by Doris Pasteleur and Lesley Powell
Edited by Dr. Martha Eddy

Movement is the shifting of the body’s weight on different surfaces. Different parts of the body may shift on the ground or surface. However the weight shift is the propulsion of the center of the body, the pelvis through space to cause locomotion or a change of levels and locomotion.

Building blocks: A good weight shift is the coordination of the body to (1) ground into the floor (surface) and (2) to move the body in a specific direction in space. Before we can move up, we must have the foundation of down, grounding. Grounding is a basic foundation. Without a foundation, there can be no building. Weight shift involves the coordination of dynamic alignment seen in the sequential leverage of our bones from toe to head, organized by the muscles, and accompanied by the fluids and organs moving in synchrony.

Propulsion: When a person releases his or her own natural body weight into the floor, it helps the brain estimate the amount work needed to coordinate the necessary push off to shift the body into space. Even when pulling a heavy load successfully involves having a person push her or his feet into the ground first. An improper weight shift puts undue pressure on the spine and superficial muscles of the limbs.

Pelvic Shifts: Irmgard Bartenieff divided the concept of weight shift into two building blocks of movement, pelvic shift forward and pelvic shift lateral. Of course this fundamental action includes multiple aspects, for instance the pelvic shift forward includes a pelvic shift back. A healthy gait has elements of both the forward and lateral pelvic shifts.

Weight shifts enable level changes from lying down to sitting to standing. They are the building block for locomotion - traveling across space. There is a constant changing relationship of weight shifts from one body part to another, a dynamic dance.

by Lesley Powell

I have been teaching a class, PilatesDancing, for the past year. It has been amazing how many changes are happening in my students. I combined Pilates, Laban/Bartenieff and the Franklin Method to create this class.

The structure of the class consists:

1. Foot training includes releasing tension, strengthening the foot and the mechanics of the foot in movement. We bring the new foot connections back to standing. As the foot become better connected and grounded, alignment and core tone changes.
2. Pilates mat and floor barre includes strengthening the core three dimensionally in a dynamic movement routines on the floor. This includes challenges of balance and level changes which demand more core than doing exercises on your back.
3. A standing warm up, we use a block to challenge balance and understand the importance of the standing/working leg. I also bring into principles from my training from the Franklin method and Amy Matthews, a BodyMind Centering practioner, about rhythms of bones in the leg to enhance standing and function.



4. We end with an adagio. The purpose of the adagio is to practice the themes of the class that day.

by Dr. Martha Eddy & Lesley Powell

Traditionally in fitness “core” use to refer just to the abdominals. When someone has back problems, the traditional approach has been to train the “abs” and then the back separately. In our BodyMind Fitness training, one has to train the spine 3 dimensionally for posture and daily movements. First a person has to get in touch with how the spine moves in different directions - moving front-back, sideways and rotating.

3-D Spine with Dr. Martha Eddy & Lesley Powell at Movements Afoot
Dates: Sat   4/12/2008
Time:  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Somatic Saturday with Dr. Martha Eddy & Lesley Powell
April 12 4-6 PM $60

In our upcoming workshop at Movements Afoot, the 3-D Spine the 3-dimensionality refers to the anatomy of the spine as well as to these various movements of the spine. Part of the lack of effectiveness in overcoming back problems is that people do not understand how the spine moves. So in our workshops, we get you to experience how the spine works. We look at the shape of each vertebra and the Sliding action of the facets in movement. The 3-D core refers to the volume of the torso and the internal contents. This awareness gives you a different understanding of your body. We learn some of the organ anatomy and how to breathe into the torso to feel supported.

IN our upcoming workshop at the BodyMind Expo called Laban Space Harmony: Bringing 3-D to your Session we will incorporate concepts from the 3D Spine, 3D Walking, and 3D Swing. Perhaps you will join us in New York or in CA!

By Amy Matthews, Certified Laban Movement Analyst, BodyMind Centering and Yoga teacher

Breath is an amazingly powerful tool for increasing the effectiveness of our fitness training and enhancing our movement skills. An appropriate and efficient breath pattern supports core strength, stabilizes the spine and creates freedom in the limbs – and when we hold our breath, we make ourselves work much harder than we need to, and create situations where we are more likely to overwork and injure ourselves.

Paying attention to the breath is an excellent way to gauge the appropriate level of exertion, and to tune in to what’s going on in your body. Sometimes we hold our breath to avoid feeling pain or to hide from an experience – and when we’re avoiding a sensation, we’ll be less able to attend to the rest of the experience (such as sensing form or timing or alignment).

On the other hand, changing a habitual breathing pattern can be one of the most profoundly unsettling things you can ask of yourself, or someone else. When we change our breath we are affecting ourselves in the most fundamental ways we can imagine – many of our breath patterns were developed as very young children, and in one way or another had to do with survival on some level.

It’s impossible to say that there is one ‘right way’ to breathe – it depends on the situation, the position of the body, the action being performed and the person performing it (with all the experiences that the person brings to that moment).

When we work with someone to help them find a ‘better’ way to breathe, we need to take into account the anatomy and kinesiology of the ribcage, spine and accessory structures that affect breathing (which could be just about anything in the body!). At the same time, we need to be sensitive to the effects of the breath on the body and on the psychological states and emotions of the mind and spirit.

With knowledge, skill and sensitivity, we can use various movements and exercises to help people have different experiences of their breath, and increase the number of options they have about how to breathe.

ByAmy Matthews, CMA

by Michelle Cohen

Martha Eddy’s SMTT program truly reflects her movement experience, in depth knowledge of the body, and responsiveness to connecting to community. Using her creativity, compassion, and intellect she weaves a dynamic system that is accessible for learning and provides a strong foundation from which practitioners can then layer their own movement perspective.

As a movement specialist and dancer, I fuse Pilates, Yoga, and Gyrotonics along with the Bartenieff Fundamentals to create a movement vocabulary. I tend to work from a sensing/listening approach which can sometimes be challenging to contain and shape from exploration into pro-movement action. The SMTT program gave me a structure and a tangible way of assessing movement, listening and perceiving the nervous system, organs, and glands as well as taping into movement expression along with movement function. This focus on motion and emotion helped me recognize how I can better support and hold the space for my clients so awareness and change can manifest from within the client. This work helps me create more on point custom programs for each client where I can address their specific needs.

Martha is a natural community builder and the program is truly a moving community that functions in the same way as we work. I feel we are all participating and energetically adding to thus huge web of movement approaches and communication. We are truly creating a support system not only for our clients but for us practitioners as well.

Michelle Cohen, a professional modern dancer, is a Pilates and movement instructor. She is a senior teacher at Movements Afoot as well as a senior teacher and teacher trainer of Pilates at the Kane School. She has conducted international teacher training workshops for the Kane School in Brighton, England and Tokyo, Japan as well as nationally in Indiana, New York, and Florida. Michelle’s own workshops in nutrition, dance, yoga, and Pilates have been received in places like California, New York, and Belgrade, Serbia. She initially received her Pilates certification with Kelly Kane through the PhysicalMind Institute in 1998 and has been a certified Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® instructor since 2001. Michelle is also a Kettlebell Concepts™ Level I Instructor and integrates momentum training into her teaching practice. Michelle has studied anatomy with Irene Dowd and continues to study Pilates and Bartenieff Fundamentals with Lesley Powell. She has been studying the Alexander Technique with Nancy Wechter since 2001. Michelle has expertise in working with professional dancers and has worked with company members from American Ballet Theater, Limon Dance Company, Royal Danish Ballet, and Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She has been quoted in Pilates Style Magazine (July 2005) in the article ‘Healing Practice’ for her work with clients with disc herniations. As a dancer, Michelle continues to perform locally and internationally with several New York based dance companies. She holds a BA from the American University in Washington, DC and a dance certificate from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She is presently receiving her yoga certification at Laughing Lotus in New York City. As a teacher, Michelle uses her listening skills to hear the body and then fuses her movement sensibilities with sound biomechanics to create customized programs and classes.

(212) 904-1399

By Dr. Martha Eddy, CMA and Lesley Powell, CMA

Movements Afoot brings together workshops for trainers to have a deeper understanding of the body, introduction to unique body therapies/systems such as Bartenieff Fundamentals, BodyMind Centering and Laban Movement Analysis.

Become a leader in the greatest approach to fitness - the whole person,intelligent fitness program:
Body-Mind Fitness.

Students will learn to carefully observe and accurately describe movement, and how to integrate anatomical, physiological and neurological information into movement protocols. We will review the importance of the bones in initiation, and how the muscles interact in specific movements. This program also includes a bodymind approach by exploring “internal support” - how the organs and the other autonomic body systems affect posture and movement habits. Once observations are made hands-on and movement techniques for enhancing core support at this deeper level are shared. Teachers learn when to direct their attention to muscles, organs, glands or fluids to get the most meaningful results.

Using Laban’s theories of how the body moves 3-dimensionally in space, the importance of the balance of stability/mobility for every action, Bartenieff Fundamentals and biomechanics, students gain a more profound understanding of how to move the body with efficiency.

Throughout the training we apply the principles of biomechanics, Laban’s and Bartenieff’s theories, and other body-mind principles to our movement practices, fitness training, Pilates, yoga, dance, wellness, etc. All participants will practice how to “train without strain.”

Learn:

* Biomechanical principles of the joints and musculature
* Improving efficiency and increasing healthy functioning
* Dynamic stability to improve mobility
* 3-dimensional understanding of the whole body
* Practical applications to your teaching

And more! Sunday workshops:

* Integrating the Pelvis October 21 Doris Pasteleur Hall
* Integrating the Upper Spine November 18 John Chanik
* Integrating Breathe December 16 Amy Matthews
* Integrating the Legs January 20 Lesley Powell

Sunday and Monday courses are part of the required course of study for Soma II BodyMind FITNESS Certificate.
Monday classes are led by Dr Martha Eddy, exercise physiologist and motor learning specialist and former president of the International Somatic Education and Therapy Association and Director of Center of Kinesthetic Education

Join us on weekends for Soma I throughout the fall to learn the basics and get a taste!

• Fundamentals of Fitness (Bartenieff work)
• Evolution of Fitness (Motor development)
• Body-Mind Fitness Coaching (LMA)
• Functional Anatomy and Physiology (BodyMind Centering)

Learn more at Movements Afoot
(212) 904-1399

by Dr. Martha Eddy, Director of Center for Kinesthetic Education

Did you know that its Ovarian Cancer Awareness month? Next month is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Using our body-mind (somatic) approach to fitness we have helped hundreds of survivors to feel better, have more energy and to be stronger physically. In particular I designed Moving On Aerobics in response to a colleagues experience of deep fatigue due to chemo. Due to her persistent research she learned over seven years ago what journals are making commonplace knowledge over the past year and a half - aerobic exercise is a great boon to cancer survivorship (and prevention).

As an exercise physiologist and dancer it was natural to create a program including dance and aerobics. What the somatic approach also brings to Moving On Aerobics is careful awareness of the body, working with breath support and three-dimensionality, as well as being open to taking time to speak about our life experiences, worries, and joys.

Classes throughout New York City are free or by donation. For more information visit Moving On Aerobic’s calendar

Several people have come up to me lately at Movements Afoot and asked for a definition of somatic.

The soma is the living body. The body exists even after we die. The soma does not. It only exists when its breathing, living, expressing, feeling.

Somatic refers to paying attention to the signals from our living bodies, learning from body wisdom.

There are several organizations that represent the somatic approach. The one that is most affiliated with movement and fitness professionals is the International Somatic Movement Therapy Association. Check it out - www.ISMETA.org ISMETA is a professional organization that registered somatic movement educators and somatic movement therapists. There are numerous approved training programs including my Somatic Movement Therapy Training - SMTT. www.MovingOnCenter.org/SMTT.htm My training combines the expertise of Rudolf Laban, the creator of movement analysis and his protege physical therapist Irmgard Bartenieff, with the work of occupational therapist Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. By combining an approach from Body-Mind Centering with that of Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis the movement professional is able to both view and describe the movement habits of clients AND support their healthy development with a deep understanding of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology (the study of human movement). As I have developed the SMTT this integrative system incorporates key movement principles and philosophy from LMA, BF and BMC while also having a life of its own based in my own background as an exercise physiologist, movement scientist, educator and developmental movement therapist. Derived from these interests, SMTT integrates dance science, conflict resolution, perceptual-motor development and a synthesis of different hands-on approaches. While addressing physical issues we interact with the whole person - body, mind, spirit, and psyche, finding movement activities that are motivating and pleasurable.

Movement’s Afoot and CKE sponsor a Somatic Fitness Certification called BodyMind Fitness. Qualified graduates of this training can also link to my SMTT program to become registered as movement therapists through ISMETA. Check out www.MovementsAfoot.com and www.WEllnessCKE.net for more examples of how somatic movement educators and therapists apply their knowledge!

Hope you join us sometime! We offer 2-day introductory classes. New classes begin Sept 9th!

Dr. Move

Lesley, Director of Movements Afoot: Why do people get scoliosis?

Martha:
There is a difference between heredity, medical and functional scoliosis. Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine. Hereditary scoliosis includes curvatures caused by abnormal bone development in the spinal column or even as a result of leg bone length differences. Medical scoliosis comes from diseases of the muscular or skeletal system like polio. Functional scoliosis involves curvatures caused by imbalanced use of the spine or even predominant use of the left or right hand in repetitive work especially when combined by imbalances of vision and hearing. Some scoliosis may result from injury.

Lesley:
How can a BodyMind approach help scoliosis?

Martha:
Working with alignment from both the inside and “outside” of the body can bring about deep postural change. As an example: The spine lacks balanced three-dimensional tensile support because of the “s “curve and “c” curve. The breath is diminished because of this misalignment of the spine. Improving breath patterns three dimensionally helps change the spinal uprightness “plumb-line alignment” from the inside.

Another way to view scoliosis is as postural asymmetry. One of the key asymmetrical aspects of our anatomy is the placement of our organs within the torso. The misalignment of scoliosis does not allow each organ to have its proper space. The BodyMind Centering© approach teaches participants to discover within themselves new volume for their compressed organs. Physical Therapist, Bartenieff’s approach involves finding markers for three-dimensional movement. For instance, movers are asked to draw an imaginary circle around them selves to get the arm and shoulder girdle rotating. By seeing the swivels in the arcs of the arm circle and then working to smooth them out old habits can be broken and new possibilities for movement and alignment are discovered.

How do you work with a client with scoliosis in a Pilates session?

Lesley:
I usually start an evaluation of their posture from a muscular skeletal point of view. I observe how they do simple actions in standing:
• Standing on one leg
• Shifting forward on one
• Lateral shifts
• A roll-down.

From those observations based on Kendall’s muscular testing, I address what is tight and their preferences for moving their bodies in space.

Scoliosis is an uneven rotation of the spine at different places in the spine. If the pelvis is rotated, the rest of the spine will counterbalance the main rotation with opposite rotations in the rest of the spine. If the body didn’t counterbalance poor alignment in one part of the body, the spine would be leaning over in one direction. Look at old barns that are about to fall down.

The body compensates to keep us upright.

I usually have the client move in planes;
• Lateral flexion-vertical plane,
• Rotation- horizontal plane
• Flexion & extension- sagittal plane.

Here the client can get in touch with their preferences of moving. Sometimes I give an uneven warm-up. If a client has a “C” curve to the right, they will side bend with more ease to the right than the left. I might even give homework to the client to practice more side bending to the least favorite side.

After I worked with the tight structures, I will have the client work on developing strength on the tight/weak side. As with the client with the right “C” curve, I will work on developing right-side back strength. Throughout the lesson, I will observe the client’s patterns for stability/mobility. My goal is to get muscular balance from head to toe. This BodyMind or somatic approach sees that scoliosis is an imbalance of the entire body. The Bartenieff Fundamentals exercises teach how to effectively observe the inter-relationships between all parts of the body in stillness and in movement.

How does Hanna somatics work with Scoliosis?

Laura Gates:

My first encounter with Hanna Somatic Education (HSE) as applied to Scoliosis was with my own body. I had danced all my life with a moderate “S” curve in my spine, which gave considerable problems along the way. I had looked for relief for years via various methods with no lasting results. During my first year of HSE training, I had a session with one of my teachers, and we re-patterned the muscles of my left side, taking away the chronic uncomfortable pressure on my viscera, and bringing my shoulders level for the first time! The increased oxygen intake was noticeable, and my upper back simply ceased to be the problem spot. I continued to use the somatic sequences often to keep my back happy.
Although some students with scoliosis attending my workshops report that the movement practice alone has given them some relief and more mobility, I highly recommend trying the hands on work of a private session to manifest accelerated change, and especially in the case of moderate to severe scoliosis.

Lesley: how do you work with clients with scoliosis with Hanna Somatics?

Laura:
Here’s how I have approached this issue: I first evaluate the client’s posture from all sides, then observe their walking habits, looking for where movement is missing, such as one arm not swinging, lack of motion in pelvis or shoulder movement in opposition to pelvis. I would then begin with the side most contracted, and focus on the core issues first. With various re-patterning methods, and some unique to Tom Hanna’s work, we would commence a collaborative process of recalibrating the contracted muscle fibers with the brain, resulting in a new resting length in, and more sensation in and voluntary control of the targeted muscles. With each session, we target more layers of muscle, the compensations in other parts of the body, and slowly unravel the riddle. More than half of the results I expect to get with this work are via the client’s explorations on their own in daily practice. The movement sequences I ask them to do, are specific to the muscles repatterned in that session. These sequences not only create new neuropathways and brain habits to replace the old dysfunctional ones, but give the person tools to profoundly increase their sensorial intelligence and continue and expand upon the changes made in the sessions. This work is all about the human re-educating their own SOMA, (the living, thinking body from the 1st person perspective,) with the assistance and guidance of the practitioner/teacher.

Movements Afoot

Lesley Powell, director of Movements Afoot

Lesley: I love how my somatics knowledge has changed my practice in yoga and Pilates and centered my mind. When I go to my competition to experience other teachers/studios, there are a lot of generic cues out there.

“Pay attention to your breath.”
“Be in the moment.”
“Feel your powerhouse.”

I try to pretend that I am a beginner with no experience. With those phrases I might not have a clue what is being said.

Somatics has offered me a roadmap to lead my nervous system (mind) to my body. Let’s take breath;

Good breath affects the entire body. There is the real function of the diaphragm moving up and down with the inhalation and exhalation. The compression of the diaphragm moving down on the inhalation puts downward pressure on the organs, the pelvic floor and the rib bones expand. The exhalation is like a gentle hydraulic press. The diaphragm moving up on the exhalation creates a suction to lift the pelvic floor and the organs. Did you notice how just reading this changed your breath?

This understanding puts my attention inside of myself. It brings me into the moment. This is one way somatics changes my practice. As I breathe with this understanding of how breath works, I release tension. My body starts organizing its natural intentions.

Martha: I am interested by your last phrase – natural intent or natural intentions. What are the body’s natural intentions? I feel a clue to the wisdom of the body-mind relationship lives here. As we become more aware of our bodily sensations using our proprioception (the receptors in our nervous system that help us feel ourselves) we have more clues to how take care of our selves, move, or what to do. This type of decision making is an integration of body and mind processes.

So often during the day when we aren’t registering our body sensations we just move forward with no conscious and subtly hurt ourselves – developing physical imbalances in any overused or underused areas. We all know that if we hold our head in an odd position while feeling stress that our shoulders and neck often become tense. It is also possible to use too much tension while looking. This overuse causes stress in the eyes themselves but also in the rest of the body. At CKE and Movements Afoot we offer classes where we can become aware of sensations in the body (Pilates) or the eyes (EyeYoga), for instance. In these classes we have a chance to reengage with our physical sensations and to practice new ways of organizing the body for efficient use. This process involves a change in attitude – so once again we experience that body awareness is affecting the mind. “The mind can refer to emotions, cognition – thoughts or feelings. At CLE we encourage people to relax first, then to use the mind to tune and feel the body. Once there is an open state of awareness we can move in new ways and express new parts of ourselves, from this we can move into more potent action, most likely more comfortably as well.

One of my clients just mentioned that she was surprised by the fact that after her table work session rather than acting calmly she went home and pursued a difficult conversation and was able to bring a longstanding problem to resolution. She attributes this to having relaxed enough to feel stronger enough in herself to speak honestly.

So one of the CKE mottos is - Relax, Feel, Move, Take Action!

I would love to talk about how this type of awareness helps us in our practice of yoga. It would be fun to introduce everyone to the type of somatic movement classes that we do at CKE and Movements Afoot as well.