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ARS VIVENDI (ART OF LIVING) |
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CHAPTER 4: PHYSICAL CULTURE THE aim of the Ars Vivendist -- that is, the man or woman who deliberately aims at making the most of life from every point of view -- is, so far as Physical Culture is concerned, briefly explained in the Preface to "Volo, or the Will," the second volume of the series. This system "does not neglect the body, nor does it allow the body to usurp a position which does not belong to it, but treats it as the indispensable servant and ally of the higher powers of the individual. It is in the cultivation of these higher powers that man becomes more than man." I consider abnormal muscular development, in a sense, almost as bad as abnormal accumulation of fat. Both interfere most seriously with the general harmony of organic functions, as well as retard individual development. The man who has the muscle of an ox, and the strength of an elephant, excites wonder and admiration in the beholder; but, after all, he is only a freak of nature, like the two-headed giant, or the fat man, or the lion-faced lady. The first thing to do with over-developed muscle is to get it down to the normal standard as quickly as possible, for the only purpose it serves in the organism is to strain the heart and starve the brain. The object of the trained intellect is to convert mechanical into electrical energy. Applied to the human organism, the aim is to transmute gross muscular energy into fine nerve energy. This is the idea of Plato in the "Republic," in which is embodied the Greek Ideal -- Perfect Harmony or Justice in the State and the Individual. Plato shows the folly of developing merely the physical; and it is an utter mistake to regard the modern athlete or strong man, with his weight-lifting, as the embodiment of the Greek Ideal. The strain undergone by the football player during the few winters of his professional existence plays havoc with his system, and the still more severe strain to break the record in this or that department has often ruined health irretrievably. The gaping crowds who gloat over these contests are exactly on a level with the Romans who demanded the gladiatorial shows. The watchword of all games and trials of strength should be Moderation and Balance, not Strain and Excess. As soon as physical development or training is carried beyond its due and proper limits, and is exploited professionally, it becomes a snare and a delusion. In India, the physical training of Hatha Yoga became a serious evil, when it was practised apart from Raja Yoga, or Mental and Spiritual Development. THE ART OF WALKING To emphasise the very great difference between the ordinary idea of Physical Culture and the ARS VIVENDI aim, the student should concentrate attention upon the problem of walking. Show me the man or woman who walks well, and I will show you the ideal of physical culture. How few can walk! I meet with plenty who crawl, or shuffle, or creep, or hobble, or jump, or skip, or waddle, or act like a poker on wheels. And the expert eye can generally form a shrewd estimate of the character from the manner of locomotion, so much so that I have often wondered why a quick-witted and enterprising person has not started a new science -- suppose we call it Locomistry or Locomology -- by which the character and the fortune of the consultant can be ascertained. As the fortune generally depends upon the character, and as the manner of locomotion gives a clue to the character, there is no reason why this method should not become a rival of palmistry. For fashionable bazaars it could not fail to be an enormous attraction. THE POETRY OF MOTION There are so many principles involved in the art of good walking, and so much practice is essential to even a slight modicum of success, that I must warn the student not to be too sanguine in hoping for immediate results. Above all, no attempt should be made to display the new style in public until a good deal of practice at the exercises given in this chapter has been gone through. Good walking is the direct result of the exercises, and therefore, unless the aim of the exercises is first accomplished -- perfect flexibility, ease, and suppleness -- it is useless to expect an improvement in the walk. The ideal walk is an easy, gliding, forward motion, expressing the majestic dignity of the human form divine; supple without wriggling, and steadfast without awkwardness or stiffness, or heaviness. The aim of the exercises is to remove obstacles in the way of the spirit struggling to express itself in a manner and a gait worthy of itself -- not cabined, cribbed, confined within the prison-house of flesh, but the self-conscious Master of Matter. The student should, especially when not working under experienced guidance, remember that without the intuition which sees how far to go and when to stop, the best rules cannot always lead aright. PHYSICAL EXERCISES THE POISE OR BALANCE I -- This must be looked upon as the foundation of the set of exercises. Standing or walking, the balance or poise should be kept. It means that the weight of the whole body is evenly divided by a straight line, drawn from the middle of the head to the middle or ball of the foot. Stand erect, sideways, before a mirror, rise slowly on the toes, and watch carefully whether you have to bring the after part of the body forward an inch or more, before you can rise. It you find you cannot rise without bringing the body forward, you are like most people, out of balance. In the proper poise, the vertical line through the centre of gravity falls on the ball of the foot, not behind the heel. II -- After getting used to balancing on the ball of the foot, and rising on the toes in a straight line with the standing posture, practise kneeling slowly with both knees, without actually touching the ground, the head and trunk kept still in the straight line. This movement carefully done strengthens the knees, and produces steadfastness of poise. III -- Stand on one leg, and swing the other to and fro, keeping the trunk and head steady. These exercises will develop the poise, and after a while, can be ingeniously varied in many ways. FLEXIBILITY AND SUPPLENESS IV -- After the general idea of the poise of the body has been acquired, the student should aim at flexibility of the joints. The exercises fall under the four main divisions, (a) Neck, (b) Trunk, (c) Arms, (d) Legs. [1]
MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT V -- The principle in this is "tension," as opposed to "relaxation." This hardens and strengthens. I seldom or never advise dumbbells or weight-lifting, though in many cases they are of use. But, personally, I use no apparatus of any kind. The best plan is as follows: Extend the arm, imagine you have a resistance to overcome, either in drawing towards, or pushing from you. "Put your whole strength" in that arm, which will then become tense and hard. Apply the same principle to any other part of the body that is below par in strength; but beware of overdoing it, for no purpose whatever is gained thereby. This kind of physical culture has been vastly over-estimated. _______________ Notes: 1. During each exercise, the other parts of the body should be kept steady.
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