Sunday, June 22, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Neutral Spine
Like any good Pilates teacher I will begin with my definition of neutral spine. Neutral Spine is the place where all of the vertebral disks align parallel to each other; where the curves of the spine can provide effective shock absorption, and the muscles and connective tissue around the spine are balanced. It is the place where the spine is at once the most stable and resilient. Now its pretty impossible to to see the disks with the naked eye, so I rely on a formula that should approximate proper disk alignment, knowing that everybody is different, and gaining a look inside via x-ray, or MRI, when clients have them.
The spine has 3 large bony masses attached to it; pelvis, ribcage, and skull. The centers of gravity and plumb lines of all 3 masses should align with each other for neutral. In the pelvis, generally I look for the ASIS and the pubis to align on the same plane, a small secondary curve in the lumbar area, and the most efficient use of the psoas. In the ribcage, I look for a primary curve where the apex is around T10 or so, a secondary curve in the neck that begins around T1, and the top of the sternum and the rib margins of ribs 7-9 to align more or less on the same plane. In the skull I look for the face to align so that the forehead and chin are roughly on the same plane.
Over all I begin with the idea that, if standing, the ear, armpit, the mid point of the side of rib9, the head of the femur, and the cuniforms of the foot align; where the top of the sternum, rib margin, ASIS, and pubis align; and the occiput, T10 and the sacrum align. Using this as my model I allow for individual adjustment form body to body.
The spine has 3 large bony masses attached to it; pelvis, ribcage, and skull. The centers of gravity and plumb lines of all 3 masses should align with each other for neutral. In the pelvis, generally I look for the ASIS and the pubis to align on the same plane, a small secondary curve in the lumbar area, and the most efficient use of the psoas. In the ribcage, I look for a primary curve where the apex is around T10 or so, a secondary curve in the neck that begins around T1, and the top of the sternum and the rib margins of ribs 7-9 to align more or less on the same plane. In the skull I look for the face to align so that the forehead and chin are roughly on the same plane.
Over all I begin with the idea that, if standing, the ear, armpit, the mid point of the side of rib9, the head of the femur, and the cuniforms of the foot align; where the top of the sternum, rib margin, ASIS, and pubis align; and the occiput, T10 and the sacrum align. Using this as my model I allow for individual adjustment form body to body.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Biography
Devona has been teaching Pilates since 2000 and Yamuna Body Rolling(YBR) since 2008. She is familiar with a wide variety of styles of Pilates, from the original choreography to rehabilitation in the Pilates environment. Devona considers herself not just a fitness professional, but also a body therapist. Her focus is to help clients move with better body efficiency, resilience, and fitness. She can easily adjust to the learning styles, and personal goals of clients, creating sessions with a focus on stress relief and relaxation, or a driving brisk workout, and any where in between.
For her fitness clients she works mainly with in a Pilates framework, focusing on the "contrology" of Joseph Pilates, using his series of exercises to bring discipline to mind, body, and spirit. She uses a number of different cueing techniques, individualized for that particular client, to lead a body toward balanced work. For her clients that have injuries or other interests, she may use her full bag of tools, from Pilates and YBR, dynamic stretching and release work, to targeted neural patterning and strength training.
For her fitness clients she works mainly with in a Pilates framework, focusing on the "contrology" of Joseph Pilates, using his series of exercises to bring discipline to mind, body, and spirit. She uses a number of different cueing techniques, individualized for that particular client, to lead a body toward balanced work. For her clients that have injuries or other interests, she may use her full bag of tools, from Pilates and YBR, dynamic stretching and release work, to targeted neural patterning and strength training.
My Modalities
Pilates:
Mr. Joseph Pilates created a system of exercise for general health and well being. In addition to Matwork (exercise with out equipment) he created various types of equipment all based on spring resistance. The equipment is made to either challenge or aid you as you exercise. Mr. Pilates generally worked in two different ways.
For the average, healthy body he used exercises taught in a series. All of his students learned the same exercise routine and in each session, worked toward focusing the mind, perfecting the form, and controlling the movement. It was a discipline. For a body with an injury or condition, he would he would manipulate his exercises, maybe creating a new one or two, tailoring the work for that individual's needs. The goal was to return them to a level of fitness where they could learn and perform his more established routine.
I structure my work as a Pilates teacher in much the same way. If a client comes in with an injury or condition, I tailor my work to their needs, working towards their goal of health and wellness. If a healthy client comes to me and wants to "workout", I teach them the traditional series of exercises, focusing on movement quality, control, and perfecting form over time. Repeating the routine the same way over time has its advantages, a deep understanding that one gains from repetition overtime, but the reality is that the body will eventually plateau with out new movement. With that in mind, once I feel confident the client has learned the traditional routine I begin to incorporate variety, changing the order, or details about the exercises, even some new exercises all together.
To sum up, I offer 2 way of working in the Pilates modality:
Corrective Pilates
Traditional Pilates
Yamuna Body Rolling:
Mr. Joseph Pilates created a system of exercise for general health and well being. In addition to Matwork (exercise with out equipment) he created various types of equipment all based on spring resistance. The equipment is made to either challenge or aid you as you exercise. Mr. Pilates generally worked in two different ways.
For the average, healthy body he used exercises taught in a series. All of his students learned the same exercise routine and in each session, worked toward focusing the mind, perfecting the form, and controlling the movement. It was a discipline. For a body with an injury or condition, he would he would manipulate his exercises, maybe creating a new one or two, tailoring the work for that individual's needs. The goal was to return them to a level of fitness where they could learn and perform his more established routine.
I structure my work as a Pilates teacher in much the same way. If a client comes in with an injury or condition, I tailor my work to their needs, working towards their goal of health and wellness. If a healthy client comes to me and wants to "workout", I teach them the traditional series of exercises, focusing on movement quality, control, and perfecting form over time. Repeating the routine the same way over time has its advantages, a deep understanding that one gains from repetition overtime, but the reality is that the body will eventually plateau with out new movement. With that in mind, once I feel confident the client has learned the traditional routine I begin to incorporate variety, changing the order, or details about the exercises, even some new exercises all together.
To sum up, I offer 2 way of working in the Pilates modality:
Corrective Pilates
Traditional Pilates
Yamuna Body Rolling:
From www.yamunabodyrolling.com:
"Yamuna Body Rolling™ is a revolutionary approach to health and fitness using balls designed exclusively for this practice. It consists of a series of routines using 6 to 10-inch balls. Unlike other ball exercises, YBR goes far beyond random movement and stretch. It allows you to work specific muscles in detail, to create suppleness in tight areas and optimize range of motion.
Yamuna Body Rolling™ re-educates muscles and stimulates bone, creating positive, permanent changes in the body."
YBR is a fantastic system, that allows you to move and stretch all the spaces in your body while toning your muscles and gaining balanced strength. It can be as gentle as a massage or as challenging as a good Pilates workout. My training in YBR includes the series of routines, and hands on work with the ball. I have also developed a number of my own routines on the Yamuna balls, based on Thomas Myers' work on Anatomy Trains.
Body Therapy:
I have a talent for seeing the body's structure; where the postural mis-alignments are, the locked places in the tissue, the less faulty movement patterns. In a body therapy session I look at what the client's body needs and develop a session around that using my full bag of tricks, from hands on work to targeted exercises. This type of session targets exactly what your body needs and goes straight to the causes of pain, injury, discomfort, tightness, and instability.
Body Therapy:
I have a talent for seeing the body's structure; where the postural mis-alignments are, the locked places in the tissue, the less faulty movement patterns. In a body therapy session I look at what the client's body needs and develop a session around that using my full bag of tricks, from hands on work to targeted exercises. This type of session targets exactly what your body needs and goes straight to the causes of pain, injury, discomfort, tightness, and instability.
What I Offer
We are complex machines built to preform a multitude of tasks from manipulating our environment to self repair. We have a complex sensory network that provides us with information on our surroundings, and our internal workings, as well as warnings and alarms when things aren't working as they should. We want our bodies to be ready for the tasks we encounter, be able to rebound and recuperate when challenged, to feel good to walk around in, and to be pleasing to the eye. You have goals; there are a variety of ways I can help.
Service Manual: (Body Therapy)
We put our bodies through a lot; repetitive movements, wear and tear, injuries and traumas. You may have chronic pain, an injury or disease, or perhaps things just aren't working as expected. I offer the following:
Troubleshooting- We will look at the what, how, and why of an issue, condition, or injury.
Repair- We will make a plan for rehabilitation, helping the body fix its self through balanced strength, support, space, and movement patterning.
Maintenance: You will learn what to do to keep things running smoothly.
Owners Manual: (Corrective Pilates/Body Rolling)
Someone forgot to include one in our packaging. We walk around in our bodies most of the time without much understanding of how they work. I can help demystify your body, providing instruction on the following:
Normal Usage- How the body works and moves, building awareness of all your parts, learning to control how you use your body.
Maintenance- Regular upkeep; what you need to do to keep your body happy, healthy, and working smoothly.
Programming- Building good movement habits, and breaking down faulty ones.
Safety- Injury prevention, recognizing sensory warning signs.
Quick Start Guide: (Fundamental Pilates)
This will get you quickly accustomed to the basic operations of your body. The basic fundamentals for movement, conditioning, and resiliency.
Performance and upgrades: (Traditional Pilates)
This is where we focus on conditioning your body; strength training, flexibility, balance, control, reaction time. Your body already works pretty well and you want to challenge and push yourself. You want to create a streamlined form that looks and feels good.
Service Manual: (Body Therapy)
We put our bodies through a lot; repetitive movements, wear and tear, injuries and traumas. You may have chronic pain, an injury or disease, or perhaps things just aren't working as expected. I offer the following:
Troubleshooting- We will look at the what, how, and why of an issue, condition, or injury.
Repair- We will make a plan for rehabilitation, helping the body fix its self through balanced strength, support, space, and movement patterning.
Maintenance: You will learn what to do to keep things running smoothly.
Owners Manual: (Corrective Pilates/Body Rolling)
Someone forgot to include one in our packaging. We walk around in our bodies most of the time without much understanding of how they work. I can help demystify your body, providing instruction on the following:
Normal Usage- How the body works and moves, building awareness of all your parts, learning to control how you use your body.
Maintenance- Regular upkeep; what you need to do to keep your body happy, healthy, and working smoothly.
Programming- Building good movement habits, and breaking down faulty ones.
Safety- Injury prevention, recognizing sensory warning signs.
Quick Start Guide: (Fundamental Pilates)
This will get you quickly accustomed to the basic operations of your body. The basic fundamentals for movement, conditioning, and resiliency.
Performance and upgrades: (Traditional Pilates)
This is where we focus on conditioning your body; strength training, flexibility, balance, control, reaction time. Your body already works pretty well and you want to challenge and push yourself. You want to create a streamlined form that looks and feels good.
Practial Application of What I Offer
Great, so what does all of this mean? What is this like in terms of sessions and my goals?
Say you are pretty healthy and pain free, and want to work on getting stronger and more fit. I would suggest for you the Quick Start Guide, and Performance and Upgrades Program. You would learn some of the fundamental movement exercises and the Pilates Exercise routine.
Say you have an injury, old or new. You have done/ are doing the physical therapy that your doctor prescribed, and you have heard that pilates can help. I would suggest for you the Service Manual Program. I would look at your posture and skeletal alignment, and how supportive your muscular system is in relationship to your injury, both in standing and moving. I would then devise a program consisting of awareness exercises, light strength exercises, movement pattern re-education, and some Yamuna Body Rolling work to regain some space in the joints involved. You would gain balanced strength for support and stability, better movement efficiency, and learn how to control your movements so you feel better, and are pain free.
Say you want to learn more about your body, you are a dancer, or a runner maybe, a person who wants to better their technique or form, awareness and control, but has other outlets for physical conditioning. Perhaps you have "normal" aches and pains, are a couch potato who wants to ease into exercise, or even someone who wants to just wants to make sure all their joints work when they are 90 years old. For you I would suggest the Owners Manual Program. You will develop a concrete understanding of how the body works, and how to move with ease. You will have a body that will move with minimal wear and tear, good balance and space, and an ability to adapt and recover. We can target our sessions toward bettering your technique in a specific modality, or perhaps help you improve when you have hit a plateau.
Say you are pretty healthy and pain free, and want to work on getting stronger and more fit. I would suggest for you the Quick Start Guide, and Performance and Upgrades Program. You would learn some of the fundamental movement exercises and the Pilates Exercise routine.
Say you have an injury, old or new. You have done/ are doing the physical therapy that your doctor prescribed, and you have heard that pilates can help. I would suggest for you the Service Manual Program. I would look at your posture and skeletal alignment, and how supportive your muscular system is in relationship to your injury, both in standing and moving. I would then devise a program consisting of awareness exercises, light strength exercises, movement pattern re-education, and some Yamuna Body Rolling work to regain some space in the joints involved. You would gain balanced strength for support and stability, better movement efficiency, and learn how to control your movements so you feel better, and are pain free.
Say you want to learn more about your body, you are a dancer, or a runner maybe, a person who wants to better their technique or form, awareness and control, but has other outlets for physical conditioning. Perhaps you have "normal" aches and pains, are a couch potato who wants to ease into exercise, or even someone who wants to just wants to make sure all their joints work when they are 90 years old. For you I would suggest the Owners Manual Program. You will develop a concrete understanding of how the body works, and how to move with ease. You will have a body that will move with minimal wear and tear, good balance and space, and an ability to adapt and recover. We can target our sessions toward bettering your technique in a specific modality, or perhaps help you improve when you have hit a plateau.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hello All
As it is my goal to publish in my field, I have begun this blog as an exercise in writing my observations about my life as a Pilates teacher. I consider this a place to keep notes, share my experiences in teaching movement and somatic healing in general, and gain feed back from readers.
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