Moving/Being

The Alchemy of Power

So much of people's lives is consumed by fear and anger. There is a positive function to both of these feelings. Fear prompts us to avoid or escape dangers, and anger prompts us to fight back against threats. However, many people live in states of fear and anger that go beyond their basic survival benefits. And even for escaping and fighting threats, fear and anger really aren't as good as we intelligent beings can manage.

Fear is not much fun. Living a life of fear is unhealthful. Fear can interfere with the ability to think, talk, run, and take action. Extreme fear can paralyze us. Many people value anger, but anger is debilitating. Think about feeling angry. What happens to your breath? What happens to your muscles? They both get tight. And so does your thinking: Anger promotes tunnel vision. Trying to protect yourself when you are tense with anger is as efficient as driving with the parking brakes on.

So, what is the opposite of fear and anger? Many people would guess relaxation, and many would guess love. But let's think about it. Imagine your car stalls on the railroad tracks, and there is a train coming. You could relax your mind and body, and you'd be much more comfortable when the train hits you. Or you could go into a state of love and feel no resentment toward the train when it hits you. How about getting off the tracks? The opposite of fear and anger is effective action.

Effective action is a three-legged stool: Relaxation, love, and power are the three underpinnings of effective action. Relaxation allows our muscles and our minds to move smoothly and flexibly. Power gives us the ability to act with strength and decisiveness. Love creates a non-oppositional state of mind and body, which allows us to use our power wisely and constructively.

Relaxation without power is useless, and relaxation without love is uncommitted. Power without relaxation is stiff and weak, and power without love is destructive. Love without relaxation is anxious, and love without power is ineffective. It takes all three together to create an effective and life-affirming state of being.

It is important to realize that these three elements are not merely psychological or spiritual: They are physical. Imagine someone walks up to you. Their shoulders droop, their breathing is shallow, their head drops, and they look at the floor. Right away you know pretty much what they're feeling by observing their muscles and postural alignment.

Not only are relaxation, power, and love just as much physical as spiritual, they can be very efficiently and effectively cultivated through body practices focusing on breathing, posture, and movement. For example, take a look at the above photo. I am leaning all my weight on Peggy. That gives her the opportunity to practice softening her muscles, opening her posture, and feeling kindness toward me. If she tensed her breathing or hardened her heart, she would become top-heavy and inflexible, and she would topple backwards. It is hard to understand or believe without personal experience, but Peggy is in a very gentle, peaceful state as she resists my force.

Without anchoring the body in an integrated state of relaxation, power, and love, it is too easy to lose focus and get caught up in states of fear and anger. Wouldn't it be nice if the people who make world-affecting decisions would stop to check out their bodies now and again? If they could achieve a state of inner balance, they would probably be able to solve some of our world's problems instead of perpetuating and escalating them.

Paul Linden, Ph.D. is a martial artist and body/movement awareness educator. He is co-director of the Columbus Center for Movement Studies (www.being-in-movement.com), at which he teaches Aikido, Being In Movement® mindbody training, and the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education. Paul is the author of three books: Comfort at Your Computer; Winning is Healing - Body Awareness and Empowerment for Abuse Survivors; and Reach Out - Body Awareness Training for Peacemaking. His work focuses on the application in daily activities of an integrated mindbody state of awareness, power, love, and freedom. Copyright © 2004 by Paul Linden.