the
practice. Though the exact benefits of the development of this pillar
are not quantifiable, one usually will have a profoundly personal
experience and a deeper understanding of their personal values, purpose, and desires.
Spiritual awareness is a topic that has been written about for
thousands of years and as such, there is a great body of texts written,
all with varying opinions. It is important to understand that the
Institute for Internal Transformation (IIT)
does not teach philosophy or religion. We do no seek to impose moral
standards or limitations upon others. Rather, it is our goal to
encourage the individual to seek his or her own realizations. Many people consider this
subject to be the goal of the practice—but it is the development of
the other two pillars that creates the foundation for this.
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