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The Theory and Practice of the Body in Action.

1. The Perfect Body.
2. The gradual fall from Grace.
3. How it happens.
4. What to do about it.


1. The Perfect Body. Nearly every newborn baby is almost perfect. The Lord has made them that way and there are very few people who can ignore the fascination and pleasure in watching the antics and perseverance of a young child.
Young babies spend most of their day testing and flexing their new muscles and joints, gradually strengthening and building them with a natural and instinctive sort of Yoga. And young children, once they have mastered the skills of standing upright and walking and running, show a natural poise and balance that is hard to ignore.
Young men and women who have reached the pinnacles of athletics and sport always attract huge audiences and are an absolute joy to watch. Isn’t it galling that nearly all of us started off with this natural balance and flexibility.

2. The gradual fall from grace. Unfortunately most of us prefer to take the path of least resistance. In other words, we would rather be couch – potatoes than industrious dynamos.
In the early years our learned ability to stand upright was a supreme achievement in neuro-muscular control, which quickly becomes a simply automatic lower brain function to stand or sit or lie down. In fact it is never a simple function but an incredible feat of incomparable complexibility and grandeur. It is this complexibility that ultimately defeats us. We tend to take short cuts and develop bad habits. We lose that poise and balance and bend and bow and list to accommodate our everyday activities – watching television, studying in school, slouching in chairs, conforming with our peers.
Our biggest mistake, though, is our failure to exercise to keep our bodies supple and balanced. We invariable get stuck in a narrow pattern of activity. Always doing the same thing in the same way, we are creatures of habit and our joints and muscles are steadily reduced to the slimmest repertoire of movements.
As we get older, joints lose the ability to move into areas they hardly ever go. They lose elastic stretch, lubrication, even muscle balance and pain is only just round the corner.

3. How it happens. It starts with the lack of exercise and restricting the use of all the joints and muscles of the body. The huge range of activity, which is hallmark of children at play, is gradually confined as young people become more constrained and inhibited. Some muscles are less used and become atrophied. This puts the skeleton slightly out of balance and puts extra strain on the joints. This in turn causes slight irritation and an increase in wear and tear. This slight ache or pain causes you to favour the joint and avoid using it so much. Unwittingly you indulge the whim and abandon the task or find an alternative way to do it. Already you are on the downward spiral. You now come up against the great dilemma.
You can either go with the flow and let the joint hang on to it’s new tight inactive way, or you can ignore the twinge and barge on through with your activity. This doesn’t seem to matter in the short term but it will undoubtedly add to the wear and tear in the long term.

4. What to do about it. There is no doubt that you can halt the decline and turn back the clock at any age. You may never be the next Olga Korbet or Pete Samprass but you can certainly feel better, walk taller and live longer. You need to unkink your body, stretch your joints and ligaments and gradually build up your unused muscles. You need a regular program of Yoga and exercise. In particular you should care about your body. Just like your car or your home, you should look after it and keep it properly serviced and cared for. Clean it and pamper it, love it, dress it in the best, believe in it, it is the only one you have and you can never replace it. Look after and control your body.