What is internal strength? Is internal strength synonymous with core strength, one of today’s buzz words in the fitness and movement worlds?
What kind of strength do you seek for yourself? Why?
In the dictionary you’ll find myriad definitions for “strength”:
- the quality of being physically strong
- capacity for exertion
- capacity of an object/substance to withstand great force or pressure
- potency or degree of concentration of a chemical or drink
- a beneficial quality
- degree of intensity of a feeling or belief, emotional or mental qualities necessary in dealing with difficult or distressing situations
- potency, speed, intensity of a force or natural agency
- number of people comprising a group.
In the Feldenkrais Method® we reference internal strength, as a basis from which to move. Its aspects include but aren’t limited to:
- clear skeletal support allowing you to stand with stability and move in any direction without hesitation (or readjustment),
- clear connection with the surface you are one,
- functionally integrated movement directed from the ground through your limbs,
- breathing which supports free and reversible movement which is a measure of ground support.
Often practitioners of the martial arts refer to internal strength as “flowing energy” and to the practice of “grounding” in the context of internal strength. Since the Feldenkrais Method has roots in the martial arts, this reference is also relevant.
What Kind of Strength Do You Seek for Yourself?