BIOTENSEGRITY – NEW WAYS TO SEE THE BODY- Lesley Powell

Oct 2, 2017

BIOTENSEGRITY – NEW WAYS TO SEE THE BODY

By Lesley A. Powell

Science is having us look at the body differently. Dr. Stephen Levin, Graham Scharr and Rudolph Laban both are fascinated by the numerous examples of geometric patterns and shapes in nature and its relationship to the body. New research into fascia is changing how we understand the foundations of support within our bodies.

Tensegrity is the dance of continuous and changing tension to create maximum efficiency and economy. It is looking at the body as a whole instead of parts and levers as old approaches to anatomy appears. It is a dynamic coordination of counter tensions.

How does this change my teaching and practice? A misalignment of the spine, its roots could be at the foot and ankle. Coordination with a 3D mindset is now my goal. I still might take time to wake up dormant muscles. I then bring together the coordination of body for that particular movement.

For instance footwork in Pilates reformer is supine, I tried to invite the phrasing of the leg muscles that we do in standing. That means addressing the coordination of muscles surrounding all joints: ankles, knees and hip. The coordination of the legs will affect the core in standing.

There was a lot of “fixing “ posture in my dancing days and in most exercise systems. The fixes worked temporarily for the position it was held. It created more disorganization when it came to dynamic movement.  Our new models of anatomy need to invite new ways of cueing and understanding the body.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Saturday Morning, 10/14/2017

Biotensegrity and Pilates: A New Model of Movement

with Lesley Powell

New discoveries in science are making us look at the body and movement in new ways. Fascial science and the concepts of biotensegrity are providing a new framework for understanding the foundation of support within our bodies. Graham Scharr and Rudolph Laban both were fascinated by numerous examples of geometric patterns and shapes in nature and their relationship to the body. Learn about these new models and how they can inform Pilates practice and teaching.
Appropriate for comprehensively trained instructors.
 
Sunday Afternoon, 10/15/2017

PNF and Pilates: Bringing the Spiral Home

with Lesley Powell
PNF, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, is a unique system for bringing 3-dimensional movements to all the joints of the body. The PNF patterns are reflective of many actions that we do daily and in our movement lives. We are going to explore the PNF patterns of the limbs and how we can adapt them into the Pilates repertory.
Appropriate for comprehensively trained instructors.