Reduce the load of gravity. Move symmetrically. Develop balanced muscular support. Respect the spine’s natural S-shaped curves.

Over the past three months, I have been observing children with scoliosis practising SBM, and it has made me think again about one important point:

The difference between the load on our body when we are standing and when we are lying down.

When we stand, our body is constantly working against gravity. Our muscles support our skeleton and help us maintain our posture.

And importantly, our head has weight.

When we are upright, our body must support the weight of the head while maintaining balance.

This is one reason why the human spine has natural physiological curves — often described as an S-shaped curve when viewed from the side. These curves play an important role in supporting the body and distributing the forces created by gravity and movement.

When our posture becomes unbalanced and the position of the head moves away from the body's natural alignment, the muscles of the neck, back and surrounding areas have to work differently to support that weight. This can influence the balance of the whole body.

If there is already a difference between the left and right sides of the body, the muscles on each side may also be used differently as we stand and move.

Why does SBM begin lying down?

SBM is practised mainly lying on the back.

One of my clients recently said,

“Come to think of it, when we have acupuncture or a massage, we are lying down too.”

When we lie down, we do not have to support our body and head against gravity in the same way as when we are standing.

From this position, SBM uses symmetrical movements on both sides of the body.

The idea is simple:

Reduce the demand of supporting the body.
Move symmetrically.
Use the muscles on both sides in a more balanced way.

Watching children with scoliosis practise SBM over these three months has made me appreciate even more why the lying position is such an important part of the method.

Children and adults are different

In adults, patterns of posture and movement may have developed over many years through everyday habits and lifestyle. For this reason, changes in body balance may take time.

Growing children, however, generally have greater flexibility and their bodies are still developing.

During these three months, I have found changes in their movement and left-right balance particularly easy to observe.

This is why I believe it is valuable for children to become aware of their body balance while they are still growing and to learn how to use both sides of their body evenly.

Reduce the load of gravity.
Move symmetrically.
Develop balanced muscular support.
Respect the spine’s natural S-shaped curves.

Working with the body from a lying position is a simple but very important principle of SBM.

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