What I Do as a Functional Movement Educator

Please click here for a video introduction for "What I Do as a Functional Movement Educator"

Thank you for coming here to my blogspot.  :-)  Please let me start by saying that my background to become a Functional Movement Education Therapist, I completed a 4-year training in order to become a Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, he being the famed Israeli neuro-physiologist.  The curriculum included 1600 hours of course work, spread over 4 years, which is necessary before a student finally “gets it”.  In this light, let’s explore together what I as a Functional Movement Education Therapist do.  ...


Are you able to recognize an approaching acquaintance long before you can see his or her face?  The way we move is an identifiable part of who we are.

We, as human beings, enjoy movement.  We love to move.  Babies love to move.  They love to learn.  It’s within the innate desire and curiosity of a child (and adult) to learn about themselves and their environment.  They enjoy to learn how to, for instance, roll, turn, bend, walk, or run.  It’s within our being the natural desire for rotation or rotating, flexing, extending, twisting or other kinds of movements.

Functional Movement Education is about learning.  It’s a way to learn.  However, in order for someone to learn, it has to be fun and interesting to the individual, as well as comfortable.  Thus, trying to, say, abruptly do a somersault or roll on the ground, or to strain by forcing your hands to touch your toes with locked knees, if this is uncomfortable, your Self (your body) is not learning.

Clients originally come to me because of an injury … a back or neck injury, joint pain in the shoulder, wrist, elbow, knee or other orthopedic problem.

As a Functional Movement Education Therapist, I do not directly go in with the intention to “fix” the other person or to even change the other person.  However, I stay in tune with the “process”.  I do the “process”.  As part of the “process”, I am always staying observant, to be observant or aware, of the “process” that is happening or continues to occur between myself and the client before me.  By me, as the Functional Movement Educator, being engaged in this “process”, this ultimately has wonderful therapeutic results, such as eliminating pain or improving the quality of life function, actions, or activities for the client.

As I am working with a client before me, the following are questions that continue to reverberate in my thinking as I am engaged in the process, or "working" in my relation to the client.:

"How can we 'dance' together?  ...   How can we move together?  ...  How do we move together?  ...  What movement is it that we want to do together?  What is it (from preventing us) from moving together?  What do I put out?  What energy do I put out?  Where do they meet me?  ..."

"Where my hands currently are on this person, rather, from where I'm currently working, what else within this person moves?  ...  How much of them goes along with this movement?  Where along them does this movement stop?  How can I 'catch' the rest of themselves within this movement?  ...  Are we dancing together differently?  ..."  "As I push here, how much or how far does this movement or action trickle along them?  ..."

I may or may not get immediate answers, or, at least, no cognitive or articulate answers to my questions.  This is very typical.  As part of the process that I am engaged in, I continue to move or “dance” with the individual, or continue to see where I can dance or move with this person, continuing to re-circulate these kinds of questions.

A physical example of what I do would be the following.  A client comes to me complaining of back pain.  I ask the client to lie down on my table on their back with supporting rollers placed under their bent knees for further comfort.  I am having them lie down in order to give their body the opportunity to be taken out of their habitual pattern of holding or tension while upright, in order to make them more comfortable, so that they can be more open to Learning.

Questions that begin to pervade my thinking as I am engaged with this person are.:

"What am I attracted to or drawn to within this person?  ...  What catches my eye?  ...  What 'dance' do I wish to do?  What dance do we wish to do together?  Where does this person want me to touch them?  ...  to dance with them?  ...  to move with them?"

Sometimes, I might be drawn to the shoulder area.  Yes, the shoulder, even though the client complained of back pain.  As I "work" the shoulder, I allow myself to stay aware and observant of where does this shoulder wish to move?  Where does it want to go?  How much of the rest of the person comes along with this movement of the shoulder?

Where within them, how can I "catch" the rest of their body within this movement?  I may then move to another place that I am drawn to.  I decide to lift their leg.  As I lift, what else of this individual is connected to this movement?  I continue to move and dance with the individual and allow myself to remain aware and observant of the process.

After a session, a client will sometimes say how she was surprised that I never touched her back but her "back pain" is gone now.  Again, I don't "fix", or rather, I don't go in with the intention to fix.  However, this Functional Movement Education work, a.k.a. movement education, this cultivation of body awareness, brings therapeutic benefits.  Thus, it ultimately brings helpful results or fixes.

Another word we Functional Movement Education Therapists use is to refer to this session with a client as a session for improving "Functionality".  Note how I continue to use the words Functional, Functionality, or their derivatives.  We are working with a person's functionality, or how they function, how they move or act.  Functional Movement Education is functional work.  It is not structural work.  We Functional Movement Educators don't have the direct intention to change or manipulate a person’s structure, albeit, their physical anatomy.  This may happen ultimately, but it is not my direct intention.  The functional work is unlike other structural workers such as, for instance, rolfers, who's intention is to manipulate or work the fascia structure of an individual, or the chiropractor, who manipulates or adjusts bone placement.

Every single Functional Movement Education session is different.  Each session is customized to the individual.  Each individual, each individual's body, his or her needs, is unique, just as each snowflake.

As a Functional Movement Educator, using my hands-on tactical feedback, I help to expand a client's kinesthetic, or bodily, awareness of themselves. By a person encompassing more of themselves, rather, a greater self-image, pain or discomfort is eliminated.Conclusively, I have given this individual the sensory-motor experience of moving easily, rather, what it is like to move effortlessly without strain or discomfort.  Thus, they now have a better “organized” body for movement.  Having a better organization, they are now pain-free.  They have learned a new pattern for movement.

Some of the conditions I have successfully treated include:
Acute and chronic joint pain - including back, neck, shoulder, hip, and knee pain, arthritis, sciatica, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, balance issues, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, as well as other orthopedic or neurological conditions.

As a keyboardist, as well as former all-state trumpet player and all-county cross-country runner, I especially enjoy working with musicians and athletes, for enlarging their body and self-awareness to enhance performance.  I was previously honored to have presented Movement Education, twice, to the International Association of Fitness Professionals (IDEA) at their 1996 and 1997 World Fitness Expo & Conventions, as well as at the 1996 North American Feldenkrais Guild conference.

If you haven't already, you may be interested in viewing a short, 2-minute video of me (made within a full, 45-minute session) working with a client, by clicking on the link above.

Please feel free to contact me for any further questions you might have.



Your first Functional Movement Education session with me:

Functional Movement Education is a wonderful, body-centered method for self-exploration using movement.  I recommend to my clients to wear loose, comfortable clothes.  You will find that this special form of bodywork is very relaxing.  In fact, you’ll probably find that as a result of the pleasant unwinding experienced, your body begins to slow down.  Therefore, you may have a tendency to more easily feel cold during a session.  For this reason, you probably do not want to wear shorts.  Thus, I recommend you wear long pants.  Some clients like to wear sweats. 

Also, you may want to wear socks and possibly even a sweat shirt if you might need, otherwise, to avoid feeling cold.

After the session, you will be in a nice, calm, relaxed state.  Some clients after receiving my work desire some quiet time afterward to be by themselves to be alone.  This may be as little as 15 minutes, or substantially longer.  After your session, your body is still continuing to nicely process the “lesson” for some time afterward.  Therefore, you probably don’t want to do anything especially hectic or active, or any heavy lifting, after a session.  Preferably, you may want to wait until the next day before doing anything especially active as your body continues to process.  However, living in today’s fast times, within our fast, familial and societal obligatory world, this isn’t always possible.  Therefore, I usually tell clients to at least not do anything especially active for at least 3 hours after a session.

Clients ask me about "working out", or a "workout", afterward.  I tell them that it’s better if they work out before they see me, and then they have the nice, relaxing session with me to look forward to afterward.  This is more productive than the opposite, that is, to receive my work and then to immediately afterward go out and do a rigorous workout.

However, I should add that if you have decided for yourself that it is imperative that you work out, and there is no other time to schedule your workout than for after a session with me, then, fine.  Receiving my work before working out and then working out afterward, … this is probably better for you than only solely working out and never receiving any Functional Movement Education work at all.

Come on in and enjoy!

The best of health to all!
James

Guan Yin Acupuncture & Movement-Education Center
Dr. Lin Cheng Speer, LAc, OMD, PhD
James Speer, Injury Rehab Therapist
Functional Movement-Education Therapist
Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
1003 Wilshire Blvd. Suites #203, #208
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel. 310-395-1952www.drlinspeer.com
www.feldenkraisjamesspeer.com
"Health Is All that Matters!"

"If you’re in pain, or your body aches, I give you the sensory motor experience to be able to move freely, effortlessly, pleasantly, without strain or discomfort. Say 'Hello' to relaxing, and 'Goodbye' to stiffness and pain!"
To see my popular YouTube video of me demonstrating the wonderful "'2-Minute Movement-Education Miracle' to Free Up Your Stiff Neck", Click Here

Improve Your Spinning through Body Awareness: for Breakers and Wannabes

How many of us are in awe and wonderment in watching “breakers”?  Don’t you love seeing the athletic finesse of “freezes”, “popping”, “toprock” or “downrock” moves?  Although I am not a breaker, being in the field of orthopedics and movement re-education, the principles pervaded within my following article may be helpful for breakers, wannabes, as well as for the novice parent, pretending that he or she is a “top”, wishing to “play spin” with their child.  Since the term “break dancing” is looked down upon by the hip hop culture, whether you are or not, let’s pretend that y’all are "breakers", “b-boys” or “b-girls”.

Here’s something that can improve your “spinning” facet within the “B-boying” universe.  Please find below a routine you can use to gain more body awareness to assist you in your improvement process to be able to swivel or spin more efficiently and “authoritatively”.  This routine consists of several different movements, or “movement sequences”.  After a certain movement sequence, you may find that you are inspired to further explore the movement on your own and to see where it naturally leads you, one movement seeming to naturally take you in to another movement that you feel drawn to do.  Thus, you may have a small desire to go a little tangent to the lesson and explore and play with some of your own related movements that the lesson has sparked in you.  That is fine.  Allow yourself to be creative.  Allow yourself to spiral off into your own movement and awareness discoveries.  You can always come back to the structure of the routine whenever you wish.  That structure being …

Start out by sitting on your pelvis (your buttocks) on the floor.  You’re sitting on the ground with your knees bent, feet slightly lifted in the air, and you try to generate momentum for spinning around like a top.  Be creative.  Explore and play with how many different ways you can spin around on the floor.  If you’ve been continually spinning around in one direction, now begin to spin around in the other direction.  Also be creative in how you can spin around in this direction.  Notice in which direction it is easier for you to spin.  To the right or to the left?  If you’re not sure about this, just let it go.  We’ll get back to this question in a moment.

Spinning, if you will, is, relatively, a rotation around a vertical axis.  Now let’s have some fun exploring and playing around with some variations.  Doing the same action of spinning with different variations, rather, with different bodily movement patterns, will ultimately bring more body awareness.

Which side do you spin more easily toward?  If you’re not sure what I mean, ask yourself, which side would you say that you spin more smoothly, more efficiently?  To the right or to the left?  Or, ask yourself, which side does it feel more comfortable to spin toward?  If you had to spontaneously choose which side you would be more comfortable to spin toward, which side would it be?  On which side can you spin farther? 

Personally for me, I am aware that I spin more efficiently going to the left (as opposed to the right).  Thus, spinning toward my left is “my good side”.  Determine if this is true for yourself, or if you prefer to spin to the right.

In Functional Movement Education Therapy, we first work with the” good side”.  That is, we work on improving, even more so, the “good side”.  Then, afterward, if we are still interested in doing so, we work the “bad side”.  Incidentally, it should be noted that by only working the “good side”, the “bad side” will also see improvement.  In fact, sometimes, “the bad side” will improve more so if you continue working with improving the “good side”, as opposed to attempting to directly work the “bad side”. 

The below routine is formatted around those individuals, like me, who turn better going toward the left.  Therefore, for those of you who turn more efficiently going to the right, please substitute the words “right” for “left”, as well as substitute “left” for “right”.

Do the following movements, below in bold, slowly and well within your comfort range.  This isn’t meant to be a workout or exercise regimen, in the traditional sense, anyway.  Instead, this is about Learning.  It’s about sensory-motor learning, giving your Self (your body) the opportunity or experience to build new bodily movement patterns.

Again, don't feel regimented by the following routine or lesson.  Feel free to do the following movement sequences not in their listed order, rather, to do them out of order.  Even feel free to mix and match various movement sequences.  Be creative.  Let your curiosity guide you, provided that it is always comfortable for you, that you always remain within your comfort range.:
 
Spin to your left as you initiate the movement with your left leg.  That is, think of kicking your left leg outward toward the left as it leads the rest of your Self (body) to also spin to the left.

Initiate the movement of spinning to your left with your right leg.  That is, your right leg lightly kicks to the “inside”, rather, it kicks to the left to initiate the movement of spinning to the left.

Initiate the movement of spinning to your left with your left arm.  That is, think of “backhanding” with your left arm as it leads the spin.  For some of you, this may be the first time that you have ever thrown a left-handed backhand while sitting on your buttocks.  Thus, do this slowly.

Initiate the movement of spinning to your left with your right arm.
Spin to the left as you swing both of your arms to the left.

Spin to the left as you swing both of your arms to the right.

Spin to the left as you turn your head to the right.

Spin toward the left as you allow your eyes to look to the right.

Lie on your back.  Bend your knees to bring them somewhere comfortably near your chest.  While lightly hugging your knees, roll back and forth.  Thus, you’re rolling side to side, that is, to the left, to the right, to the left, to the right …

Roll your head to the right, while you roll everything else, that is, your knees and arms, to the left.

Roll your head to the left, while you roll everything else to the right.

Again, while lightly hugging your knees, roll your entire self back and forth, or side to side.

Again, bring yourself up to sitting.

Hug yourself, around your chest, and spin to the left.

Crisscross your legs.  Rather, have one leg over the other, and spin to the left.

Crisscross your legs the other way, and spin to the left.  Rest a bit.

Spin again as you would naturally.  Does the spin feel smoother, easier, more comfortable, than at the beginning of the lesson?  …  Are you possibly traveling even farther?”

Interesting.  Isn’t it?  At this point you may wish to take a break.

I observe that the spins I make by spinning around on carpeted floors are much smaller than the larger spins I am able to achieve by spinning around on stainless steel or linoleum surfaces, such as on tables or kitchen floors, they being more “spinning friendly”.  Wearing regular "street clothes" pants is more conducive to spinning on the floor than wearing sweat pants.

If you’re still interested in doing more, then, again, sit with your pelvis (buttocks) resting on the floor.  Begin to spin.  However, this time intentionally interfere with the spin, even bringing it to a standstill at any given point in its flow.

Related to this, go ahead and allow yourself to perform the spinning badly.  That is, invent as many ways as you can to mess up the movement!  As one of my brilliant, highly-skilled trainers, Ruthy Alon, eloquently beams, “Be creative.  Do it badly.”  Now rest a bit.

Spin again as you would naturally.  Does the spin feel even smoother,  … perhaps even farther than before?”

Beautiful!  The camera loves you, baby!  You own it!  “Hey dog!  MC Hammer’s on the phone, inquiring about dance lessons from you!  …”  “Yo’ top of da food chain!”


Epilogue:

Can you possibly see how you can transfer this lesson that you’ve been doing mostly in sitting, as well as a little bit in lying, into the vertical position?  That is, if you wish, translate the movement sequences for this lesson into the standing position as you begin to spin around on your toes. 

Incidentally, playing and exploring in the sitting position only, as you have been previously doing for most of this lesson, will also automatically translate into giving you more body awareness for moving in the standing position for doing this spinning kind of lesson, as well as for other kinds of movements.  Newly cultivated bodily awareness stays with you to spread out into other facets of your life.

Can you translate the movement sequences given within this routine toward the "headspin", "windmill", "backspin" or other breaker moves?  I know you can.

Happy Explorations!

Guan Yin Acupuncture & Movement-Education CenterDr. Lin Cheng Speer, LAc, OMD, PhD
James Speer, Injury Rehab Therapist
Functional Movement-Education Therapist
Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
1003 Wilshire Blvd. Suites #203, #208
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel. 310-395-1952www.drlinspeer.com
"Health Is All that Matters!"

"If you’re in pain, or your body aches, I give you the sensory motor experience to be able to move freely, effortlessly, pleasantly, without strain or discomfort. Say 'Hello' to relaxing, and 'Goodbye' to stiffness and pain!"
To see my popular YouTube video of me demonstrating the wonderful "'2-Minute Movement-Education Miracle' to Free Up Your Stiff Neck", Click Here

Improving Your Quality of Walking through Body Awareness: Different Walking Patterns to Explore and Play with

Greetings again, friends!

The following routine is not meant to be a “training” or “conditioning” lesson.  It is not meant to be interpreted in the vein of “working out”, which usually infers for someone to apply or put forth substantial, sometimes even maximum, effort.  Neither is the following intended to be applied in the mindset of Cardiovascular Work, although that is also productive within its own right for its own intention or goal.

Having a background as a Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, rather, what I’ve provided below is a series of movement sequences intended for fostering greater bodily awareness. Functional Movement Education is a body-centered, self-discovery process, which utilizes movement. This form of Movement Reeducation operates under the principle that, in order for your Self (your body) to learn something, conditions have to be provided that are comfortable for it. Otherwise, once your “System” detects any form of discomfort, it just shuts itself off from any further learning.

Analogous to my preceding article, “How to Improve Your Jumping Ability through Body Awareness”, I again offer a short Body Awareness Movement Reeducation lesson to present to your Self (body) options for movement so that it can ultimately pick and choose the best relationship between various parts of your body for maximum efficiency.  This is movement repatterning work.

If none of the above makes any sense to you at this time, you’re fine.  :-)  Just do the routine below, always staying within your comfort level, and enjoy seeing where it takes you.

Please find below a series of movement sequences I have often used when working with anyone experiencing orthopedic or neurologic conditions, as well as with "healthy" individuals.  Again, if at any time doing one of the following steps, that is, walking in one of the described patterns, is uncomfortable, then walk more slowly or take much smaller steps.  Please always stay within your comfort range.  You may even elect to forego certain of these walking patterns described below.

The steps below should be done continuously. That is, one kind of walking pattern should blend into the next walking pattern, etc. You should not stop walking between steps, unless, of course, you’re tired.  Again, if you’re tired, then simply rest.  You certainly do not want to “force yourself to push through it”.  Then you defeat the purpose of Movement Reeducation.

If you are doing the following lesson within your own home, rather than in the spacious outdoors, choose a long hallway where you have the least amount of interruptions to have to repeatedly turn around.  Also remember to first clear a safe path for yourself for walking.

Here we go.  …

Walk forwards. [This is the initial “scan”, which we will use later in order to take a “Before and After Picture”.]  Notice how you're walking. Notice your arms, the hands, the way they are traveling through the air. Does one arm swing differently than the other? Does one arm swing further away from the body than the other? Does one leg step farther forward than the other?  Which shoulder is higher? Does your head move, e.g. turn, flex/extend, grow taller/grow shorter, side-bend?  Which foot seems to land harder on the ground?  There is no need “to correct” anything.  There are no right answers to the above.  These are just landmarks to help you queue in to your body … body awareness.  Simply observe.  Simply notice.

Notice how your right shoulder is moving. Notice how the right hip is moving. Are the hip and shoulder going in the same direction together? That is, when the hip moves forward, does the same side shoulder also move forward? In most individuals, they move in opposite directions together, i.e. a contralateral walk.  …  Now do just the opposite. That is, lock the hip to the shoulder, i.e. the homolateral walk.  This can be done more easily by placing your right palm on the outside of your right thigh and use the image that the palm is glued or somehow bonded to the thigh. Hence, when the right thigh moves forward and backward, so does the right arm at the same time, and, ultimately (usually), the right shoulder also.

While the right side of yourself continues to move non-differentiated, bond the left palm to your left thigh so now the left side is also walking non-differentiated. I call this the Wyatt Earp walk. Draw partner!

Now let that go and simply walk forward again as you would naturally, i.e. the (usual) contralateral walk. Scan again how your arms are moving now.  Walk backwards.

[All steps from here on in can be done, either, walking forwards only, backwards only, or both.  Again, only do what is comfortable for you.]

Walk while leaning backwards. [similar to the 1970’s "Keep on Truckin'" walk.  J ]

Walk while leaning forwards.

Walk while leaning forwards so that you're walking more on your toes.

Neither intentionally lean forward nor backward as you now begin to walk on the inside edges of your feet.

Walk on the outside edges of your feet.

Walk with the feet in.

Walk with the feet out. This is the Charlie Chaplan walk. Have fun with it.  Stick out your butt. Imagine you have a cane in your left hand.

Walk like jelly. That is, as you're walking, with each step you take, begin to allow yourself to collapse towards the floor. You'll maybe feel your head and upper body free-falling towards the ground. Catch yourself from falling completely at the very last instant that's still comfortable for you. After you've caught your equilibrium, again allow yourself to collapse towards the floor as you begin to take your next step, etc.

Do the "Indian walk". A Native American does not surrender his weight to the forward foot until he knows it's safe to do so. For example, let's imagine a Native American hunter is stalking a deer through the woods. As he begins to step forward onto his forward foot, he may feel a stick on the ground with that foot. So, rather than surrender his weight to that foot, this would regrettably break the stick and possibly ruin his cover, he is still in a position to retract his foot.

Bend over and place your hands on top of your feet - right hand on top of the right foot, left hand on top of the left foot. Grasp your feet so that your palms are resting on top of the feet, but your thumb and fingers are slightly underneath so that they're grasping the soles. Begin to walk in this position. Notice how your right arm and right leg come forward together, and your left arm and left leg come forward together. This is a homolateral walk while leaning forwards. Children love to do this.

Once more come upright and walk backwards.

Walk backwards on the outside edges of your feet.

Walk forwards again as you would naturally. Is your walking different now?  How so?

Does your walk maybe feel smoother, easier, or lighter?

Enjoy the feeling!

[End of Lesson]

If you're budgeted for time, two of the “most powerful walking moves in the world" are to:

Walk forwards. Walk backwards. Walk backwards on the outer edges of your feet. Walk forward again.

Voila!  You'll always notice a change.  Guaranteed!

Anecdote:I'll relay to you a case regarding "neurological walking (gait) problems” ... 

One client of mine, Joyce, late 30's, was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy.  Joyce was referred to me by her physician because her left knee "always ached".  I actually did very little hands-on work with her on my Movement Education bodywork table.  After briefly exploring with her in standing, by guiding her with my hands for turning, we then went into a large open space adjacent to my office.  I asked Joyce to walk on her crutches in several different walking patterns as described above.  In just one session, there was a visible difference in Joyce's walk on her crutches.  She reported to me how the pain had vanished and that she felt she was walking more “centered and balanced”.

Guan Yin Acupuncture & Movement-Education Center
Dr. Lin Cheng Speer, LAc, OMD, PhD
James Speer, Injury Rehab Therapist
Functional Movement-Education Therapist
Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
1003 Wilshire Blvd. Suites #203, #208
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel. 310-395-1952www.drlinspeer.com
"Health Is All that Matters!"

"If you’re in pain, or your body aches, I give you the sensory motor experience to be able to move freely, effortlessly, pleasantly, without strain or discomfort. Say 'Hello' to relaxing, and 'Goodbye' to stiffness and pain!"

To see my popular YouTube video of me demonstrating the wonderful "'2-Minute Movement-Education Miracle' to Free Up Your Stiff Neck", Click Here

Turning while Standing, One of the Great Functional Movement Education “Three-Minute Miracles”

Greetings again, friends!

The "meat" of this article, that is, my version of this Functional Movement Education lesson, the standing turning lesson, itself, begins about a third of the way into this posting.  However, I would first like to make some introductory comments.

Often times, I am asked, "What is Functional Movement Education?"  I will reply with a verbal answer.  However, giving someone a semantic answer may not always be complete for that person, compared to, an inspiring kinesthetic experience.  Therefore, some Practitioners like myself enjoy asking the person who is inquiring to, for example, "Interlace the fingers of your hands as if you were about to say Dinner Grace.  That is, simply interlace your fingers the way you do naturally. ...  Now, please interlace your hands the non-habitual way.  That is, move all of your fingers down one notch.  How does that feel? ...  That feels
differently.  That's what our work is about.  Exploring options.  Finding options in how to be in the world ..."  That is one way of explaining or demonstrating our Functional Movement Education work.   Another way is the following short, mini - Body Awareness lesson, the popular, "Turning while Standing".  It is one of those, as some of us refer to, "Three-Minute Miracles", which leave a wonderful impression with people.  For a few years after my training, when asked, "What is Functional Movement Education?", I would, spontaneously, take about 3, maybe even as long as 15, minutes to teach this mini-lesson to many different people, some of whom I knew very well, and others, who were brand-new acquaintances.

Please find below one version of TURNING WHILE STANDING.



TURNING WHILE STANDING

1) I'm going to guide you through a set of five different movements.  Always move slowly.  Always move well within your comfort range.  You'll see that your natural range of movement will improve nicely, without even straining. Notice where you're standing.  Bring your left arm straight out in front of you, to shoulder height.  Your arm is relatively straight, however, not
uncomfortably locked or rigid.  KEEPING YOUR FEET PLANTED, slowly turn your body
to the left as if you wanted to look at something behind yourself.  You can allow your arm to also swing outwards to the left, as the rest of your body is turning to the left.  Feel your hips turning to the left, the shoulders turning to the left.  The head, and even the eyes, all of yourself is turning to the left.  Please stay well within your comfort range.  I know that, right now, if you had to, you could probably push yourself to be able to turn almost three-quarters of a complete circle (270 degrees).  But, that isn't necessary.  You'll see a nice improvement soon coming to you, naturally, easily, without any excessive strain.  Pick some sort of marker that you can use as a reference point to tell how far you are turning easily. ...  Now leave that alone, and come back to neutral, or, the center place.  Lower your arm.

[A) In regard to selecting a reference point, if you're inside, you may notice, for example, a painting, a light switch, or some other object, on the wall.  If you're outside, you may notice a certain tree, a telephone pole, or a particular house, for example, in the background, as the reference point.

B) Again, please note to KEEP YOUR FEET PLANTED.  :-)  People's "incorrect" spontaneous reaction is to also turn and shuffle their feet to the left.  [Of course, as Practitioners, we often encourage all kinds of spontaneous movement.  However, in this instance, it will be easier to appreciate the natural improvement made during the lesson for a positive impression to somatic learning, to be able to gauge  your own range of improvement, by requesting a certain standard throughout the lesson, namely, to keep your feet in one place, as opposed to, otherwise,  shuffling one's feet, possibly, a different amount for each repetition.]

C) As I mentioned above, it's important to let you know to "allow your arm to also swing outwards to the left".  You may, otherwise, attribute the improvement, which will most likely follow in the subsequent steps, to not "correctly" allowing your arm to swing outward the first time you did the original turning movement, as indicated in step #1 above.  Sometimes, I may describe this as "Allow your arm to slowly, gradually, swing outward, as if you
were hitting a tennis backhand in slow-motion."]

2) Your left arm remains lowered, somewhere comfortably along your side.
Turn yourself to the left as far as you can comfortably.  Stay there, your body
turned to the left.  Turn only your head to the right.  That is, while your
feet remain planted, and your body remains turned to the left, you're allowing
your head to turn in the opposite direction to the right.  Do this a few times,
moving just your head, back and forth, all the while your body remains turned
to the left. ...  Bring all of your body back to neutral.  Again, bring your
left arm to shoulder height, straight out in front of you, and turn yourself to
the left, all of your body, as far as you can comfortably.  Also allow the
arm to gradually swing outward to the left.  Notice how far you are turning
now.  ["Wow!"]  Come back to neutral.  Lower your arm.

3) Your left arm remains lowered.  Turn yourself to the left as far as you
can comfortably.  Stay there.  This time, turn just your shoulders to the
right.  Only the shoulders. ...  That means your left shoulder is coming
forward, while your right shoulder is moving backwards.  Do this a few times. ...  Bring
all of your body back to neutral.  Again, bring your arm to shoulder height,
straight out in front of you, and turn yourself to the left as far as you can
comfortably.  ["Wow! Wow! Wow!"]  Come back to neutral.  Lower your arm.
[Please note that this is a very important step which I will say more on
below.]

4) Turn yourself to the left as far as you can comfortably.  Stay there.
This time, turn just your hips to the right.  Only the hips to the right ...  Do
this a few times....  Bring all of your body back to neutral.  Again, bring
your left arm to shoulder height, straight out in front of you, and turn
yourself to the left as far as you can comfortably.  ["Wow!"]  Come back to
neutral.  Lower your arm.

5) Turn yourself to the left as far as you can comfortably.  Stay there.
This time, move your eyes to the right.  You're only allowing the eyes to go to
the right. …  Do this a few times.  Move your eyes very slowly, back and
forth.  Take your time.  This may feel very unusual to you. …  Bring all of
your body back to neutral.  Again, bring your arm to shoulder height, straight out
in front of you, and turn yourself to the left as far as you can
comfortably.  ["Wow!"]

[Step #5, above, involving the eyes, provides a nice icing on the cake.  You
are perhaps, afterward, able to appreciate a larger field of vision complementing
your turning movement.  Of course, more profound than a simple vision
improvement, note that the eyes are connected to the overall Gestalt of movement.  However, somatically inviting someone such as you, by me, to sense the movement of an intense organ, such as the eyes, to the movement of the rest of themselves, may naturally be met with trepidation on some level.  Thus, I will sometimes omit this step when I first teach this lesson to someone.  Rather, I will refrain from teaching, in the very beginning, the connection of eyes with the rest of the
Self.]

6) Turn yourself to the left as far as you can comfortably.  Remained turned
there.  However, turn just your head to the right.  Pause in this position.
Notice that your head is turned to the right, but the rest of your body is
turned to the left.  Begin to turn your head and shoulders in opposite
directions, all the while the rest of your body remains turned to the left.  That is,
begin to take your head to the left, while simultaneously turning your shoulders
to the right.  Then, take your head to the right, while simultaneously turning
your shoulders to the left.  Continue going back and forth, playing with the
relationship between the head and shoulders, all the while the rest of your
body continues to remain comfortably turned to the left. ...  Bring all of your
body back to neutral.  Again, bring your arm to shoulder height, straight out
in front of you, and turn yourself to the left as far as you can comfortably.
["Wow!!!"]

[End of lesson]


The "learning", as we refer to it, during this movement lesson, for instance, the added range of motion, as well as perhaps, the new "smoothness" you experienced in the movements as the lesson progressed, ultimately carries over into the rest of our functional lives.  I hope you enjoyed this lesson.

If you would like, you can repeat the above movements on the "other side".  However, please note that in Body Awareness lessons, such as this Functional Movement Education work, sometimes Less is More.  If you feel that you've had enough, then let it go.  Otherwise, if you'd like, you may go through steps nos. 1 through 6 above, again, where you will be exploring and playing with different movement patterns while turning to the right.  Thus, you would go through steps 1 through 6 again, while substituting "left" for "right" and "right" for "left".

However, again, perhaps, you'd like to rest for awhile, in order to allow your body to absorb the learning effects from already working one side, before repeating the lesson on the other side.


The best to all,
James

Guan Yin Acupuncture & Movement-Education CenterDr. Lin Cheng Speer, LAc, OMD, PhD
James Speer, Injury Rehab Therapist
Functional Movement-Education Therapist
Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
1003 Wilshire Blvd. Suites #203, #208
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel. 310-395-1952www.drlinspeer.com
"Health Is All that Matters!"

"If you’re in pain, or your body aches, I give you the sensory motor experience to be able to move freely, effortlessly, pleasantly, without strain or discomfort. Say 'Hello' to relaxing, and 'Goodbye' to stiffness and pain!"


To see my popular YouTube video of me demonstrating the wonderful "'2-Minute Movement-Education Miracle' to Free Up Your Stiff Neck", Click Here

How to Improve Your Jumping Ability through Body Awareness

My article, “How to Improve Your Jumping Ability through Body Awareness”, below, was originally posted on July 21, 2007 on www.MartialArtsPlanet.com, the premier website for martial artists, within the Health & Fitness forum.  I hope you enjoy it.  If you are a return reader to this article, please feel free to go directly to page 2 for the beginning of the  “Movement Re-education Routine”.

How to Improve Your Jumping Ability through Body Awareness
              by James Speer, Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais

Did you ever have a desire to be able to dunk a basketball, or to better deliver that jump kick in a sparring session?  Who among us would not like to enhance our jumping ability?

Please find below a jumping routine, for good, productive results. This routine is not intended to be applied in the mindset for Muscle Loading, or, for Cardiovascular Work, although these two different methods, of course, also produce improved jumping ability. Having a background as a Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, rather, what I’ve provided below is a series of movement sequences intended for fostering greater bodily awareness. My Functional Movement Education work is a body-centered, self-discovery process, which utilizes movement. This form of Movement Reeducation operates under the principle that, in order for your Self (your body) to learn something, conditions have to be provided that are comfortable for it. Otherwise, once your nervous system detects any form of discomfort, it just shuts itself off from any further learning. Of course, with Muscle Loading, one often does approach a zone of discomfort, and, thus, acquires muscle gains, which is another way to develop jumping improvement.

Before doing the different movement sequences as described below, remember to always move slowly and well within your comfort range. Some of the movements described below may not be natural movements that your body would select to do spontaneously. Therefore, go at it easily, gently, as well as, slowly. If a particular movement sequence is uncomfortable to do even one time, then, possibly, do much less of it, and/or slow it down even more. If it is still uncomfortable, then do not do it at all.

Of course, if you were in a real physical contest, such as a sparring session with high kicking, a basketball game, or, if you were jumping in your standard, orthodox way, it would be all right to do your natural jumping movements, intensely, and as hard as you can. However, for the purposes of the following learning exercise, vis-a-vis, the following “movement reeducation routine”, again, go slowly and well within your comfort range, especially the first few times that you do the routine. You probably should not do the complete routine more than once per day, to give your system time to “integrate the Learning from the lesson”. For each of the different steps, always touch down, or, land on the ground, as you would naturally, with your feet facing, relatively, directly ahead of you.

Rest whenever you need to. Always rest at least 20-40 seconds between each movement sequence, even if you do not feel especially tired. Do all movement sequences 2-9 times. Remember, you don't get points for doing a lot. If you're only comfortable doing a particular jump movement sequence one time, that is fine. Always stop before the first sign of discomfort. For developing kinesthetic, or bodily, awareness, sometimes Less is More.

Do not rush. This is not necessarily a work-out routine. It's a bodily awareness lesson, learning how we organize ourselves to move (to jump) within our environment.  Instead of just rushing through the routine by hurriedly proceeding from one step to the next step, instead, if you rest properly between each movement sequence, the entire routine should take you between 10 to, possibly as long as, 30 minutes to do.  To assure that you are allowing enough time for movement learning, or, Sensory Motor Integration, to take place, you should be jumping leisurely enough that you never get out of breath during the routine.

For those of you who feel comfortable with Visualization or Imagination Work, Body Awareness lessons can often provide a wonderful opportunity for this. I will not elaborate on this kind of work here, only to express that imagining, or, imagination work, can, often, be productive. One experiences the same bio-electric or bio-chemical activity in the brain, during imagination work, as one would experience by actually doing the physical movement.

Again, I designed the following movement (jumping) routine not intended to be presented in the format of a "Guts to the Wall" Muscle Loading Session, which, obviously, merits its own rewards. Instead, the following routine is meant to be done comfortably, to allow Neuromuscular Reeducation to take place in a comfortable "learning laboratory". The next day, in your normal workout, when you go "Guts to the Wall" when doing other jumping exercises, see if you, perhaps, feel some sort of change or improvement, as a result of the slow, comfortable, learning lesson (below), you did the previous day.


Movement Re-education Routine for Improving Jumping Through Kinesthetic Awareness

*** The following steps are written, inferring that one is jumping into the air, and, thus, landing back down on the ground. However, sometimes when I do each of the different steps of the below routine, I like to do each step so that I am jumping up onto a bench, and, I then jump off the bench, coming back to the ground, then, resting for several seconds, before I, once more, jump up onto the bench again. Thus, one has the choice of doing each of the described movements below by, either, jumping up into empty air, or, jumping up onto a bench. ***

1) With your feet comfortably apart, jump in your natural way. Don't try to jump your hardest. Just jump as you would, easily, well within an easy effort.

2) Jump with your toes facing inward (pigeon toed). However, be sure to land (to touch down) in your natural way.

3) Jump with your toes facing outward ("Charlie Chaplan" style). However, be sure to land (to touch down) in your natural way. For each of the following steps, always touch down in your natural way.

4) Starting with the weight predominantly on the outsides of your feet, jump.

5) Starting with the weight predominantly on the insides of your feet, jump. This may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, tailor this movement to your own comfort. If it is still uncomfortable, then don't do it.

6) With your feet wide apart, jump.

7) With your feet together, jump.

8) Cross your right leg in front of your left leg. Jump.

9) Cross your left leg in front of your right leg. Jump.

10) Look up at the sky (or, ceiling). Jump.

11) Look down at the ground. Jump.

12) With your head turned to the left, jump. With your head turned to the right, jump.

13) Leaning forwards, jump. Go easy with this.

14) Leaning backwards, jump. Go easy with this.

15) With your buttocks sticking out, jump.

16) With most of your weight on your toes, jump.

17) With most of your weight on your heels, jump.

18) Jump in your natural way. Does it seem easier now? Does it seem more smooth and fluid? Is there something about it that feels differently?

The preceding routine is also helpful for a proficient athlete who, possibly, eventually approaches a plateau or sticking point by repeatedly jumping over and over again, the same way, day-in and day-out. The provided kinesthetic awareness routine offers an exercise in bodily awareness to, perhaps, better refine one's movement pattern to be able to, once again, progress in his jumping ability.

By doing the different jumping variations as stated (Most likely, there are possibly hundreds more that one can have fun creating.), this can possibly invite one's attention (awareness) to different body parts, for his system to then be able to pick and choose how to better coordinate one body part with another body part.

Of course, I also believe that in conjunction with this bodily awareness routine, it is also helpful for one to also do "Guts to the Wall" strength training and conditioning, including productive plyometric exercises. However, I would recommend that if you are doing this the same day as my body awareness routine, above, to do the "Guts to the Wall" training first, before the bodily awareness lesson. Or, if you are going to do the "Guts to the Wall" work after the bodily awareness routine, to allow a break of a good couple of hours of in-between time, for your Self (your body) to first integrate the improved sensory-motor integration it learned during the body awareness lesson.

Guan Yin Acupuncture & Movement-Education Center
Dr. Lin Cheng Speer, LAc, OMD, PhD
James Speer, Injury Rehab Therapist
Functional Movement-Education Therapist
Practitioner of the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
1003 Wilshire Blvd. Suites #203, #208
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel. 310-395-1952www.drlinspeer.com
"Health Is All that Matters!"

"If you’re in pain, or your body aches, I give you the sensory motor experience to be able to move freely, effortlessly, pleasantly, without strain or discomfort. Say 'Hello' to relaxing, and 'Goodbye' to stiffness and pain!"

To see my popular YouTube video of me demonstrating the wonderful "'2-Minute Movement-Education Miracle' to Free Up Your Stiff Neck", Click Here