The 9 Essential Elements of Balance
Good physical balance requires nine fundamental elements, each functioning optimally and working to complement each other. Collectively, they calm and rewire the nervous system, activate brain circuitry, and coordinate the three structural divisions of the body.
These 9 essential elements help us to develop the ability to cross the midline of our body, to easily move forward and backwards, and to twist and turn while remaining stable – all setting the stage for full body coordination.
They establish strong cellular rhythms to support fluid movement; calm our nervous system, making it more receptive and responsive; and stimulate full-body sensory awareness, allowing us to have greater responsiveness to the three-dimensional world and how we move within it.
And they clean out and refresh our neural pathways so that energy can flow freely and our nervous system can function at its best.
Let’s take a look at the 9 essential elements that underlie stability and how the movement of our three-dimensional body can reset the nervous system, remove metabolic waste, and stimulate energy flow.
The 9 Essential Elements of Balance
Our Three-Dimensional Body
The Three Structural Divisions
The foundational basis of the 9 Essential Elements of Balance is that our bodies are three-dimensional in nature and every movement we make is associated with one of three structural divisions (“dimensions”) of the body.
The Left/Right dimension of movement is associated with the two hemispheres of the brain, the left and right sides of the body, and the ability to cross our midline. Cross lateral movements are the key to a strong connection between the left and right sides of our brain and body.
The Top/Bottom dimension of movement is associated with the mid-brain and neocortex, the upper and lower portions of the body, and an erect, stable body. A relaxed, supple Psoas (so-az) muscle is one of the most important components of this Top/Bottom division and is a stabilizing force for the upper and lower body.
The Front/Back dimension of movement is associated with the pre-frontal cortex and the brain stem, the front and back of the body, and our ability to easily move forward and backward. Releasing the Tendon Guard Reflex plays a major role in balancing the Front/Back dimension of the body that allows for, surprisingly enough, an upright posture.
Cross Lateral Movement
Cross lateral movements are related to the Left/Right dimension of the body. When we cross a hand or foot from one side of the body to the other we connect the two hemispheres of the brain and reinforce the connections between the left and right sides of our body. These movements strengthen the cross-lateral nature of our neurological make-up, where the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and left hemisphere controls the right side of the body.
The ability to cross your body’s midline to do cross lateral movement is vital for balance: it fosters a fluid transfer of information between the two brain hemispheres to support both cognitive and physical coordination; it stabilizes and coordinates our arms and legs for walking; it supports proprioception (the awareness of our body’s position and movement through space); it builds core strength; and it improves eye-teaming skills, essential for depth perception.
The Psoas Muscle
Twisting, bending, and reaching are the movement patterns associated with the Top/Bottom dimension of the body. A balanced flow of energy in this dimension–moving up and down through our gravitational center–supports a strong center point to steady and ground us as we move. Strong, supple core muscles, in particular the Psoas (so-az) muscle, are essential for maintaining our balance and stability as we rotate our body, turn around, bend over, or extend an arm or leg.
The Psoas is a large muscle that connects to both the upper and lower portions of the body. This powerhouse muscle is key to a stable hip/leg connection and is active when walk, get up from lying down, rotate our body from side to side, bend down, sit upright, or stand erect. It’s connected to the spine and, with its connective tissue, extends from the diaphragm all the way down to the pelvic floor, joining with the upper part of each leg. Techniques for releasing and lengthening the Psoas will make it strong, giving us stability and resilience as we twist and turn or when we need to catch our balance when an impending fall might otherwise take us down.
The Tendon Guard Reflex
Walking forward and backward are the movement patterns associated with the Front/Back dimension of the body. When there is a balanced exchange of neural signals in this dimension – balanced from front to back – we experience a relaxed upright posture, we have greater sensory awareness, and can more easily relate to the world around us as we move through our environment.
The Tendon Guard Reflex plays a major role in our ability to maintain this comfortable upright posture. When triggered by stress, trauma, or fear, the Tendon Guard Reflex activates a tendon-muscle-joint system from our head to our toes – comprised of the big toe, foot tendon, Achilles tendon, hamstrings, sacrum, spine, various back and neck muscles, and the back of the head. When tension activates the Tendon Guard Reflex, we are pulled off of our vertical center. Chronic tension up the back can cause postural compensations that keep us continually off balance. Specific techniques that release the Tendon Guard Reflex re-establish our vertical stance allowing easy movement forward and backward.
Resetting the Nervous System
Music
As we bring our three-dimensional body into a fully coordinated system, our neural networks begin to function more efficiently. However, the brain can still be out of sync if its internal cellular rhythms, or electrical pulses, are “off.” Rhythmic sequences in the brain cells are needed for any form of movement. For example, we have our own internal rhythmic sequences for walking, bending, and turning, so if our cells have lost their rhythm and are out of sync, it will affect our balance.
“Locomotion has to have a rhythmic underpinning.”
However, there is a very fun way to get synced-up again: Music! Moving to music can bring our brain cells back into sync with each other and restore our rhythms. Humming a tune, moving to music, clapping or singing along with a song can reactivate and strengthen our internal rhythms so the brain can send out its rhythmic sequences for such activities as climbing stairs, walking down ramps, sitting and stand, etc.
The Vagus Nerve
Another way to re-establish equilibrium in the nervous system is by increasing the “vagal tone” of our Vagus nerve. The Vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body with many branches, and extends all the way down from the head to the stomach and intestines, connecting with many of our internal organs along the way. It’s stimulated by the autonomic nervous system – both the parasympathetic branch (rest/digest) and the sympathetic branch (fight/flight). This means it responds to both stressors and to relaxation techniques.
Good vagal tone means that input from the parasympathetic branch (calming energy) is dominant. This quiets our breathing, eases digestion, slows the heart rate, and releases the fight/flight response. A few simple things can help increase our vagal tone: deep and slow breathing into the belly; singing, humming, chanting, or gargling water; exercise; massage; and, laughing! In addition to calming the nervous system, the Vagus nerve has a branch that connects to the ear, which allows us to stimulate the vestibular system. The vestibular system is our balance mechanism, which plays a key role in our physical balance and coordination. When we hum or sing, not only are we stimulating the Vagus nerve, the sound vibrations are carried through the bone to the area surrounding the middle and inner ear, the vestibular system. So, the sound of our own voice can support our balance!
Vision
The impact vision has on our lives is much more than just the clarity of the images being perceived. Vision is intimately connected to our balance system. To maintain balance and navigate through space, around objects, and over changing terrain, we have to organize and integrate information from our eyes, from the sensory information perceived through our muscles and joints, and from the vestibular system sensing motion, equilibrium, and spatial awareness. A deficiency in any of these three systems can have a dramatic affect on our ability to move, respond to our environment, and interact with others.
The Brain Gym® and Vision Gym® programs of Educational Kinesiology include sensory motor movements that activate brain circuitry for perceptual skills related to proprioception (where we are in space); for a kinesthetic, physical experience of moving through space; and for the perception of gravity. The cells of our brain and nervous system are continually connecting and reconnecting in highly complex patterns to enable this sensory awareness experience.
“These patterns are organized and reorganized throughout life, allowing us greater ability to receive outside stimuli…”
As a whole, the Brain Gym and Vision Gym sensory motor movements produce a comprehensive sensory awareness of our body and the environment around us to help us maintain balance without an over-reliance on visual input. Rather, we develop an expanded sensory experience, responsiveness, and proprioceptive awareness of how we move in the world.
Cleaning Out Waste & Stimulating Energy Flow
Cleaning the Brain
Proper brain function requires constant removal of metabolic waste, the substances left over from normal cellular processes. By removing these surplus and some times toxic substances, communication between neurons can remain strong, allowing our three-dimensional body to connect in all directions and function optimally.
We have two cleaning systems that work in partnership: the glymphatic system and the lymphatic system.
The glymphatic system is the cleaning system of the brain and is comprised of channels surrounding the blood vessels in the brain, which carry waste out by transporting it to the lymph nodes in the neck where it meets the lymphatic system of the body.
The lymphatic system has a network of vessels and organs throughout the body that remove waste and debris from our tissues. Together, these two systems clean our brain and body, allowing neural connections to function at their best. If things get gummed up, functions in the brain and body can slow down. And if it’s really bad, they may stop.
The glymphatic and lymphatic systems do not have pumps like our circulatory system has the heart, so we need to be proactive in helping them clean out debris. Physical exercise moves the muscles to stimulate the body’s lymphatic system, as does tapping, stroking the skin, and massage. As we stimulate the lymphatic system to help clean out the body’s intercellular tissues, the glymphatic system can more easily drain waste and debris downward to be cleared out of the body.
Meridians
Meridians, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, are invisible energy pathways, or channels, that run through the body forming an energy distribution network. Our vital life energy, called chi, flows along these channels and if anything disrupts the smooth flow of chi our energy gets out of balance and our nervous system may suffer. Keeping these energy pathways clear and flowing smoothly supports the nervous system in functioning at its best, our muscles in being responsive, and our movements remaining fluid and coordinated. Energizing the meridians through techniques such as tapping, massage, or stroking provides a strong underpinning for the neural connections between and among the three structural divisions of the brain and body, supporting our ability to move easily in all three dimensions.
The 9 Essential Elements of Balance Underlie Stability
The 9 Essential Elements of Balance underlie stability, contribute to healthy neural functioning, and bring us into an integrated whole, so that we can move easily in all three dimensions while feeling centered and confident.
As we integrate these elements into our brain and body, we experience a sense of balance on all levels – physically, as well as emotionally and mentally. Some people find they are able walk without the assistance of a cane, get up from a chair without holding on to something, or walk down the stairs “in a straight line.” Others experience greater steadiness on their feet and a “new sense of freedom” as they feel their “whole body working together.” Others develop faster reflexes, regaining their balance immediately when suddenly thrown off center.
I invite you to read more about how you can put these 9 elements into practice through a series of simple, adaptable movements that activate the mind and body for whole brain functioning. Yes, you can improve your stability, coordination, and reflexes!
The views expressed in this article belong solely to S. Christina Boyd based on 30 years of clinical experience as a movement therapist. Please reach out if you would like further reading or have any questions.