Blog
Tension: What's in a Name?
Study of biotensegrity points toward radical revision in how we understand and use our bodies as well as revision of many other aspects of life.
Gravity, Verticality and Mary Poppins
Can structures be supported by means other than vertical accord with gravity?
Movable Pelvis
Legs and thighs rise from the ground to suspend the ilia on two spherical studs. The highly mobile hip joints combined with plasticity between sacrum and ilia, afford the upper body a dynamic relationship with the ground.
Aging gracefully, or else...
Once you understand what the dysfunctional habit is trying to accomplish, then you can begin replacing it with a better habit that will serve the same purpose,
Notes on Coaching Movement, Part 1
A deeper level of somatic education can lead to lasting change in the way someone inhabits their body. This approach invites the client to become aware of their habitual movements and to explore sensations that stimulate new movement behaviors.
Mandible, Maxillae, Molars and Movement
Jaw tension can be an unrecognized source of upper neck stiffness and pain. This post suggests a way to release your jaw by meditating on your molars.
What IS Posture?
in reality, posture is dynamic. It’s a process of moving the body through time and space. Ideal posture is only a moment in time. At any given moment we must be perceptually oriented to the ground and to the spatial field surrounding us. That perceptual orientation allows us to feel secure enough in our environment to express ourselves in response to what we are facing.
Yoga, Alignment and Movement
Diminished spatial perception creates compression in the body. That diminution of interior body space is a major cause of poor postural organization and limited range of motion. Changing how you stand or move is not the answer. Changing how you perceive and interact with the world is.
A MEDITATION FOR YOUR EYES
Avoid imagining a baby’s face, a lovely sunset, or a pleasant event. Instead, let your eyes gaze at a doorknob or a light switch—ordinary things. The purpose is not to induce a mental or emotional state, but simply to notice the physical sensations in your body that accompany smiling with your eyes.
Tongue Support for Diaphragmatic Breathing
Within your oral cavity, you now have both descent (your mandible resting down) and ascent the subtle lift of your tongue. Notice what that does for the sensations at the juncture of your head and neck.
Strength: A Wake-up Call
I have never been very robust in my fitness program. Having a flexible body, I’ve always been drawn to movement disciplines where that is at the forefront: yoga, improvisational dancing, Tai Chi. Strength training and competitive sports were not my thing.
Spatial Orientation as a Source of Support
This exploration is one I share with nearly every one of my private clients. Awareness of the space around our bodies is uplifting. It emancipates joints, making movement freer, as I hope you’ll be able to feel for yourself..
Pelvic Tilt and The Neutral Spine
Dr. Rolf treated everyone (including me with my too flat lumbar spine) as if they were hyper-lordotic. What that did for me was gap the lumbar facets (so they were in constant slight flexion) and make my lumbosacral area unstable. I had low back pain for years after first being Rolfed. IMO Rolf got most things right, but not this.
Perceptual Tensegrity
Tensegral body attitude, by expanding the space within the torso, grants more living room to your organs, beneficially affecting all visceral functions, including circulation, respiration, and digestion. And, because expansive visceral space contributes to high vagal tone, it can positively affect both health and social connectedness.