Sunday, December 30, 2007

It's all about movement

In response to: Cart ruts.

Diane, I think you described the basic thinking behind different forms of "movement therapy" quite well - it's not necessarily what one does - but how.
The focus has to be on the process of learning and creating the environment for learning - only then can the brain build new connections that it can use later on.

Yoga - if done right - is just one of the many forms of movement out there that has taken those principles and put them into a comprehensive system.
For those of you out there who want an alternative - here are some:

1) Somatics: based on the work of Feldenkrais - but shorter, faster and easier to do. The exercises in this book are great - plain and simple.

2) Feldenkrais: more complex than the Somatics stuff - but also great. You can start by doing just a few steps and working your way towards doing a whole session later on. Remember: it's all about learning something new. Break it down in smaller portions if you have to.

3) Ruthy Alon: also a Feldenkrais practitioner. Her book is a very good - on every level. She does a great job explaining why we move the way we do - what we can do better - and the principles behind "body learning". The exercises are also great - very easy to do.

4) Swimming: here and here. These two books are the best money can buy when it comes to a form of movement most are pretty familiar with. They concentrate on basic (and advanced) techniques - so swimmers at all levels will find something to work with. By breaking down the different swimming styles into small parts you can find out where your weaknesses are and work to correct them.

5) George Leonard: started with Aikido at the age of 40. Developed his own form of movement based body learning technique.

6) all the others. ;-)
Just think Alexander Technique, Dance in all shapes and sizes, .......

Fact is: do something - anything. ;-)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've found the Alexander Technique to be pretty unique in its approach to movement - really empowering the individual to direct him or herself.

Their website is very informative: http://alexandertechnique.com