New ideas of stabilization can enhance the body without making the body rigid. Past old principles of knitting the ribs together and tucking does not allow proper movement principles of walking, dancing, golf and tennis for example.  The problems of the back being hyperextended may have other reasons than weak upper abdominals.

• How does the legs organize the pelvis?
• Are the legs not doing their correct job and the back is compensating?
• The Back muscles are tight.
• The iliopsoas is tight.

When I feel well organized over my legs, my abdominals naturally engaged.  With full breath and a diaphragm that moves,  the pelvic floor and transverse abdominus can engage.  Knitting the ribs together diminishes the movement of the diaphragm.

Visualizing the multifidus helps me get back my flexion in my ribcage of a neutral spine.  We have a skeleton at the studio that suppose to move.  Seeing the skeleton, its posture is horrible.  When I bring the spinal processes together, you can see the skeleton come back to a neutral spine and the ribs open in the back.

Taking a stand

What makes Pilates Upright different is using the block.  Betweeen a workshop with Liz Koch, Marika Molnar and my studies in yoga, they inspired me to play with the block to explore balance and correct sequencing in standing.  Many are trying to use the gesture side to hold themselves up. The block shows how important the standing leg is.

Dianne L. Woodruff, CMA, PhD, has been teaching for 35 years and has been in private practice for 20 working with people who have movement difficulties and unresolved myofascial pain. Her newest video, 3-D WORKOUT™, vol II, an integrated approach to fitness, was released in 2006. A Certified Movement Analyst with a doctorate in Somatic Education, she developed the anatomy curriculum for Stott Pilates in Toronto. She writes and lectures widely.www.body-in-motion.com.

Early Bird Discount for Workshops

with Dianne L. Woodruff, CMA, PhD
$20 off each workshop if registered by 4/4/2010

Introduction to 3-D Workout

With Dianne Woodruff
Date: Sunday 11 April 2010
Time: 2-5 p.m. $120

3-D Workout is a low-impact, low-tech fitness program you can do anywhere. This workshop introduces you to the basics as shown on the DVD and then some. We use our bodies in three-dimensions at all times so your exercise should go beyond the conventional biceps curl and other single plane exercises. The 3-D Workout program, developed by Dianne Woodruff, CMA, PhD, is inspired by the Laban/Bartenieff framework. Available in classes and as instructor training, this workshop is open to all. DVDs will be available for sale at a discount.

Sacroiliac treatment protocol

With Dianne Woodruff
Date: Sunday 11 April 2010
Time: 9:30-12:30  $120

This workshop offers a step-by-step method of assessment and treatment for sacroiliac pain. It includes the anatomical framework and function, observation of whole-body and defined body parts in motion, various tests for sacroiliac dysfunction and methods for treating the problem. The workshop, aimed at “the dead seven inches” is an application of Bartenieff Fundamentals in a therapeutic framework. Open to personal trainers, pilates/yoga instructors and health practitioners. Taught by Dianne Woodruff.

Glute strength for true balance

With Dianne Woodruff
Date: Saturday 10 April 2010
Time: 1-4 p.m. $120

We have only two legs and must stand on one of them to take a step. No one would argue the importance of good balance and prevention of falls. Balance boards and other devices are fine but the anatomical and functional issues behind bipedal stability deserve more attention. This seminar for pilates instructors, personal trainers and health-care practitioners addresses essential movement patterns for bipedal stability and a healthy back in a pedestrian culture. Such patterns were identified and researched by Dr. Vladimir Janda as early as 1964. Over the last 20 years Dr. Woodruff has developed an approach to assessment, correction and preventive exercise that you will learn in this seminar.

To register

Dianne Woodruff

Dianne Woodruff, CMA, PHD

founder of Body-in-Motion

I am so excited to have Dianne Woodruff
teaching this April at Movements Afoot.

I have studied withher at a few conferences.  She always deepens my knowledge as a teacher and my practice.In the fall of 2008, I took an hour workshop about the abductors.  It was amazing and my body felt great.

Introduction to 3-D Workout

With Dianne Woodruff
Date: Sunday 11 April 2010
Time: 2-5 p.m. $120

3-D Workout is a low-impact, low-tech fitness program you can do anywhere. This workshop introduces you to the basics as shown on the DVD and then some. We use our bodies in three-dimensions at all times so your exercise should go beyond the conventional biceps curl and other single plane exercises. The 3-D Workout program, developed by Dianne Woodruff, CMA, PhD, is inspired by the Laban/Bartenieff framework. Available in classes and as instructor training, this workshop is open to all. DVDs will be available for sale at a discount.

Sacroiliac treatment protocol

With Dianne Woodruff
Date: Sunday 11 April 2010
Time: 9:30-12:30  $120

This workshop offers a step-by-step method of assessment and treatment for sacroiliac pain. It includes the anatomical framework and function, observation of whole-body and defined body parts in motion, various tests for sacroiliac dysfunction and methods for treating the problem. The workshop, aimed at “the dead seven inches” is an application of Bartenieff Fundamentals in a therapeutic framework. Open to personal trainers, pilates/yoga instructors and health practitioners.

Glute strength for true balance

With Dianne Woodruff
Date: Saturday 10 April 2010
Time: 1-4 p.m. $120

We have only two legs and must stand on one of them to take a step. No one would argue the importance of good balance and prevention of falls. Balance boards and other devices are fine but the anatomical and functional issues behind bipedal stability deserve more attention. This seminar for pilates instructors, personal trainers and health-care practitioners addresses essential movement patterns for bipedal stability and a healthy back in a pedestrian culture. Such patterns were identified and researched by Dr. Vladimir Janda as early as 1964. Over the last 20 years Dr. Woodruff has developed an approach to assessment, correction and preventive exercise that you will learn in this seminar.

Dianne L. Woodruff, CMA, PhD, has been teaching for 35 years and has been in private practice for 20 working with people who have movement difficulties and unresolved myofascial pain. Her newest video, 3-D WORKOUT™, vol II, an integrated approach to fitness, was released in 2006.  A Certified Movement Analyst with a doctorate in Somatic Education, she developed the anatomy curriculum for Stott Pilates in Toronto. She writes and lectures widely.www.body-in-motion.com.

To register

Each session had dozens of people engaged in listening, moving, leading and questioning. From the detailed anatomy of how the fascia interfaces with the bones, organs, glands, vessels, nerves, brain and muscles we explored how to move our whole selves through each of the 3 planes. We analyzed walk patterns through multiple modalities – visual, kinesthetic, and psycho-social and gave feedback on our gait using words, movement and touch.

Colleen’s coaching class got each participant leading activities.

The day ended with Martha Eddy sharing her breakdown of the components of what is needed for safe and excellent exercise prescription for cancer patients and survivors. We all explored a few of the dances from her Moving On Aerobics/Movement for Life program.

Come experience it yourself on Oct 16. Oct is breast cancer awareness month. Ask about our gala fundraiser on Oct 13 an early evening.

To Register

Meet NYC’s finest BodyMind Fitness leaders

September 25 10-5 PM
Sign up online with Movements Afoot and it is free all day!
If you sign-up at the door by 9:30 am its $25.
If they come later to sign-up at the door they need to pay $10 per workshop.

Join us for a free event, FITNESS Forward: New BodyMind Trends with internationally acclaimed teachers, Friday, September 25, 2009 10-5:15 PMat 320 Studios, 320West 37th St, 14th Floor. To register online at Movementsafoot.com

Registration: 9:30, Workshops: 10-5pm

Fitness Forward: New BodyMind Trends brings together international leaders of the bodymind and fitness field.

Fitness Forward, featuring four pioneers in BodyMind Fitness, will introduce integrated yet unique approaches to this increasingly popular and exciting field.  Each of our dynamic presentations is designed to inspire participants towards a new vision for health and fitness.

Join for free classes to get a taste of the unique trends upcoming about the body and its function. Internationally acclaimed leaders of fitness and bodymind therapies will be Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains, Dr. Martha Eddy, CMA, exercise physiologist and director of The Center for Kinesthetic Education, Lesley Powell, CMA Directors of BodyMind Fitness Certification and Movements Afoot, Doris Pasteleur Hall- renowned Pilates teacher and BMF faculty and Colleen Wahl, CLMA and director of Move into Greatness.

Entire free day of classes.*

• 10-11:30am Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridian System with Tom Myers
• 11:45-1:00pm Dynamic Gait Analysis: A 3-D approach to walking with Dr. Martha Eddy, Lesley Powell, Doris Pasteleur  Hall
• 2-3:15pm  Inspiring Fitness: Learning techniques to enhance your physical progress with BMF faculty and Colleen Wahl, CLMA and director of Move into Greatness.

• 3:30-4:30pm Moving On Aerobics: Unique Aerobics class that not only changes your heart rate but improves your lymph health, flexiblity and feels absolutely great on your body; heart & soul.
• 4:30-5 BodyMind Fitness Q and A

To register, visit MovementsAfoot sign up through their website.

Teacher Biographies:

Tom Myers
Thomas Myers trained directly with Drs. Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Buckminster Fuller and has practiced integrative bodywork for over 30 years.  Tom directs Kinesis, Inc., which offers professional seminars worldwide. Tom is the author of Anatomy Trains (Elsevier 2001) and numerous articles for trade magazines and journals.

Dr Martha Eddy
Martha, an internationally reknowned educator is co-director of BodyMind Fitness, within her Dynamic Embodiment Therapist Training Certification.  As founder of Center for Kinesthetic Education she brings somatic principles to an array of disciplines.  She received her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University in movement science and education in 1998, and has a Masters of Arts in Applied Physiology.

Lesley Powell
Lesley has been a leader in movement education for over 20 years.  She is the founder and director of Movements Afoot, a Pilates Wellness Studio and co-directs BodyMind Fitness.  Other teaching credits include faculty at Drew University, international lecturer and Faculty of  BalancedBody University. As a regular contributor her words have been featured in numerous magazines including Oprah, Shape and Elle.

Doris Pasteleur Hall
Doris has been in the Pilates world since 1970.  This internationally known as a Pilates’ teacher has studied with pioneers in both fitness and somatics and rigorouslycombines the two practices. Her teaching experience includes the Joffrey Ballet and Alvin Ailey dance companies.  She is about to become a CMA.

Colleen Wahl
Colleen is fitness’s rising star. This powerhouse is owner and founder of Move Into Greatness where she combines fitness and somatics to empower self-awareness and personal transformation through mindful exercise.  Her ideas have been featured in publications including Fitness magazine. As a PhD candidate in Somatic Psychology she is developing her model for body-based creativity.

See the body and fitness in a whole way!

To Register

Meet NYC’s finest BodyMind Fitness leaders

September 25 10-5 PM
Sign up online with Movements Afoot and it is free all day!
If you sign-up at the door by 9:30 am its $25.
If they come later to sign-up at the door they need to pay $10 per workshop.

Join us for a free event, FITNESS Forward: New BodyMind Trends with internationally acclaimed teachers, Friday, September 25, 2009 10-5:15 PMat 320 Studios, 320West 37th St, 14th Floor. To register online at Movementsafoot.com

Registration: 9:30, Workshops: 10-5pm

Fitness Forward: New BodyMind Trends brings together international leaders of the bodymind and fitness field.

Fitness Forward, featuring four pioneers in BodyMind Fitness, will introduce integrated yet unique approaches to this increasingly popular and exciting field.  Each of our dynamic presentations is designed to inspire participants towards a new vision for health and fitness.

Join for free classes to get a taste of the unique trends upcoming about the body and its function. Internationally acclaimed leaders of fitness and bodymind therapies will be Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains, Dr. Martha Eddy, CMA, exercise physiologist and director of The Center for Kinesthetic Education, Lesley Powell, CMA Directors of BodyMind Fitness Certification and Movements Afoot, Doris Pasteleur Hall- renowned Pilates teacher and BMF faculty and Colleen Wahl, CLMA and director of Move into Greatness.

Entire free day of classes.*

• 10-11:30am Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridian System with Tom Myers
• 11:45-1:00pm Dynamic Gait Analysis: A 3-D approach to walking with Dr. Martha Eddy, Lesley Powell, Doris Pasteleur  Hall
• 2-3:15pm  Inspiring Fitness: Learning techniques to enhance your physical progress with BMF faculty and Colleen Wahl, CLMA and director of Move into Greatness.

• 3:30-4:30pm Moving On Aerobics: Unique Aerobics class that not only changes your heart rate but improves your lymph health, flexiblity and feels absolutely great on your body; heart & soul.
• 4:30-5 BodyMind Fitness Q and A

To register, visit MovementsAfoot sign up through their website.

Teacher Biographies:

Tom Myers
Thomas Myers trained directly with Drs. Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Buckminster Fuller and has practiced integrative bodywork for over 30 years.  Tom directs Kinesis, Inc., which offers professional seminars worldwide. Tom is the author of Anatomy Trains (Elsevier 2001) and numerous articles for trade magazines and journals.

Dr Martha Eddy
Martha, an internationally reknowned educator is co-director of BodyMind Fitness, within her Dynamic Embodiment Therapist Training Certification.  As founder of Center for Kinesthetic Education she brings somatic principles to an array of disciplines.  She received her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University in movement science and education in 1998, and has a Masters of Arts in Applied Physiology.

Lesley Powell
Lesley has been a leader in movement education for over 20 years.  She is the founder and director of Movements Afoot, a Pilates Wellness Studio and co-directs BodyMind Fitness.  Other teaching credits include faculty at Drew University, international lecturer and Faculty of  BalancedBody University. As a regular contributor her words have been featured in numerous magazines including Oprah, Shape and Elle.

Doris Pasteleur Hall
Doris has been in the Pilates world since 1970.  This internationally known as a Pilates’ teacher has studied with pioneers in both fitness and somatics and rigorouslycombines the two practices. Her teaching experience includes the Joffrey Ballet and Alvin Ailey dance companies.  She is about to become a CMA.

Colleen Wahl
Colleen is fitness’s rising star. This powerhouse is owner and founder of Move Into Greatness where she combines fitness and somatics to empower self-awareness and personal transformation through mindful exercise.  Her ideas have been featured in publications including Fitness magazine. As a PhD candidate in Somatic Psychology she is developing her model for body-based creativity.

See the body and fitness in a whole way!
Donations appreciated!

Anthony Carey wrote an excellent post The Myth of the Neutral Pelvis. In movement of a healthy body, all of our bones have some kind of movement. When a bone becomes rigid, there will be consequences in the body.

Historically, neutral pelvis came important after years of tucking the pelvis in exercise and dance. But neutral pelvis is really only apparent in static movement such as standing, sitting and lying supine. Once you move, there is movement of the bones of the pelvis even in simple plies (bending and straightening the legs).

When is it important to know neutral pelvis in your client’s body? When you observe your client in their starting static positions of standing in parallel, sitting and lying, supine and prone. Such as in standing, observing my client’s posture gives me information how they organize their bodies. If their pelvis is rotated and/or unleveled, this organization will probably show up throughout their workout, walking and other movements.

Why is the pelvis not in neutral in static positions? You need to look up and down the body to understand their pattern. It could be their legs, habitual use of one side, injury, poor use of the hip sockets, etc. Every week I take a Hanna class with Laura Gates at Movements Afoot. In the beginning of the class, I observe my habit of uneven rotation of my pelvis and ribcage. No matter what the theme of the class, Laura takes us through a series of exercises that mobilizes the spine in many planes.  At the end of class, my walk has balanced rotation of the spine.

Warming your client up in many planes is a great way to bring balance to the spine. Pelvic clock, originally a Feldenkrais exercise, is a wonderful way to articulate the pelvis in many planes gently. I also look how people do thigh lifts. Many people are not using the hipsocket well which will reflect into the pelvis with either tucking and/or hip hiking.

True fitness should give our clients and ourselves a freedom of walking and ease of motion.

I had worked with Physical therapists Ruth Teitel and Nicola Weiner with their experience with clients who had Parkinsons. The workout should include mobility, stretching, strengthening the extensors, and improving one’s gait. With some clients with Parkinson, there is a bent spine.

From the website; www. Parkinson.org, the reasons for a stooped posture is unknown. Some think the rigidity of the muscles are the cause. This posture affects the movements of the hip, thigh and back muscles.

Try it: Stand up and bent at your waist with your spine in a “c” curve.

Now walk and see how it affects your walk.

Suggestions for Parkinson included the following;

• Work in seated and prone positions as supine often increases rigidity and flexed posturing
• Emphaze trunk, lower and upper extremity extension as well as rotation
• Encourage slow and rhythmic movement once moving has been initiated for a specific sequence.
• Use rhythmic and auditory cuing to help establish movement
• Avoid fatigue.

Especially with kyphotic postures work on mobilizing the spine, with emphasis on extension, rotation, and side bending. Also include exercises that include back and hip extension, improving hand-scapula relationship and hip mobility.

When I think back three years ago… I can’t believe all the things I couldn’t do.
My joints were congested and so was my mind. I had no space in my body for movement and freedon, thus no space in my mind for positive thoughts and emotional well-being. My movement practice at Movements Afoot has given me space…has decongested me. I move with freedom. Confidence has filled my new space in my mind. Of course there are always times of emotional set backs, but I know staying with my Pilates practice will ground me, and keep me loving my body at any size.

I love the new Jenny Craig add. Queen Latifah, the current spokes person, emphasizes herself as being a size healthy. That losing up to 5-10% of your body weight and increasing your movement activities decreases your chance of Type 2 diabetes and other life threatening illnesses.

Even prior to my 80-100 pound weight gain I always had a negative tape playing in my head. I knew I had to finally stop the negative dialogue in my mind if only for a little while to start positive changes in my life.

I realized that moving from the inside out was giving me the chance to get to know myself. I never knew what that meant. I never knew that you could really be nice to yourself and really be your own friend…but you can.
• It is so liberating to quiet that negative voice
• to focus on my tailbone
• to actually narrow across my hip bones,
• to feel my back widen from my breath
• to feel my strong hand scapula connection as I open the reformer carriage in control front
• to finally be able to press myself up from the reformer for control back
• to execute long back stretch and twist
• to lift my leg up high while feeling my femur bone roll in the socket and keeping my hips level
• to be able to do a hand stand and a walkover again.

That is the way I have been getting to know myself. My true self. The self that I wake up with and go to sleep with, the self that is with me all the time. A self that is a size healthy and always getting healthier as healthy as I can be.

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.