The stained-glass windows in my Houston studio were flung
open on a crisp spring day. I was dressing the massage table
for my next client when I heard the faint sound of laughter.
My third-story walk-up studio was near Woodrow Wilson
Elementary School, and I had a bird's-eye view of the
playground from my bathroom window. It sprawled over an
entire half block along Fairview Street. Kids were out for
recess doing what kids have done for recess since the Dark
Ages, or at least since I was a kid in the 1960s. I paused
at the window to enjoy the sights and sounds of kids playing
and having fun.
Two teams of kids scampered across the grass playing kick
ball. Three girls added giggles of delight to their
cartwheels. Phys-ed teams leaped like frogs, racing each
other to a finish line; the winning team let loose a whoop.
A gang of girls practiced cheers, stacking themselves into a
human pyramid and laughing when it fell down. The playground
could have been any circus, with the acrobats wearing red or
blue school uniforms instead of colorful sequins and
feathers. The breeze carried the sounds of squealing, happy
children.
I pondered a mystery of life. Sometimes I still wonder why I
was in such a hurry to grow up. Somewhere along the way the
carefree play of children shifted to the march of adulthood.
We traded running, jumping and tumbling for walking,
standing, and sitting. Instead of crawling through bushes
like kids, as grown-ups we lean against water-coolers.
Rather than stomp around the great outdoors, we sit at our
desks for too-long hours. We trade glee for the safety of
our paychecks.
At a certain age we began to really slow down. The normal
movements of our every day suddenly caused a dull ache that
often, over time, spasmed into full-blown pain. We
attributed these accumulating aches and pains to "getting
old." We resigned ourselves to the march of time without
ever asking, "Does it have to be this way?"
The answer is, "No. It doesn't." I don't believe in "getting
old," per se. I believe that with our minds focused on the
daily rat race, our bodies simply forget how to feel vital
and free: a classic case of "You lose what you don't use."
Those once young and limber bodies have become tired and
brittle.
One natural antidote to the ravages of time is to realize
consciousness throughout the body's five essential
intelligences. A somatic life (body, mind, spirit in
harmony) empowers a man or woman to live with a relaxed and
concentrated mind; a strong, flexible body, and with
sparkling, mature emotions that enables that person to share
their love with others. It is a life that is dynamic,
creative and harmonious. The bedrock of this vital life is
our physical intelligence, the first layer of consciousness.
The physical IQ is the densest of the five layers so that it
can provide a stable foundation. It includes our muscles,
joints, and bones, as well as the connective tissues: the
tendons, ligaments, and fascia.
The four aspects of physical intelligence are Strength,
Flexibility, Grace and Bearing. I think of them as the four
pillars of our body's foundation. Our professional and
Olympic athletes have these qualities in spades. But each of
us can peak these proficiencies to our best abilities and
grow this layer of intelligence.
The coastal soil along this stretch of the Gulf of Mexico
near Houston is reclaimed swampland: layers of wet clay,
rocks and dirt. Here in the Montrose, a neighborhood near
downtown, many of the old houses are built on pier-and-beam
foundations. Large pillars are sunk deep into the earth and
rise vertically above the ground's surface. Beams are
fastened horizontally to the pillars to create a stable
foundation, one that can provide equal stability during
long, hot summers and cold, wet winters. The house is then
built on top of the pier-and-beam structure.
Like the old foundations in Houston, the four pillars of
Strength, Flexibility, Grace and Bearing, working in
harmony, create a dynamic platform for our body's physical,
emotional, mental, moral, and spiritual health. "Strength,"
covers the importance of building our muscles.
"Flexibility," explains the importance of stretching and the
body's full range of motion. "Grace" covers our joints,
balance and coordination. And "Bearing," explores good
posture and the natural position of our bones and how the
muscles and connective tissue supports or distorts them.
"Bearing" also explores the effects of touch and deep-tissue
bodywork on this layer of intelligence.
So live a little; move your body, run, play, stretch,
feel...and grow younger. Begin to peak your physical IQ
today. Use it, don't loose it.
Why do some people never manage to get their life together;
whether it's their health, relationships, happiness, work,
or money? Alan Davidson is the author of the free report "Body
Breakthroughs for Life Breakthroughs: How to Peak Your
Physical, Emotional, Mental, Moral, and Spiritual IQs for a
Sensational Life"
Free Report: ==> http://www.throughyourbody.com
Alan's also the author of Body Brilliance: Mastering Your
Five Vital Intelligences, the #1 Health and Wellness book
and Winner of Two 2007 Book-of-the-Year Awards.
