Laughing with the Body. A study of posture that naturally aligns you.

When I learned that the origin of the kanji for "laugh" (笑) was "the appearance of a shrine maiden serving the gods, dancing with both hands raised to entertain them," I was a little surprised, but at the same time, I felt a sense of joy as it clicked into place, thinking, "Ah, that makes perfect sense."

When we think of "laughing," we generally think of facial expressions. But originally, it was an expression of the whole body. It was a prayer, and it was joy!

For me, as someone who wants to advocate "laughing with the body" as a "study of posture that naturally aligns you," this etymology was so delightful it made me want to laugh.

Now, what does it mean to "laugh with the body"?
What does it bring to the body?

While I cannot touch your bodies directly to convey this, I believe there is meaning in delivering it through writing like this instead.

You are the only one who can truly cherish your own body and "align" it in the true sense of the word.
Even the most famous doctor or the most skilled practitioner can only provide support.
The one who actually heals ailments and creates a comfortable body is none other than your own brain, nerves, homeostatic functions, and bodily mechanisms. No one else can directly affect that.

That is why I believe that "knowing" how the body works is directly linked to improving your physical condition.
"Knowing" doesn't necessarily mean you have to learn a lot, and when you're not feeling well, I think you should rely on hospitals and specialists.
However, living with the perspective of "What can I do for my own body?"
I wonder if that is what is important.

If I can be of any help in that regard... I feel that my writing about the body in this way is also valuable.

"Laugh with the body."
I will put my heart into putting that into words.
I hope the words I write will be of some use to you all!

1) Let's try laughing with the pelvic floor muscles.

Now, I will explain about "laughing with the body."
Please look at Illustration A.

Imagine your chest as eyes, your navel as a nose, and your pelvic floor muscles as a mouth, and laugh with that "face."
That is the main point of this article.

Among these, I would like to start with the "mouth"—the pelvic floor muscles—which seems the most difficult to explain.

The pelvic floor muscles are a collection of muscles that cover the bottom of the pelvis. They work to support the internal organs inside the pelvis, such as the intestines, bladder, and uterus, from below.

This muscle group at the base of the torso is sometimes described as a "hammock" because of its shape. When illustrated, it looks just like a mouth!

Since the pelvic floor muscles are a collection of several muscles, they do not have a single attachment point, but when imagining a "smile," I think it is easy to understand if you think of the area marked with a star in Illustration A, deep in the groin, as the "corners of the mouth."
Let's lift these "corners of the mouth" and try to smile!

I wrote "let's try to smile" easily, but there may not be many people who can actually lift these "corners of the mouth" quickly and feel that they have "smiled."

This is because if the pelvis is significantly shifted from its original tilt, it becomes very difficult to lift the pelvic floor muscles due to the structure of the body.

Even with the same stimulation to the pelvic floor muscles, it is relatively easy to put strength into it as if puckering the anus, but that movement actually promotes the posterior tilt of the pelvis, so I personally do not recommend it very much.

Instead, lift the entire pelvic floor muscle as if you were smiling by lifting the "corners of the mouth." Then, the entire muscle, including the anus, will be lifted and tightened lightly.
It is just like when you smile without showing your teeth, your lips are pulled tight.

Therefore, in order to "laugh" well, a step to adjust the tilt of the pelvis itself is necessary.

Conversely, "being able to laugh well with the pelvic floor muscles = the tilt of the pelvis is aligned."
From here, I will tell you how to find the "pelvic tilt that allows you to laugh well."

Generally, pelvic conditions can be broadly divided into anterior tilt and posterior tilt types, but in reality, even if we say anterior or posterior tilt, the posture varies from person to person, and it may be difficult for you to judge your own pelvic tendency yourself.
Even if it looks like a natural posture at first glance, the pelvis is often tilted posteriorly, so please take Illustration C shown below only as a guide.

Now, let's actually go ahead and align your pelvis.

First, make a 'chop' shape with your hand and press it against your groin, as shown in Illustration D.

Push this 'chop' firmly into your groin. Press it in without hesitation, with enough force that your pelvis itself moves significantly backward.
Then, engage your lower back muscles to push back against that force.
In other words, imagine you are having a 'pushing contest' between your hand and your pelvis.

While doing this 'pushing contest,' try to find the position where your two legs are exactly perpendicular to the floor.

You might think, 'Isn't it obvious that legs should be perpendicular to the floor?' but in reality, not many people are actually standing with their legs firmly perpendicular to the ground.

Above is a reprint of Illustration C, but many people stand with their lower back pushed forward in a bow shape (C-left), or with their legs thrust out toward their buttocks (C-center).
We will adjust this tilt of the legs using the 'pushing contest' described below.

To stand with your legs perpendicular to the floor... if your pelvis is positioned too far forward, you need to use your chopping hand to push your lower back backward (Illustration E-left), and if your pelvis is positioned too far back, you need the force of your lower back to push the chopping hand back (E-right).

Of course, some people are naturally standing perpendicular to the floor, but even for them, the pelvis itself is often tilted backward; in that case, 'pushing against each other' will help adjust that tilt.

Once you find a position where you think, 'Is this perpendicular?', try to see if you can lift the 'corners of your mouth' while in that position. I recommend trying this while slowly exhaling.

Actually, if the pelvis is in the proper position, the pelvic floor muscles are naturally designed to lift during exhalation.

You could say that even without conscious effort, the body inherently possesses the power to 'smile'—that is one way to look at it.

However, if there is significant pelvic distortion, this mechanism does not function well, and the pelvic floor muscles remain dropped and loose... which leads to the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.

Therefore, whether or not you can smile well with your pelvic floor muscles is a barometer for whether your pelvic tilt is appropriate.
And incorporating this awareness into your daily life is an important way to help your body remember the original function of the pelvic floor muscles.
Please make use of this for a comfortable daily life.

2) Look forward as if smiling with your two chests.

Next, I would like to talk about the 'eyes of the chest'.

First, as shown in Illustration G, place your index fingers near your chest to explicitly create a state where your 'chest is looking forward'.
Make sure to align the direction your fingers are pointing with the direction your chest is 'looking'.

When you try this, you might be surprised and think, 'Wait, is it okay to lift my chest this much?'

Slouching, rounded shoulders, and text neck. In fact, all of these are states where the chest is 'looking way down'.
Can you sense how many people have a tendency for their rib cage to tilt forward?

This forward tilt of the rib cage is a source of physical trouble more than you might imagine, and it is a cause of not only shoulder and neck stiffness but also frozen shoulder, numbness in the hands, headaches, and more. Also, chronic shallow breathing, weak internal organs, and a tendency toward mental instability... in many cases, these are not unrelated to the forward tilt of the rib cage.
Conversely, this means that just by aligning your rib cage, there is a possibility that numerous ailments could be improved!

If that could be achieved just by 'looking forward with the eyes of the chest,' there is nothing easier than that!

At that time, I would like to add one point to be careful about.

That is, 'do not try to puff out your chest'.
While 'puffing out your chest' and 'looking forward with the eyes of the chest' may seem similar at first glance, the former significantly distorts the shape of the rib cage.
It pushes the spine forward unnaturally and creates a state where the rib cage is crushed (Illustration H-left).

In contrast, when you are conscious of 'looking forward with the eyes of the chest,' the rib cage does not move forward but rotates upward while remaining in its position (H-right).
If done correctly, this will improve rounded shoulders.
Breathing will also become much easier.

To finish, try to smile gently and softly with your 'chest eyes' that are looking forward.
The tension in your shoulders will release, and your chest will become even freer.

It is a health method that can be called outstanding in both ease and effectiveness.
Please, give it a try.

3) Breathe slowly through your navel.

Finally, the navel.

This is simple. Just imagine your navel is a "nose" and breathe slowly through it.

Of course, physically, breath enters the lungs, and the abdomen does not inflate directly with air.
So, why not try taking in something sparkling and beautiful through your navel's "nose" instead?

It could be light, color, or kindness.
Please, deliver something wonderful that is easy for you to visualize from your navel into your abdomen and internal organs.
I am sure that just by doing this, your whole body will be filled with refreshing energy!

4) Align your spine by laughing.

Now, I have explained the methods and benefits of "laughing with your body" so far, but has anyone felt that it is "difficult" or "time-consuming"?
Of course, the "pushing game" introduced in Chapter 1 might take some time to incorporate into your body, but I don't think anyone thought, "This looks like it will cost money!"

It costs no money, and it doesn't take much time. There is no muscle training. No endurance required.

The method of "laughing with your body to align it" is an easy and relaxed health method, but I feel that a key feature is that the benefits are significant compared to its simplicity.

This is because this approach contributes to aligning the state of the spine as a result.

As shown in Illustration I, the spine, pelvis, and ribs have a structure that can be called a single unit, closely connected to each other.

In other words, by "laughing" with the pelvic floor muscles to adjust the pelvis, and "smiling" with the eyes of the chest to adjust the ribs, the spine naturally aligns itself.

And the spine is an important organ that cannot be emphasized enough.

I am sure you know that the nerves that deliver signals from the brain to various parts of the body, such as internal organs, bones, blood vessels, and skin, all pass through the spine.
This means that if you can always keep your spine in a natural state, signals from the brain will be transmitted to the body smoothly, and conversely, if a problem occurs somewhere, it is directly linked to poor health.

The spine is composed of small bones called vertebrae stacked vertically.
Nerves extend from the gaps between these vertebrae to each organ of the body.

I will emphasize again that nerves must pass through this spine and these small gaps to transmit important instructions from the brain to all organs of the body.
When I think about that, I am always struck by the magnificence of the role these small gaps play.

Because they are very small gaps, if the relationship between the vertebrae becomes distorted, it will inevitably cause strain.
If a large misalignment occurs, visible health problems will appear, but even if not, poor posture will compress the gaps, causing you to feel somewhat unwell or weakening your recovery power... this is happening constantly. And the accumulation of such minor health issues always carries the potential to become an "invisible cause" of chronic disease.

If so.

To care for your precious nerves.
To let them exert their full power.

For your own health.

Why not align your body with your own "smile"?