Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68174
neck and shoulders also working to hold your balance? How does this position affect your breathing? Is this a position you normally stand in? Action. Now, slowly lean your body forward, placing most of your weight on the balls of your feet (Image 3). This is another position many people stand in. feel. Notice how this position affects your lower body. Ask. Do you feel the muscles in your legs working hard to hold this position? Can you sense something happening in your ankles? Your knees? feel. Notice how this position affects your upper body. Ask. Do you sense the muscles in your abdomen working to hold your balance? Are your anterior and/or posterior neck muscles working to hold your balance? How does this position affect your breathing? Is this a position you normally stand in? Now rest for a moment. Action. Now, intentionally place your feet at equal distances from your center line, distributing your weight equally between both feet. Try to place over half of your weight (60 percent) on your heels, 30 percent over the balls of your feet, and the rest over your arches and toes. Don't get stressed out over these percentages. The goal is to sense your weight through your entire foot (Image 4). feel. Notice how standing on your whole foot affects your standing posture. Ask. Has the muscular effort in your legs decreased? Has the stability increased in your knees and ankles? Are your back, shoulders, and neck more relaxed? Can you breathe more freely? Has your overall sense of balance and stability increased? Action. Take a few minutes and continue standing on your full foot. Sense your overall balance and support. (Don't become frustrated if it takes some time getting used to this full- foot standing posture. The more you become aware of using your entire foot for standing, the more familiar and comfortable it will become.) When standing with your body's weight distributed across your foot, the arches of your feet can fully support you. Your entire skeleton has a solid base on which to stand, and the muscular effort of your lower body is decreased, as is the stress on your knees and ankles. give yourself some feedback. How did placing your weight over your heels compare to standing on your whole foot? How did placing your weight over the balls of your feet compare to standing on your whole foot? What are the advantages of standing on your whole foot? and therapist since 1990. She coordinated IBM's body mechanics program and authored Body Mechanics for Manual Therapists: A Functional Approach to Self-Care, 3rd Edition (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010). She has a massage and Feldenkrais practice at the Pluspunkt Center for Therapy and Advanced Studies near Zurich, Switzerland. Contact her at barbfrye@hotmail.com. Barbara Frye has been a massage educator connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 103