Foundation - A Starting Point For Creating Change
A foundation is a reference for any change that we wish to create or observe or measure.
In anything that we do, once we know what we are going to be doing, the foundation is the first thing that we create.
Creating Stable Relationships Erecting a building, builders create a base to support the structure.
We can do the same when building a pose, we can create stability in our connection with the earth.
Standing on our feet we can make our feet, ankle and lower legs strong so that they support the rest of our body.
Prior to that we can make sure that we are standing on ground that is solid and secure.
Within our body, we can look at the relationships between different parts and make one part the foundation for the part that it connects to.
Our feet and lower legs can be the foundation for our thighs.
Our thighs can be the foundation for our pelvis.
Our pelvis the foundation for our lumbar spine.
Our lumbar spine the foundation for our thoracic spine.
Our thoracic spine then supports our cervical spine and in turn the head.
In any relationship we can make one part stable so that it supports the other part.
Support from Above While we might normally think of foundations as supporting what is above it, they can also support by acting as something that can be hung from.
For example Bridges like the Golden Gate Bridge have towers which support "Spanning" cables which in turn support "Hanging" cables which support the road bed.
In the same way, with our spine and head stable, we can use them to support the ribs.
The ribs then in turn can be used to support the shoulder girdle which then can act as the foundation for the arms.
If we are aware of how the parts of our body relate then in each relationship we can create a foundation for the other part whether supporting from below or above.
Knowing and Understanding Foundations for Doing Prior to building a building engineers and architects plan and design it.
This way the builders know what they are preparing for when they create the first foundation and all that follows.
If when doing a yoga pose (or anything else for that matter) we know what we are doing we can choose how to create our foundation.
The "idea" that we have in our mind then provides the foundation for the reality of what we create.
With something like our body that is mobile and changeable, the better we understand how the parts of our body relate, and the clearer we understand what we want to do with it at any moment in time then the easier and simpler and more efficiently we can go about creating what we want to create.
Understanding what we are working with, it could be our body, but it could also be something outside of our body, like tools, machinery, designing cars, building bikes, teaching people yoga, Tai Ji, doing oriental calligraphy, when we understand what we are working with then that understanding provides a foundation for the expression of what we are trying to do.
Foundation in Terms of Chakra's and the Five Elements In terms of the five elements of Daoist theory, foundation can be related to the element of earth which in turn is tied to the stomach and spleen organs.
The Earth is the foundation for everything that we do, even in activities like flying a plane.
(We always need airports to take off from and land at.
) In any posture we can look at our connection with the earth as our foundation, whether we connect via our feet or our hands or our head.
In terms of the Chakras, foundation can be related to the Root Chakra or the First Chakra, whose color is red.
The Root Chakra is often related to basic activities like survival.
If we continue to survive then we can continue to experience life and express ourselves.
And so in anything that we do, if we wish to express ourselves then the first thing that we can do is create a foundation for that expression.
As an example, in a posture like "Side Plank Pose.
" Our foundation is the outer edge of the bottom foot and the bottom hand.
If these are strong and engaged with the earth they then provide a stable foundation that supports the rest of the body.
In anything that we do, once we know what we are going to be doing, the foundation is the first thing that we create.
Creating Stable Relationships Erecting a building, builders create a base to support the structure.
We can do the same when building a pose, we can create stability in our connection with the earth.
Standing on our feet we can make our feet, ankle and lower legs strong so that they support the rest of our body.
Prior to that we can make sure that we are standing on ground that is solid and secure.
Within our body, we can look at the relationships between different parts and make one part the foundation for the part that it connects to.
Our feet and lower legs can be the foundation for our thighs.
Our thighs can be the foundation for our pelvis.
Our pelvis the foundation for our lumbar spine.
Our lumbar spine the foundation for our thoracic spine.
Our thoracic spine then supports our cervical spine and in turn the head.
In any relationship we can make one part stable so that it supports the other part.
Support from Above While we might normally think of foundations as supporting what is above it, they can also support by acting as something that can be hung from.
For example Bridges like the Golden Gate Bridge have towers which support "Spanning" cables which in turn support "Hanging" cables which support the road bed.
In the same way, with our spine and head stable, we can use them to support the ribs.
The ribs then in turn can be used to support the shoulder girdle which then can act as the foundation for the arms.
If we are aware of how the parts of our body relate then in each relationship we can create a foundation for the other part whether supporting from below or above.
Knowing and Understanding Foundations for Doing Prior to building a building engineers and architects plan and design it.
This way the builders know what they are preparing for when they create the first foundation and all that follows.
If when doing a yoga pose (or anything else for that matter) we know what we are doing we can choose how to create our foundation.
The "idea" that we have in our mind then provides the foundation for the reality of what we create.
With something like our body that is mobile and changeable, the better we understand how the parts of our body relate, and the clearer we understand what we want to do with it at any moment in time then the easier and simpler and more efficiently we can go about creating what we want to create.
Understanding what we are working with, it could be our body, but it could also be something outside of our body, like tools, machinery, designing cars, building bikes, teaching people yoga, Tai Ji, doing oriental calligraphy, when we understand what we are working with then that understanding provides a foundation for the expression of what we are trying to do.
Foundation in Terms of Chakra's and the Five Elements In terms of the five elements of Daoist theory, foundation can be related to the element of earth which in turn is tied to the stomach and spleen organs.
The Earth is the foundation for everything that we do, even in activities like flying a plane.
(We always need airports to take off from and land at.
) In any posture we can look at our connection with the earth as our foundation, whether we connect via our feet or our hands or our head.
In terms of the Chakras, foundation can be related to the Root Chakra or the First Chakra, whose color is red.
The Root Chakra is often related to basic activities like survival.
If we continue to survive then we can continue to experience life and express ourselves.
And so in anything that we do, if we wish to express ourselves then the first thing that we can do is create a foundation for that expression.
As an example, in a posture like "Side Plank Pose.
" Our foundation is the outer edge of the bottom foot and the bottom hand.
If these are strong and engaged with the earth they then provide a stable foundation that supports the rest of the body.