Written by Christi Idavoy – Polestar Educator and Polestar Pilates Biscayne Studio Owner “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, while 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 Joseph 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!
Photo credit: Pilates Anytime“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!
Written by: Lana Johnson, Sydney, Australia based POLESTAR mentor and Physiotherapist
I have had many interesting and valid questions of late from a variety of health professionals and patients, centered around the question of core stability and its role in Pilates and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Many of them have been brought to light by Eyal Lederman’s article, ‘The Myth of Core Stability’ in The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
I feel obliged to mention that my point of view is shaped by my various lenses; Physiotherapist, Pilates Instructor, ConnectTherapy Practitioner (formerly known as ISM Practitioner), dancer and human movement enthusiast! Given this blending of manual and movement therapy, as well as the intermingling of evidence based practice, it is little wonder at times that I feel stretched between different paradigms and constantly evolving evidence and beliefs.
I appreciate Dr Lederman’s work in shining the evidence-based torch on ‘Core Stability’. It helps to keep us as health professionals honest when making evidence based decisions for our patients and acts as a guide to highlight where the ‘Marketing Health Machine’ has extrapolated research findings for use in its own purpose. However catchy, his title, ‘The Myth of Core Stability’, does little to help clarify the inconsistencies of language and understanding which currently surround the manual and movement therapy worlds. I believe the only myth here, lies in our definition of the term “core stability”, rather than in the actual practice of it!
If you define core stability purely in terms of ‘strength’ and limit it to being region specific (ie trunk musculature only), then the myth of core stability is rampant. Tighten all of your ‘trunk’ muscles and notice how you feel and how your movement is. For most people it feels limiting and stiff. Any good movement therapist will tell you that the body works as an integrated whole and practising only chest lifts on the mat, or holding a plank for 5 minutes will not cure nor prevent back pain brought on by 1 hour of sitting!
If you however define core stability in terms of the whole organism (physical body, both peripheral and central as well as the mind) then there is no myth at all. Hundreds of manual and movement therapists understand that a well-constructed movement session helps a body recovering from injury or from poor movement strategies to regain options for movement both from a peripheral and central point of view. In fact what is happening in these sessions is not ‘core stability’ training as defined above but rather ‘integration’, whereby bodies are reminded how to ‘problem solve’ movement deficits through various central and peripheral paths.
Thus I think it is about time that we throw away the tarnished phrase ‘core stability’ and define a new term, like Polestar Pilates’ ‘Movement Integration.’ That helps build bridges between manual and movement therapists, aid communication and get back to improving the lives of our patients!
We are creatures of comfort and spend a great deal of our focus and effort to minimize possible discomfort. For example: cushioned shoes, central air conditioning and heating, heated steering wheels, cooled car seats, grocery delivery, etc. It’s fantastic that we have these innovations and conveniences built into our lives, but does it carry over into our physical fitness and mental expectations? – Kate Strozak, NCPT
In movement training sessions, our goals are to expand our movement capabilities whether that be in power, mobility, agility, or complexity. We want to respect our bodies when we receive signals of: “that’s enough,” “that was a little too much too soon,” or “this is causing damage.” The more we move and the more body awareness we cultivate, the better we can listen to these messages while continuing to progress.
Early on, a coach or trainer can help a person to recognize these messages while challenging their capabilities. “The four stages of learning” is a model employed across many sectors including business, psychology, education, sports, and others.
This model was created by Noel Burch in 1970 and it includes:
Unconscious incompetence (we don’t know what we don’t know)
Conscious incompetence (we are aware of what we don’t know)
Conscious competence (we are aware and can do)
Unconscious competence (we do without thinking- a habit is born)
As a movement professional, do you help your clients get to the phase of unconscious competence? For many trainers, this could be an intimidating tactic because you might wonder what would happen to your business if all of your clients could do without you.
I have two suggestions:
1. Enable your clients to get to the phase of unconscious competence.
2. Help your clients embrace that their potential is limitless and that you are there as a resource.
A few simple suggestions to help your clients phase into the state of unconscious competence include fostering exploration and creativity.
Phrases might include: “what would happen if you tried…?” and “let’s explore…”
Using cuing judiciously is also helpful in empowering your clients. Do you find yourself having to repeatedly cue the same faulty movement patterns, for example, rib alignment?
If you find you are often repeating the same cues, it’s likely because the client hasn’t experienced what you are trying to convey or they don’t understand. Try changing the task or environment and see if they can execute whichever function you want them to accomplish. Embodying this principle can take time; it can decrease the pressure of feeling like you have to know everything, increase the collaborative nature of your work, and facilitate creativity from both the coach and the client.
Journeying through the limitless potential phase is a soul-satisfying experience that can result in unexpected laughs, plot twists, and spontaneous joy.
For example, the other day I was reviewing footage of a movement flow I did in a park and saw that I did one legged push ups in a complete state of ease and flow. I started laughing and almost crying!After a year of focused practice on mastering a pushup, I had never considered what my next step would be.
Who knows what will evolve next, but I know that my own expectations can only limit what I’m capable of accomplishing. Being a resource to your client to help them explore movements that might be challenging now while pushing them further along is the role of a movement coach. Be open to surprises and be willing to explore both with yourself and with your clients.
Are you looking for some ways to take yourself out of your comfort zone?
Here are a few things I incorporate in my day-to-day life:
• At the end of a shower, turn your water as cold as you can. Over time increase the duration of time you can tolerate the cold water.
• Walk on rocks of variety of shapes, sizes, and smoothness. Your body will thank you!
• Turn off the AC or heat in the car and open those windows! You might be do this for small periods of time, and please be safe if you’re living in places with extreme weather patterns.
• Practice breathing exercises with sustained pauses. Buteyko breathing and Wim Hof are great resources for this work.
Kate Strozak, NCPT is a Polestar Pilates Educator and Content Contributor
As a society, our daily practice of emailing, texting and small-talk requires us to make room for focused intention and study of how we communicate as movement instructors. As health care professionals we are tasked with speaking with very diverse clients concerning intimate subjects, their bodies.
Polestar’s communication model is based on neuro-linguistics, and we are fortunate to work with two physical therapists who are also NLP practitioners, Alastair Greetham in London and Dr. Helen Masin in Miami. We recently invited Dr. Masin to discuss how best to connect to your clients through meaningful communication during our monthly webinar series, Pilates Hour.
Naturally, you modulate your speech differently when speaking with friends versus colleagues in the workplace. Reflect on the last time you visited your doctor. Whether a good or bad exchange, think of the language your doctor used to understand your reason for visiting. What, besides language, did he use to connect with you? Do you feel like he listened to you?
Connections require that you build rapport with your client, ensuring a smooth, respectful conversation. Certain non-verbal forms of communication are best utilized here. Posture, tonality, speed, pacing, and use of silence help establish a relationship with the client. Let the client know that a nonjudgmental, patient audience is hearing them. This then lays a better foundation for two-way communication. If a patient tells you he is having “trouble with back pain,” you may want to use that same language when you confirm what they said: “so you’re here because you have trouble with back pain?”. Allow them to go deeper in detail with how they are experiencing it. Ask for clarification when you need to.
“listen with three ears”
Dr. Masin says to “listen with three ears” when you are with a client. This skill, active listening, calls for attention not only to what is being said, but also to what is not. The inflection in someone’s voice, their gestures while speaking, and their manner of speaking all factor into building rapport. If your client is soft spoken, it may help ease them to adjust your volume to theirs. If they are sitting, you should sit. By empathizing with the client in this manner, you are also showing the client that you understand their ailment as they experience it.
Creating a meaningful connection with someone could be tricky depending on his or her background, which is why active listening and rapport building is crucial to effective communication.
Another way to ensure rapport is understanding cultural diversity. This runs the gambit from ethnicity, to sexual orientation, to religious beliefs, and so forth. Above all, avoid assumptions! The simplest way to assure you’re addressing your client appropriately is with an introduction. You can play with what you say so long as you provide them the space to answer and then to confide in you.
Remember not to negate what your patients say, listen and build rapport with them. Done correctly, these methods help break down some of the walls people instinctively place between each other. You may make mistakes, but you will get better at it with practice.
Have you tuned in to Pilates Hour yet? Be sure to bookmark this page to stay up to date for the next webinar to gain more insights on professional development, research, and much more.
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