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| Category: Feldenkrais (Registered Trademark) |
Date published: November 26, 2002 |
Posture has many facets. Moshe Feldenkrais attempted to simplify it to the public by referencing it to the “six cardinal directions” and the ability to move in these directions with reversibility. But that definition can leave the observer-participant either more curious, or possibly confused. The directions are distinct, but the feel of being on a discernible path is path is not clear.
I propose that we view posture from another angle. Posture is the final common pathway of expression of a primary functional action. The primary functional action is a chain of myofascial lengthening, with tensegrity, which the nervous system can track, unlike trying to sense the pathway of vectors of force which are not as clearly felt or perceived.
Once the path is established, we can expand the conceptual definition to read: Posture is both an innate and a learned ability to do reversible movements of everyday life with resonant motion flow, support, stability, mobility, balance and recovery, lengthening with strengthening; relaxation, interest and enjoyment.
Gravity dictates which directions the pathway of lengthening can best take place. The rest is learned by doing.
Take one major human postural activity: walking. It can be done using different pathways of action. But they all must pass through the same core coordinates.
- Everyone who walks must generate a ground reaction force
- That force must take a myofascial route to arrive at the trochanter
- From the trochanter, the force must pass through the hips via the psoas to connect into the ‘drive shaft’ of the lumbar spine and the multifidi muscles.
- The vectors of force must be sustained by a structure of tensile support in the lower spine. That is the principle of core strengthening
My image of walking well is a function of how I have learned. How and what I have learned may either reinforce an habitual faulty pattern or an efficient wholesome habit which permits new learning. As a practitioner observing the client, and to really be of help to others, I will need to be able to bodyread with relative precision.
a] First, whether the ground force generated is meeting resistance or blockage in the myofascia ? (allowing the body to move but generating no further forces of elevation.)
b] Is the force traveling along an extensional-rotational path, as it must, through the abdominal fascia into the ribs, and continuing up and back, generating uplift.?
c] What is the form that walking takes? What I have discovered from the very physics and biomechanics of walking is a functional-anatomical based diagonal spirali path, that is, the force produces a lengthening through one side of the pelvis into the rotating vertebrae of the thoracic spine. This pathway can actually be sensed and even visualized.
Here is a clear visual demonstration requiring the use of a basic fitness-stretch band, or theraband:
1] Stand with the band under your right foot and hold the band with both hands.
2] Slowly pull the band up along the right side to touch your right clavicle. You are now clearly lengthening the band, superficially mirroring a lengthening of the myofascia through the interior right-side psoas, the external oblique, the right-side abdominal fascia, and the intercostals.
3] As you pull, you are also opening and spreading the ribs on the right side, thus rotating and retracting the right shoulder. You have just traversed and learned a complete functional action of an elevation turn. Used in reaching or spiraling up (applied example, a jump in basketball, volleyball, etc.)
Now, still on the same leg, slowly pull the band up along your left side. The same pattern will occur, except that you are now using a diagonal “spiralic” pathway. If you can sense the engagement of the thoracic spine, or the mid-upper ribs, then you realize you are spiraling up, bringing the left shoulder into retraction and the left elbow back.
As you practice, you learn to activate a known available myofascial pathway which leads to an advanced walking gait, practiced all over the world, from tribal people to contemporary walkers who have learned this pathway ( which dramatically increases efficiency in walking speed and erect carriage. It is the key to maintaining the necessary elevation humans need, often compromised even lost in those who sit and no longer walk this way. This pathway of walking provides the natural functional means to support core strengthening in the human body. Once learned, it can be used in active sitting postures as well.
The core strengthening factor
The human pelvis to spine to ribs complex requires much more stability in the core region. Sitting and the sedentary life weaken core alignment in gravity. The lower front of the lumbar spine drifts forward and down, the muscles becoming locked long. Since this is a weight-bearing area, the effects are to either sink and slump into the anterior lumbar region, or, to hold the pelvis back while the upper body seeks extension.
Once you cultivate and follow this pathway, the nervous system reveals to you the “feel” of the movement. However, the feel of the movement may be diminished either by lack of efficient muscle lengthening, fascial bunching, or something else. Which access to choose, neuromuscular, fascial, psychophysical, depends on reading the body, and trying hands-on moves until you sense through your own body the response of the client.
Without the pathway, you can still feel `global’ effects, or specific positive effects, as in an atm lesson, but this does not necessarily connect you into the experience. Keep in mind what every medical student learned in medical school but never applied: the nervous system can only communicate to the body where pathways of movement flow are open.
Posture, then, becomes much more specific and accessible via pathways. The nervous system perceives pathways and learns much faster, in the same way that a traveler gets to destination much more directly by taking known roads.
There is a pathway for every major primary functional action, from sitting, to reaching, to rising, to lying, to all of the more complex movements of sports and performance. But they all pass through the same core coordinates. With this approach, once you learn the major pathways, like a musician learning the notes, scales and chords, you can follow gravity and create any movement you want. The clearer and more efficient the pathway, the less chance, of stiffness, pain, or restriction.
[Josef has delineated seven principal pathways, each learned through a combination of awareness through movement lessons and specific exercises drawn from several sources including yoga and tai qi qi gong. For further information on writings and seminars, contact Josef at: 978-461-0221]
Josef DellaGrotte, Ph.D., muscular therapist, certified Feldenkrais trainer
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