I've been thinking as ever about the movement industry and how to move me forward in it and what is it I want to achieve/impact - if anything... I do want to - to help others expand their 'mind' for want of a better word, be them a trainer or a client or a mover in general. There is alot of do's and don'ts on the internet - the right way to do things and so on; my intention here is not to add to that confusion - that I'll probably do later! As I've considered the information I have to hand and the things that have (and haven't) worked over the years, some things stand out more than others.
I teach on many different pierces of equipment - pilates to pulley systems and also body weight training - and it's always been interesting to me how when we do some moves, we relate to modalities/a system. We've labelled things "functional" - which is really based on what your goal is - is it functional for you? We do some move and it's "oh this is yoga" - it's known in yoga may be, but it's not only yoga - it's a position, a labelled move, a posture, a pattern - the more we segregate movement patterns into these separate entities the more we lose the freedom of movement - well I think so....
Let's look at an example - the dead lift... Please note - I fully appreciate when I flip the body on its back it is no longer a sealift that's not what I'm saying.... The dead life in life is a means to pick something up- not necessary the best way for all backs, but a way nonetheless. There are 2 types of dead lift, which one is functional/needed for your body, posture, injury consideration and goal etc?..
What I'm often looking at is the ability of the body to hinge at the hips (whether it is bent or straight kneed) - ie move the pelvis over the femurs. In Pilates on the Reformer, it is similar to an elephant (pelvis still, femurs move though), also to slides into flowers (you may not know these terms but Pilates trainers will...), on the Trapeze Table it is a similar action to kneeling cat, or a hinge from standing with the bar, on the CoreAlign it's tabletop, in yoga it is a forward fold, or even into Warrior 3 (1 legged deadlift) - on the Trx or any other suspension system, it is a hinge at the hips, in gyro it's the premise of arch and curl, ability to tip forward... Again, these moves I say are not a 'deadlift but a pattern of movement similar to.
How it feels to do a pattern one way will feel very different to another - a great way to challenge the body, and mind. One way will seem easier - it depends on what moves, what stays still and what you're used to. Also where the tension is coming from -in front or behind, if there is any at all. Then we can flip it against gravity - Reformer is legs in straps - torso still now the legs move in the femur - on the mat - same move... Its the ability of the joint to move in the socket in all ways that I find interesting and is good to challenge- being able to do it one way doesn't mean you can another- and they can all help the other.
The movement pattern is the movement pattern is the movement pattern - yet we seem to label it "that's yoga" or "that's a gym exercise".
What if we changed our way at looking how the body is moving, instead of labelling the move as from x y or z.? It might open us up to a multiple of different ways to move, explore different equipment and thus keep sessions more interesting for both client and trainer...
Enjoy playing with gravity....
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