| Late in 2001, a great deal of media attention was | | | | "Our neuromuscular system is designed to work in |
| focused on Ginger, a.k.a. "IT" - a secret invention that | | | | concert with gravity. Delicate poise of the head |
| the brilliant and eccentric inventor Dean Kamen had | | | | sparks the body's anti-gravity response: a natural |
| been working on for over a decade. Some reports | | | | oppositional force in the torso that easily guides us |
| said it would be an even bigger deal than the PC! | | | | upward and invites the spine to lengthen, rather than |
| What finally emerged in early December was the | | | | compress, as we move. Instead of slouching or |
| Segway, a self-balancing "human transporter". It uses | | | | holding ourselves in a rigid posture, we can learn to |
| a combination of gyroscopes, tilt sensors and high | | | | mobilize this support system and use it wherever we |
| performance motors - and vast amounts of | | | | go -- in the car, at the computer, in the gym." |
| computing power - to produce a scooter-like device | | | | But this elegant design only works well if the muscles |
| that lets you travel over virtually any kind of terrain | | | | in our necks are free of excess tension. And |
| without toppling over. | | | | unfortunately, as we go through life, many of us |
| As Kamen explains, "The idea is to put a human | | | | develop tension in our necks and other parts of our |
| being into a system where the machine acts as an | | | | body, that interfere with both our upright posture |
| extension of your body. When you walk, you're really | | | | and our ability to use our body as it was designed. |
| in what's called a controlled fall. You off-balance | | | | You can easily see this for yourself if you take a |
| yourself, putting one foot in front of the other and | | | | look at just about any group of adults running or |
| falling onto them over and over again. When you use | | | | jogging and compare what you see to children |
| a Segway, there's a gyroscope that acts like your | | | | running about at play. More often than not, the adults |
| inner ear, a computer that acts like your brain, | | | | will be tightening their faces shoulders, arms - and of |
| motors that act like your muscles, wheels that act | | | | course their necks. Most small children will be running |
| like your feet." | | | | about with ease and poise. |
| Segway's performance has earned rave reviews, | | | | The harmful posture and movement habits many of |
| although its $3000 price tag may limit sales to | | | | us acquire as we grow up can come about for a |
| industrial markets and the high-end consumer market. | | | | variety of reasons: the unconscious imitation of adults |
| The Segway is a wonderful reminder of our own | | | | in their lives who themselves carry excess tension, |
| ability to stand and move about with an upright | | | | bad school furniture design or stressful family |
| posture. The Segway's design is impressive all right, | | | | situations, to name but a few. |
| but what's even more amazing is the design of our | | | | A machine like the Segway doesn't have to face |
| body that allows us to go about life without falling | | | | these kinds of problems. If something happens to |
| over. After all, we are tall, relatively thin creatures | | | | affect its functioning - perhaps a motor or computer |
| with a high center of gravity resting on two rather | | | | failure - it's quickly fixed by repair or replacement. |
| small feet. | | | | For us, it's more complicated. We can't just go out |
| Why on earth don't we just keep falling over? How | | | | and order a new neck when our old one becomes |
| do we stay upright? | | | | excessively tight. But we can use our intelligence to |
| A large part of the answer lies in the way our head | | | | assess the situation and learn how to release the |
| is balanced on top of our spines and an ingenious | | | | harmful posture and movement patterns that have |
| structure that allows for stability - our heads don't | | | | crept into our lives. |
| easily detach from our bodies! - and for flexibility - | | | | There are a number of somatic teaching and |
| our heads can move quickly and easily in response to | | | | therapeutic processes that can help us restore the |
| changing circumstances. | | | | grace and ease of movement we had as children. |
| As Joan Arnold, a teacher of the Alexander | | | | The one I'm most familiar with is the Alexander |
| Technique in New York City writes: "... when the neck | | | | Technique. Taught for over a century, it has a |
| muscles do not overwork, the head balances lightly | | | | well-deserved reputation for helping people improve |
| at the top of spine. The relationship between the | | | | the quality of their physical functioning. |
| head and the spine is of utmost importance. How we | | | | Segway is an Anglicized version of the musical term |
| manage that relationship has ramifications throughout | | | | "segue" which means transition. The Alexander |
| the rest of the body. As the boss -- good or bad -- | | | | Technique is really about learning how to adapt to |
| sets the tone for an organization, the head / spine | | | | changing circumstances - moment-by-moment |
| relationship -- compressed or free -- determines the | | | | transitions - in the most efficient way possible. |
| quality of the body's overall coordination. | | | | |