THE EVOLUTION OF BIPEDALISM

WALKING "...is how the body measures itself against the earth...our steps measure like the legs of a protractor swinging back and forth [across a] pure geometric plane...The measurements providing the information that the earth is large and we are not."(p. 31)

As articulated by the first European philosopher to consider walking as "a conscious cultural act rather than a means to an end" (p.14), Jean-Jacques Rousseau's eighteenth century fascination with understanding the origins of humanity as a way of understanding human nature has extended from the discipline of philosophy to the study of paleontology, anthropology, human sexuality and gender studies, human anatomy, religion, and the evolution of human consciousness! 

WALKING "opened up vast new horizons of possibility, and among other things, it created the spare pair of limbs dangling form the upright body, seeking something to hold or make of destroy, the arms freed to evolve into ever more sophisticated manipulators of the material world.  Some scholars see the two-legged walking as the mechanism that set our brains expanding, others as the structure that established our sexuality.  So, although the debate about the origins of bipedalism is full of detailed descriptions of hip joints and foot bones and geologic dating methods, it is ultimately about sex, landscape, and thinking." (p.32) 

In this sense, BIPEDALSIM: the uniquely human behavior of upright walking on two feet, represents the dawn of humanity itself.

The simple act of walking and thinking unites the movement of the body and mind into relationship with the outside physical world and is at the core of human evolution.

Archeological discoveries in the 1970s like the famous upright skeleton named “Lucy” found in Ethiopia and 3.7 million year old footprints of walkers in Tazmania have led to all kinds of theories about human social evolution, the origins of the nuclear monogamous family and the implications that this view of human sexuality has on gender roles, gender inequality, and even hunter/gatherer diets.

Some of these theories are surprisingly sexist, ridiculous, far-fetched and funny, but all theories hinge on the fact that the skeletal evolution of physical uprightness allowed for bigger brains, and the physical evidence of upright walking coheres with physical evidence of the evolution of brain structure.

Evolutionary parameters are set by the size relationship between the brain and the pelvis!  This means our intellectual potential is directly linked to our physical anatomy.   

While human heads have gotten bigger, the pelvis has evolved to be much more difficult for birthing.  Compared with the ape, the human pelvis is a narrow funnel that complicates childbirth, sometimes even to the point of causing death.  Although women’s pelvic bones are different in their design (the pubic bone actually separates to accommodate pregnancy) there is no physical evidence despite the common historical belief that women 'walk worse’.  

 Besides, what constitutes 'good walking?'

The hallmarks of good walking are not efficiency, style or speed.  Humans are slow animals.  The evolutionary advantages that upright walking provided have come to represent "a limitation, no longer leading us into a fantastic future but linking us to an ancient past...It may have made possible the work of the hands and the expansion of the mind, but if remains as something not particularly powerful or fast.  If if once separated us form the rest of the animals, it now-like sex and birth, like breathing and eating-connects us to the limits of the biological."  (p. 44)

In reflection of Solnit's exploration into the historical and scientific implications that  bipedalism has had on human evolution, I was led to think about how being physically aware and present in your body in the activity of walking is a proven way to increase the flow of energy and increase mental clarity.  I was first introduced to the concept of the link between mental and physical states by practicing kundalini yoga.  

When Solnit's writing inspired me to research further I discovered that the ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE also utilizes upright posture as a multi-faceted healing tool. 

More of an education than a way to exercise, the Alexander Technique was developed from the understanding that most people use for muscle force and create more tension and bracing in our joints than we need to.  Over time it's like driving your car with the parking brake on.

Originally developed as a therapy for singers to improve their voices and enhance performance, the technique has also been proven effective in treating chronic back pain, migraine headaches, physical and psychological disorders linked to stress, as well as generally increasing energy/productivity and slowing/preventing the impacts of aging.    

The head weighs a staggering fifteen pounds, but when it's balanced on your delicate neck over your body and resting on your bones instead of being held up by your muscles, there's no tension. 

F.M. Alexander wrote: “I move my head in such a way that my spine lengthens, my ribcage widens, and my legs are ready for action, my knees pop forward.”

Here is a general introduction by Marjorie Barstow, an original student of F.M. Alexander!

Much further information can be found at:

www.alexandertechnique.com

I encourage you to visit the site, taking a few minutes to watch an instructional video.  Try the technique out for yourself, I think you'll be amazed to experience immediate results.