Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72103
BODYREADING THE MERIDIANS ORIENTATION Some people orient more to the ground, and then reach out from there. Others orient by reaching out to others, or into the environment, and then find their ground from that connection. A simple test shows which is dominant (and an indeterminate result indicates balance between the two): Stand behind the client and have A B C Bodies tending toward ectomorphy (6A), mesomorphy (6B), and endomorphy (6C). "wrong" in any way, but you will find that this dichotomy is expressing itself in their life. That knowledge can help you help them—to resolve it, or at least make a better marriage between their left and right sides. People with strong front/back imbalances often have strong public/ private issues—what they show and what they (try to) hide. Someone with a Napoleon complex, for example, may puff up in front to make himself look big, not realizing how small he then looks from the back. Strong top/bottom dichotomies seem to correspond to introversion/ extroversion; the person with the proportionally large top is usually an extrovert, while the person with a proportionally larger lower half is often introverted. SOMATOTYPING This is a large discussion, which we must leave for another venue, but it is useful to place your client in the triangle of ectomorphic, mesomorphic, and endomorphic. Though thin, muscular, and fat are the simplest ways to characterize these somatotypes, the truth is more complex. Ectomorphs are tuned more to their skin and nervous system and are highly reactive; mesomorphs more tuned to their blood and muscular systems and are big on doing; and endomorphs more governed by their organs and intuitional feelings. Everyone lies somewhere in the triangle made by these extremes. If your client is toward the center of the triangle, this is probably not so useful a distinction to make. If, however, she tends strongly toward one or the other of these types, it is worthwhile knowing that each type responds differently to soft-tissue change. Basic information on the types is available in a lot of places (if you are familiar with ayurvedic medicine, these types correspond to the doshas), but the basic work comes from William Sheldon, and is documented in The Varieties of Human Physique.9 her jump lightly and repeatedly on the balls of her feet. It does not matter how high or well she does this. Make two tests, repeating these movements on successive jumps. Either: 1) Lift her slightly from the sides of her rib cage as she goes up, or 2) Press her lightly into the earth on her shoulders as she comes down. Which slight impetus movement produces the more organized result in the client—pressing down or lifting up? The ones for whom a slight pressing down results in a more organized spring up are oriented to the ground; those for whom even a few ounces of lift on your part produce a large result in terms of height and delight achieved, are oriented out into the environment around them.10 BREATHING TENDENCY Breathing patterns can hover around one end or the other of the respiratory cycle. Those stuck on the exhale side of the pattern tend toward depression and introspection, relying too heavily on their own internal world, while those stuck around the inhale end of the cycle tend toward a bluff heartiness, relying too heavily on the impressions and responses of others for their sense of self. Artists of all sorts tend toward the former, the latter can often be found among car salesmen, TV talk show hosts, and politicians. Soft-tissue work around the affected parts, along with reeducation of the missing part of breathing, can often help bring these folks toward balance. earn CE hours at your convenience: abmp's online education center, www.abmp.com 81