Smile, massage therapists! Ya might win an iPad or iPhone app! It’s contest time!

I woke up smiling today. Taking a self-care day off from the world. For sensitive folk, taking a step back from the quickening of the world is essential for balancing the adrenals. Gotta find your own rhythm of self-care if you’re giving so much to others.

How many muscles are involved in a smile? Zygomaticus major and minor? Levator anguli oris just deep to those lifts the mouth up by the lateral most corners. Orbicularis occuli gets involved, bringing a little more light to the eyes. A bodywork geek of a certain nature could really go on for ages, but it’s such a lovely day to be enjoyed.

Nearest I can tell, nobody knows. The web is littered with so many figures. It’s like guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar, high up on the shiny counter. Some say 4… or, 36… or… 17. There is no definitive consensus.

Do ya see just how silly it gets trying to break down the fluidity of movement in such terms? Though, it is a fun anatomic excursion, to be sure.

Or does a smile come from that indecipherable inner spark that conducts all of these little cells, these single celled organisms that, in marvelous concert, decide to organize in homeostasis to form…. Voltron! the human being. This incredible symphony of life. We are amazing critters.

So, how many muscles does it take to smile? I humbly postulate… All of ’em.

Sofie demonstrates a proper smile at Manzanita, Oregon. Photography by Hamid Shibata Bennett

Fancy yourself a bodywork geek? Got an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch with iOS 4.0 or later? Fancy yourself a free app code for Pocket Body?

Solid.

First of Nine is quite tickled to be working with Pocket Anatomy, the developers of the sweet iOS app, Pocket Body. I’ve been playing with Pocket Body on my iPad 2, showing it to clients and geeking out on the svelte slider-controlled layering system. Pocket Anatomy has graciously donated two iPad app codes and two iPhone/iPod Touch app codes for the US iTunes store. That’s $100 in free iOS apps! Dang! Thanks Pocket Anatomy! You rock!

Read my review of Pocket Body here.
Pocket Body on iPad [$29.99]
Pocket Body on iPhone or iPod Touch [$19.99]

So, show us your smile! Engage your buccinator and send in a photo of your smile! Silly, genuine, heartfelt, goofy! Any kind of smile will do! Ya might just see yourself in First of Nine!

Winners will be selected by Sofie and Chaya, with some form of doggie biscuit involved in the selection process.

To enter, e-mail a .jpg photo of your smile to tensegrityblog@gmail.com

Please, nothing over 1024 pixels on the long side. Camera phone pics are totally spiffy. And, tell me which code you’d like! iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch?

If you’d prefer not to send in a pic, here’s an alternative… Name at least five muscles that engage the smile (other than the ones I mentioned in this article!).

The deadline for the contest is Sunday, February 19th, 2012. Get your smile on! Winners will be announced shortly afterwards.

Hamid : )
firstofnine.wordpress.com
transcendingtouch.com

Bonus song!

I woke up Wednesday and grabbed the guitar. Plunked out a quick tune in Multitrack DAW on the iPad 2. Music has been a way to sonically chart the opening of my breath mechanics. And, it seems to be opening and opening through a bit of mindful awareness. On the third vocal track, I sustained a 30+ second note. None too shabby.

The song is called Four Winds Wednesday. Dig it!