Most people don’t really think much about their movement patterns, hence the primary movements of the body appear to most people as front to back and perhaps side to side movements. As proof, most people when asked to make a life-like robot would probably create something with only those same front-back and left-right patterns. Most people strengthen themselves on machines that cater to these limiting movement patterns, moving in only one or perhaps two planes of movement.
Actually what makes us different than most other creatures is our ability to perform spiral and helical movements. That is our gift, our (underused) birth right. Most people have no clue about it, and most accidents and self injuries are caused by limited spiral knowledge and use.
When we use spiral movements our movement and learning efficiency shoots way up. We hurt ourselves less. We get stronger and healthier with less effort. We feel better now. When we design robots from this perspective they begin to look, move, and balance naturally.
I was recently inspired by a reference to a website by a dear friend and colleague Laurie McMenamin. This website demonstrates without a doubt that the heart is spiral and helical in nature, and more importantly the heart is helical and spiral in movement and development. It is the deep core of movement in the body.
Let’s postulate that the body is also spiral and helical in nature and that this very same helical and spiral nature creates a quality of spiral connective tissue fabric and movement throughout the body. Therefore spiral, helical movements are the natural order of all our movements. When we take on these spiral movements now, and when we design our exercise and other equipment around spiral, helical patterns we increase the rapidity of our learning. We increase our strength. We are healthier, happier human beings.
Perhaps the very spiral nature of our movement and our bodies is developed by merely following the spiral patterns of the heart as it develops and beats from very early on, a mere 18 days from conception.
So design your exercise patterns in all sorts of spiral patterns. Acknowledge the spiral patterns in your walking, your running, the way you turn to pick something off the floor. Begin to own and take on your spiral nature and birth right. These are patterns that can be learned throughout life, and will make balancing as we grow older far more efficient.