Tensegrity
As a philosophical concept
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how in tensegrity models all of the sticks (bones) and rubber bands (ligaments, tendons, and muscles) deform under safe pressure and then bounce back into the normalized shape. And how a little bit of pressure can re-educate the entire system into something more harmonious and hopefully healthy.
It reminds me of stress. Not the bad kind of stress, but what we called eustress way back when I was in massage school. Eustress is the good kind of stress. The positive stressors that are motivating and energizing. As opposed to distress (the bad kind of stress) which is more what people think about when stress is mentioned.
Anyway, back to pressure and tensegrity… Pressure is the good kind of stress (when controlled) and the tensegrity system (body) interact in a way that makes the whole system stronger and more elastic.
I’m writing this around the winter equinox and my body and nervous system are pleading for me to just stop and take a lie down. Nap a little, piddle around a bit, take a walk outside, touch a leaf, conserve some energy, and generally just stop the insanity, meanwhile we’re all still accelerating into the last flash of busy-ness for the year.
What does it say about us that during the darkest, quietest time of the year we schedule two of the biggest, rowdiest holidays? Just when the earth tells us to contract and bring everything in close and cozy, our culture demands we spend at least a week celebrating and indulging.
I’m fully aware that I am an introvert’s introvert and that a little bit of socializing is a tensegritous deformation that my personality needs in order to reorganize and (possibly) grow. Being more social was actually one of my goals for 2025. And I think I mostly successfully met that goal even though it was uncomfortable at times.
Do I think exercising more in the socialization spaces made me grow into a more social seeking person? No. Did I learn things? Sometimes. Experience eustress? Yes!
While I think eustress is fine and valuable, maybe we need to take a break from it when our systems are already overwhelmed. Perhaps too much of a good thing isn’t so good. Maybe I just need a massage where someone seriously deforms my tensegrity model for a while. I don’t know.
Anyway, I’ll be over here conserving energy and letting my nervous system regulate before my tensegrity is agitated by spring, you know, the real start of the year. Which in some belief systems begins now and lasts for a few more days. Regardless, I’m not ready…
Food for Thought
Do you know what tensegrity is and how it affects your bodywork practice?
When was the last time you experienced tensegrity in your body?
Post Script
I just thought it would be spring agitating my tensegrity. I should have known better…Fuck ICE! Write/call your representatives every day. Resistbot is helpful, check it out.
Thank you for reading!
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About the Author: Sharon L Bryant has been a massage therapist since 2008 and a massage therapy educator since 2014. You can read more about the TISHLIMS project, its history, and what brought Sharon to Substack.