The Imagination Shapes The Truth

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.  The mind is everything, what we think, we become.” - Buddha

Recalling a happy moment in your life can bring feelings of joy, as reminiscing on a challenging period in your life can bring feelings of pain or suffering.  You can smell something that makes you remember a moment, place or person from you past.  When listening to music a song may bring back very intense memories!  Through our senses we experience thoughts that provoke both emotional and physical feelings.  At Polestar Pilates we spend a lot of time observing what thought-provoking images we use while we help restore and improve movement. 

There are many schools of thought that have contributed to the field of imagery and what is called 'Ideokinesis'.  This form of somatic training was first conceived by Mabel Todd in the 1930s and it refers to the use of visual and tactile feedback that is meant to guide students, either during static postures or physical movements.  Many have contributed to this body of work and along with the understanding of neuro-linguistic communication, we at Polestar have developed effective imagery and communication skills as a vehicle to improving movement.  

If you take a moment and reflect on how you and others physically react to feelings like fear and anger or happiness and love, it will not take long to notice that what we feel is directly reflected in how we hold ourselves physically. When we are afraid we tend to crouch down.  When we feel rage we tend to feel a rise in our body temperature and an accelerated heart beat and breathing pattern.  When in love we feel light and hold our heads up high.  We can use this increased awareness when we are guiding others through movement, especially when we are helping restoring movement after pain or injury, to bring about a positive experience. The thoughts that we hold while we are moving or teaching will make all the difference in how the nervous system responds.  It will also make us better able to communicate and find empathy with clients who are in pain or are having difficulty moving. 

As we become aware of how our emotions effect our posture and the functioning of our involuntary systems, like our respiratory and circulatory systems, we can really start to appreciate how important our choice of words are as movement teachers and healers.  

Visualizing the movement within the mind’s eye (either as movement within the body or in space), without any conscious muscular effort, primes neural pathways and reprograms unnecessary and unwanted muscular tension.  We allow our body’s unconscious intelligence to pave the way for the desired movement.  Brent Anderson often speaks about cueing the nervous system rather than the muscles, which makes complete sense when analyzing animals and children in nature, as the ancient yogis and our more contemporary Joe Pilates did.  When you go about your day, when a child plays in the park, when an animal hunts for its' prey, it does not solicit conscience muscle activity in order to perform its activities.  These activities in a natural environment occur unconsciously.  With this understanding, if our training is to be 'functional' and prepare us for real-life activities, we should train in a way that mimics and promotes what we will need in order to safely and efficiently perform our tasks, namely healthy unconscious movement coordination.  So how do we do this?  We rely heavily on meaningful imagery cues!   

“Physical practice combined with mental practice can lead to more improvement in motor performance and strength than either physical or mental practice alone.  Physical practice combined with mental practice can lead to more improvement in motor performance and strength than either physical or mental practice alone.” 1

If you regularly teach and take classes, and even if you tend to practice or work-out on your own, observe your thoughts and the feelings that arise and ask yourself if they are helping or hindering your performance.  Keep a journal on your experience and notice your transformation!

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1http://www.iadms.org/?248

If you'd like to read more about Polestar Education's approach to teaching movement visit this blog:
https://polestarpilates.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/how-imagery-changes-the-way-we-move/

That's not Yoga!

When ever I hear someone say, “that's not yoga”, I always chuckle inside because they remind me of an earlier version of myself.

Yoga, Pilates and GYROTONIC® have become a sort of trinity for me. These mind body techniques have one main thing in common: they all ask you to be present.

These practices guide the thinking part of ourselves inward into a space of focused attention that transcends time and space. When we are fully present there are no words, lineages or traditions, there is the lack of all that has been or will be, so that the here and now may reveal itself. The traditions of yoga, Pilates, Qi-Gong, etc are vehicles that transport our psyche out of the time space continuum into the present moment; the eternal now. Nowadays when I hear this type of comment of, 'that's not yoga' or 'that's not Pilates', or my favorite, 'you teach Pilates like a yoga teacher,' rather than defending why it is or isn't a certain thing, I realize that we are all struggling to name and categorize the nameless, which is the experience of being whole and not separate from our source. Through the repetitive practice of visiting this internal space of awareness and communion with source energy, the illusion of separation begins to fall away.

This practice of being in the now is like peeling an onion with an infinite center. There is no where to go, the whole point of the practice is just to peel the onion of the Self for the sake of simply being present. As we aspire to align with That which is ideal, optimal, correct and appropriate, we are reminded that we are in constant flux. What felt 'correct' one day may not feel that way the next. What was 'correct' for one body, may not be for the other. This is absolutely fascinating and humbling if we can let go of our desire to be 'correct´. The ability to perceive our own physical, mental and emotional daily changes and to develop the sensitivity to see them in others requires the discipline of time.

Teachers and practitioners of mind body disciplines hopefully live and teach based on personal sweat, tears and time spent in awareness, as opposed to time spent repeating ideas they have never experienced. As teachers we have the privilege of sharing and guiding others into this sublime experience of being through movement. When we are able to clearly communicate an experience of awareness to our students they, sometimes unknowingly, enter into this space of being here now and become inspired, excited, joyful and grateful... hence, the healing is occurring.

As we grow in our practice, we become the practice itself and ideas like, 'that's not yoga' become silly as we realize everything is yoga. Yoga literally means to yoke together, from the root yuj, often defined as "to add", "to join", "to unite", or "to attach." As we cultivate the experience of being in the now, whether it be on a reformer, mat or airplane, we create unity within ourselves and the need to define what it is that makes us feel connected begins to fall away. The world becomes the yoga mat as we grow into the practice, and as we grow into the practice, it becomes us...and it never ends so you're constantly being given opportunities for conscious change and living! 

It's a Life Style!

Grateful the need to share to my experience in writing seems to be back!  

The last 4 years have helped mature my understanding of my purpose in this life on this planet, which simply stated, is to 'teach to heal through movement'.  The gracious universe brought me to Dr. Brent Anderson and Shelly Power in the Headquarters of Polestar Pilates International in Miami, FL where the mission is one in the same with mine.  They took me under their wings and continue to teach me how to fly!  Literally!  I'm teaching in multiple North and South American cities, so I really have been 'flying', but more importantly, they have given me the vocational wings to spread my passion to some of the most important people in the world...Teachers!  I feel I have a home, a purpose and a spiritual family... hOMe sweet hOMe!

My intention for this blog is to share relevant and useful information both about the movement of our bodies and our minds.  Just as we work tirelessly in the studio and throughout the world teaching people to become aware of deficient movement patterns in order to replace them with more efficient and healthy patterns, our unhealthy thought patterns too must be replaced by thoughts that emanate optimism, compassion and love.

It is my intention that we all commit to 

eliminating thoughts that are contrary to the common good...

It is my intention that we all commit to 

eliminating all actions that are contrary to Our Common Good...

It is my intention to inspire my Self and You to

awaken to Unity.

Join us this August 1-3 at the San Diego Hilton in beautiful Southern California for a 

Life Altering Experience.

POLESTAR® LIFE CONFERENCE 2013

The Neck: Stiffness and Pain

Before we get into suggesting any exercise or advice as how to either eliminate, alleviate or lessen neck pain, keep in mind that if any of these movements cause pain, not ache, but sharp pain, move in a smaller range and with very little effort.  If the sharpness persists stop the exercise.  Let’s look at what the neck represents in our day to day lives and why a stiff neck is so prevalent in our society.

The neck is the pedestal of the brain and head. Our ability to see, taste, smell, hear and think, sits on the neck. Driving, reading, writing, simply going about your everyday tasks requires all of these faculties to greater and lesser degrees at a time. The neck is affected by everything that is going on above in the brain, and as a result, below throughout the body. The brain sends out impulses and also receives them, so that the body moves both because the brain directs it to or because it is responding to external stimuli. For example, you can both move because you have consciously chosen to stand up and stretch or you could touch a hot surface and automatically retract your hand with absolutely no conscious thought behind the movement.

The neck is a vital crossroads of information between the brain the body.

The neck houses the cervical spine, which is the smallest vertebrae in comparison to the rest of the spine, cervical nerves, vocal cords, and the thyroid gland. The cervical spine, nerves, muscles, tendons and ligaments enable the movement of the neck and head, diaphragm and the muscles of the shoulders, arms, wrists and hands.

As the filter between the mind and body, the neck represents communication. Both grossly, as in the messages from the brain to the body travel through the neck, and more subtly as well, as in sound and the communication of ideas through language. On both physical and spiritual levels (as in things that pertain to the spirit, i.e., feelings and emotion), the neck is a vital component in life.

The neck protects the spine and facilitates communication between the brain and the body and between the individual and his or her environment, both of which are absolutely necessary in life.

As we can see, there is a lot going on in the neck! It is no wonder that neck pain is as common as it is!

We live in a society that is dazzled by colors, sounds, smells, textures, tastes and information. The senses are effectively overwhelmed with sensation and experience, and being that the neck enables these experiences of sensation, we could safely say that the neck too is overwhelmed. A simple example is how your neck feels after a high action, suspense movie.

By strengthening the neck, we improve circulation to the head and brain and to all of our five senses. The following exercises will help facilitate conscious communication between the movements of the head and neck and the back of the body, as well as release tension and stiffness of the neck and shoulders.

The following exercise will improve range of movement, circulation and strengthen the muscles of the neck, while releasing tension specifically in the cervical spine and down the rest of the spine.

What to notice:
When you are rolling your neck from side to side make sure your temple is moving towards your wrist and that you are not sliding the head from side to side, but rather rolling it to the side away from the center.

This first step will let you know which side is holding more tension and notice if you feel a stretch or a poke when you move to the side. Basically, notice what is keeping you from moving any further without forcing the movement. Also, notice if there is any sensation down the back as a result of the neck moving. Look over your elbow in each direction and take note of how much of the room you can see.

The next step is lifting only your head and STRETCH THE EYE SOCKET to look up at the ceiling. As we are all aware, on of the signs of aging is the head moving out in front of your neck, causing a hump in the back of the lower neck. Stretching the eyes will help to counter that tendency, as well as improve circulation around your eyes, which will help if they tend to get tired.

As you are lifting only the head, the shoulders stay heavy on the floor, as does the rest of your body. Notice your lower back. In the video you can see how my lower backs lifts as my head does and how it releases back down as I bring my head back to my hands. The release is just as important as the movement. In the movement you notice what is contracting as a response to your head moving, and also notice what releases as a result of letting the head back down.

Once you have done anywhere from 3 - 10 reps, depending on how stiff your neck and how much time you've got, go back to rolling your head from side to side.

Notice if both the sensation(it might feel achy but that's ok!) and range of movement have changed. Can you see further over your elbow? Maybe even the ceiling?

Do this exercise and you might notice the difference instantly.

Let me know how it goes!

If you have difficulties viewing the video check it out on you-tube at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNGo0746Tko

Movement and the Aging Process

Why do some people age more gracefully than others and what can we do to lessen the effects of aging physically, mentally and spiritually?


Whether we are aware of it or not, our every movement we make is creating a pattern that we will ultimately be locked into. Like all animals, our bodies come wired with a set of reflexes and instincts that allow us to develop from a fetus into a full-grown person. Things like rolling onto your side, crawling and walking require very complex neuromuscular skeletal patterns that come very easy to us, so much so, that we are completely unaware that they are even occurring!

In the same way that so much of our movement is given to us gentically, we also have the ability to train ourselves to excel in specific movement patterns, such as a ballet dancer that has molded their body into the most elegant human sculpture that floats across a stage to the body builder that has shortened and bulked up his muscles loosing full range of movement but gaining incredible strength. The patterns we create, intentionally or not, will ultimately determine the way we age.

Gravity
We live under the constant pressure of gravity. Since we spend our lives mainly in an upright position, head over the heart, gravity puts a constant downward pressure on our bodies. Keep in mind that blood contains 95% water, and that the body is made up of about 70% water overall. What happens with water in gravity? It pools.

Similarly, the blood in our organs pools under the pressure of gravity. If we are always sitting or standing upright and living sedentary lives, everything tends to fall and it becomes harder to stand up straight and do simple tasks like reaching into the back seat of the car. This is where a regular yoga practice goes a lot further than other forms of movement.

While other forms of movement like spinning, running, overall aerobic exercise and weight training are important for cardiovascular health and will help with weight loss, yoga goes the extra mile in reversing the adverse effects of aging on the body.

Yes, our traditional cardio and strength training methods are efficient in building vascular and muscular tissue, but they are not very effective at keeping us supple and free to move as we please. The dangers of excessive repetitive movements, like running and bicep curls, are that you train yourself to move in a very limited and fixed manner. The continuous use of the same muscle groups and repetition of neuromuscular skeletal movement patterns will eventually lead to muscular imbalances, pain and poor aging.

In yoga the twisting of the spine and mid section effectively ‘rings out’ the internal organs and bring nutrient rich blood into the areas being worked. The yoga postures create pressure on organs, which increases circulation. The deep breathing in the postures releases tension in connective tissue allowing better movement through joints and improved joint mobility aids in preventing injury.

Repetitive movement, such as cycling, running or just sitting at a desk daily, will lead to a decrease in range of movement and increase the possibility of injury.

Practicing inversions, any pose where the head is under the heart, such as downward facing dog, the plow, shoulder stand and head stand, shifts the effects of gravity on the body, pulling the organs back into place.

As creatures of habit, we develop routines for ourselves and, for the most part, become the routine we create. The key to aging gracefully and free of pain is to align with gravity so that the gravitational pull becomes supportive rather than challenging.

How do we do this? Counter movements.

So if you usually sit with your hands on a desk go home and lie on your back with a pillow or rolled up yoga mat just at the lower tip of your shoulder blades with your arms laid out on the floor above your head. If you spin a lot practice back bends and stretch the tops of your feet by pointing your toes.

The key to slowing the aging practice is to restore balanced muscle action around joints.
The human skeleton is designed to align at a 90degree angle with gravity. Living in balance, living in grace with gravity.