Tensegrity

Posted by: Madelyn George

Fact: Balance of oppositional strain and tension allows us to function in the world. Though many people are trying to reduce and avoid strain and tension...it is actually the appropriate combination of these forces that support and propel us through life. The balance created by our care at The Balancing Center sets the stage for strain and tension to work in a productive and organized fashion. As a result, most of our patients learn an impressive new word as they begin their care: TENSEGRITY. Tensegrity is integral to what we do, but it’s also a mouthful with an interesting history.

“The term tensegrity was coined by Buckminster Fuller as a contraction of tensional integrity...Biological structures such as muscles and bones...are made strong by the unison of tensioned and compressed parts. The muscular-skeletal system is a synergy of muscle and bone. The muscles and connective tissues provide continuous pull[4] and the bones discontinuous push.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensegrity

In other words it is the precise interaction of pushing and pulling forces in our bodies that helps us achieve and maintain a balanced state. According to The Balancing Center, this dynamic truly does allow us to function better in the world

For the Esoterics at heart the term also appeared in the writings of mystical anthropologist Carlos Castaneda and his experiences with hallucinogenic ceremonies in central America. Castaneda had created a movement practice that combined engineering principles with very abstract ideas about human energy.

“The art of dreaming became for those shamans their most absorbing practice. In the course of that practice, they experienced unequaled states of physical prowess and well-being, and in their effort to replicate those states in their hours of vigil, they found out that they were able to repeat them following certain movements of the body. Their efforts culminated in the discovery and development of a great number of such movements...They created in this fashion, Tensegrity, which is a term proper to architecture that means ‘the property of skeleton structures that employ continuous tension members and discontinuous compression members in such a way that each member operates with the maximum efficiency and economy.’ This is a most appropriate name because it is a mixture of two terms: tension and integrity....”
http://www.cleargreen.com/english/purpose/tensegrity.cfm

WOW! Did you get all that? You might prefer to talk to our doctors about Tensegrity when you stop by our office. Here at 1165 N. Clark Street, we strive to achieve those unequaled states of physical well-being in our waking lives, while sharing these experiences with our patients.

Our experience at The Balancing Center is the vast majority of people are maintaining a high level of chronic tension in order to survive. Our ‘Foundational Movement Practices’ http://www.thebalancingcenter.com/services-fmp.htm are a lot more user friendly than shamanic journeys, and have clear, straightforward, positive effects on your health. It’s all part of our master plan to get you feeling amazing and achieving your goals.