There is an aikido principle called “keep weight underside.” When we’re tense, our weight moves “upperside”—shoulders tense, etc. When we are grounded and calm, the weight of our relaxed muscles falls “underside.” The cells of the body are like little water balloons; “weight underside” means perceiving the weighted fluid of these cellular “water balloons.” Water flows downward, always responding to gravity. Our bodies do that, too. Our body knows how to do this already; it’s a natural and effective way to move. When stress overtakes us, we often use too much tension, and forget to “remember” that our body is most efficient when we find the way to move with relaxed energy AND release (“weight underside”).
“Weight underside” doesn’t feel “heavy”—it is not passive or limp. The feeling is actually of buoyancy, a calm and confident presence in the body and mind. It can be practiced in any posture.
Once, when downhill skiing, I remember noticing that my body was completely tensed-up. Every muscle fiber was firing as I skied down the hill. At the bottom of the hill I was exhausted, and felt like “well, that was not so fun. Do I have to use all that energy?” The next run, I tried the “weight underside” technique. I felt like “goldilocks” discovering the “just right” porridge. What muscles could I relax and still maintain efficient posture…
could I perceive my weight…
could I let my body respond naturally to the terrain…
could I let the little “water balloons” of my cells feel the weight of their intercellular fluid…
In short, I was playing with body tone, finding the “just right” amount of muscular activity to facilitate efficient action.
Mentally, I played with “weight underside” as well. I didn’t let my brain get mushy and unfocused, but I loosened the tunnel vision of my mind and let it take in the beauty of the mountain, my physical sensations, the feelings inside me. I let my breath deepen. And as I skied I sang a little John Denver song “Sunshine, on my shoulders, makes me happy…”
This “weight underside” practice can be utilized in ANY activity, including daily life activities like driving, washing the dishes, or sitting at your desk. It will make any athletic activity more enjoyable and efficient (running, swimming, biking, yoga, walking, weight training…)
Try this: (Do it experiment as you read) Reach your arm out and tense the muscles of your arm, as if you were trying to stiffen it. Note that you can’t really feel “gravity” when your arm is tense. Tension masks the sensation of gravity. It also restricts circulation and the flow of energy. Now, keep your arm extended, and relax any excess tension. Imagine water running through your arm and out your fingertips. You can feel gravity, the weight “underside.” If you had someone test the strength of your arm when it was stiff/tense, and then again when you had your arm relaxed and “weight underside”, you would be amazed at how much stronger the “weight underside” arm is, as it “streams” energy through it. In aikido this experiment is called “the unbendable arm.”
YOGA TIP: In an arm extended posture like Warrior II (virabhadrasana II), utilize the “weight underside” technique. Extend your arms without tension…as if you are shooting magical streams of light out your arms. This will help release tension in your arms and shoulders, give your arms a further reach, and they won’t get as tired. While this is a very active posture for the legs/hips, grounding your feet into the floor and dropping the thigh of your front leg parallel to the the floor (not gripping the quadriceps) will support keeping “weight underside.” You will feel more like a (peaceful) warrior!