Asymmetrical Stance
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We can imagine this biblical hero raising his left leg first when he puts on his boots. The entire right side of his body is compressed, and this compression would have been reflected in his gait.
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Re-conceiving Our Bodies
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Current fascia research suggests that we’ve had it backwards for several millennia. This research indicates that bones, muscles, and organs--indeed, all other tissues in the body—may be, in fact, specializations within the unified medium of fascia. A primary constituent of embryonic development, fascia is the very clay of our creation. In other words, fascia is the stuff we’re made of.
Read MoreSisters of the pelvis
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We dipped into pelvic dance, the ancient feminine communion originally meant to prepare women for pregnancy and childbirth. We explored the possibility of dancing from our ovaries, from our cervices. If we could dance that way, could we not also walk that way? But where and when, in current culture, would that feel safe?
Read MoreWalking in Water
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Contemporary living offers little demand for unexpected and unusual actions. Bereft of movement, our fascia slowly solidifies into the default position of modern life--chair-sitting. If we were designed to be sedentary, our bodies wouldn’t need 360 joints.
Read MoreSentient and Useful Toes
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Toes love having something to do--they love feeling and pushing off from the ground. Happy, useful toes impart lift to your body as they impel your heart forward into the world.
Read MorePosture & Perception: Naked Skin Moments
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Contemporary living undervalues body awareness and overrides it most of the time. But could it be that listening to our interior body signals has an evolutionary advantage? If so, we undervalue this capacity to our detriment. We need to practice activating it.
Read MoreSitting with Pelvis Support
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When you’re feeling self-confident and assertive, there’s an automatic uplift to your chest, spine and neck—your posture automatically organizes itself for the better. But no one feels terrific all the time, right? By teaching yourself the physical sensations that correspond to a good mood, you can use your body-mind connectivity to good advantage. Body awareness helps you cultivate positive outlooks in humdrum situations…
Read MorePosture, Elbows and Consciousness
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As a Rolfing® practitioner, I've observed that tension in the elbows affects the whole body. Habitual flexion there, however slight, pulls the upper arm forward in its socket, starting a chain reaction that pulls the shoulder blades forward, and the collarbones and chest down, and the neck forward. Elbow tension often corresponds with flexion in the spine just behind the diaphragm, and that interferes with fullness of breath. The postural end result feels, and certainly looks, nothing like the upper crust ladies of Downton…
Read MorePosture, Perception and Presence
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Since I’m not prolific—one every 10 years is all I can manage—it was easy to forget how stressful writing a book can be. I’m organizing the new book in a non-linear way, so I keep reviewing and revising–I want to hold it all in my mind and not repeat myself. This takes time and patience. Despite my efforts to stay present with the process, I experience surges of fear that I’ll never see the last page…
Read MoreAlign Podcast Interview
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Mary Bond is a world-renowned movement teacher, an original student of Ida Rolf, accomplished dancer and brings 73 years of wisdom to the discussion of how and why move well. We dive into specific tips on how to develop your felt body sense, how our perception affects our movement and how to break away from a mechanistic mind and body. A true pleasure having the opportunity to have such a wise soul on the show!
Read MoreMinimal Shoes and Biofeedback
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If our hunter-gatherer forebears wore simple hide foot coverings or, depending on the weather, went barefoot, wouldn’t shoes that are barely there be good for us too?
Well, not necessarily, because “we’ve paved paradise and put in a parking lot.” We walk on flat, smooth, unyielding surfaces, whereas our forebears walked on grass, dirt, sand and gravel…
Interview II: Everyday Acupuncture Podcast
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We rarely think of our feet as the amazing complex multi-boned platforms that allow us to walk upright. And in fact— they are sensory organs with a deep affinity for balance, movement and listening to the environment. This is an encore interview with our guest Mary Bond, who joined us on EAP020 for a discussion of Presence and Movement. We’d planned to talk about feet, but got delightfully sidetracked with breathing and how that opens the spine. Today’s show not only takes deep look into foot function and movement, but also touches on neuroplasticity and how expanding the movement in our feet not only helps with balance and comfort, but expands the neural maps of the body in the brain.
Read MoreEyes on Posture
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Looking at computer screens creates a habit of narrowed vision. This use of the eyes draws the neck forward, stiffening it, and interfering with overall body balance. Mary Bond, author of “The New Rules of Posture,” suggests this exploration to heighten body awareness and improve alignment. Cultivate Two Way Vision: Stand comfortably. Now focus your eyes tightly on an object in front you…
Read MoreWake Up Your Feet!
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If you’re thinking that feet are my favorite subject, you could be right. I definitely think that adaptable, responsive feet are a vital component in healthy posture. By adaptable, I mean feet that are able to move--not just to take steps, but also to spread and clasp, to wriggle and writhe and bounce. They can sense the ground and respond to it…
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