Asian Squats: Benefits and How to Practice and Improve

I so often squat while typing on my laptop or working with my clients, and people ask me if I am uncomfortable. I then tell them that I am actually quite comfortable in my squat position, more comfortable than sitting in a chair. My answer almost always surprises people. Why do many people think that squat is only for younger people, and not ideal for older people? Why is it that many older people including my parents and my wife's parents (Japanese) and others in many Asian countries and other countries can squat comfortably? Should older people avoid squatting? When should we stop squatting? Questions go on and on and on.

"Use it or lose it". Just like sitting on the floor (which I also support), squatting requires more fuller joint range of motion than sitting in a chair/couch. It is not so much about being in a squat position that is beneficial, but the act of getting in/out of a squat position is beneficial as you are moving all joints and muscles through much greater range. And, as you use this position for many functional activities such as watching TV, reading a book, using a computer, eating, etc, you'll be moving more frequently, which is a real secret for keeping our body strong, mobile, and healthy. This is why I am a huge advocate of squatting, sitting on the floor, or what I call "becoming friends with the floor". Another huge benefit of this is to become less fearful of falling.

By the way, I am not suggesting that everyone needs to do Asian squat. I am just sharing my thoughts on this topic, and want you to know that age and your ethnicity don't determine the ability to do Asian squat. Our ability to move is largely influenced by how we use our body everyday, which is influenced by our culture. So, the point I want to make is that your body and the ability to move can change based on how you use your body and move daily.

What is Asian Squat?

It is a full squat with feet flat on the ground, buttocks all the way down near heels or touching them. A common position used by people in many Asian countries while talking, eating, other activities.

What are benefits?

1) Keeps joints healthy and mobile

2) Keeps muscles strong and flexible

3) Helps with digestive system

4) May help with posture

*The ability to get up from the floor is corrected with mortality rate. The research shows that people who struggle to get up from the floor or not able to do have higher mortality rate as compared to people who are able to get up from the floor easily.

How to practice and improve:

1) Incorporate Asian Squat in daily activities such as reading a book, eating a meal, watching a TV, etc.

2) Start small and increase gradually

Happy Squatting!

Proprioception and Balance

Did you know falls take a psychological toll as well:  up to 50% of those who fear falling limit or exclude social or physical activities because of this fear?

Did you know you have “sensors” called proprioceptors in your bodies (muscles, ligaments, joints, skin, tendons) that are informing you where you are in space, your body part relative to other body parts?

Because of these you can bring your food to your mouth while watching TV or talking with your friend without looking closely at your hand.   With your eyes closed, you can tell positions of your hands, arms, legs because those sensors or proprioceptors are constantly informing your nervous system so you can carry out most of activities automatically.

Unfortunately proprioceptors become less sensitive and decline with injuries, aging, lack of movement.  As you can imagine, this can impair your balance.  A good news is that proper exercises and movement training can stimulate proprioceptors and improve your balance!

Join my Balance Re-training Program starting in January!

Sign up for my upcoming Balance Re-training Program:

www.trans4move.com/balanceprogram

If you bring a friend, you will receive a $100 discount!

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Here is why you should work on your coordination

If you are an athlete and want to improve your performance, what do you do to achieve your goal?

Lifting weights, stretching, running, balance training, and doing agility work are common routines for many sports training.

How about coordination training? This one is not often incorporated in most people's movement training, I think. But, this is a key to improve your movement efficiency/economy and improve performance.

Why?

Even if you improve your pure strength, power, speed, flexibility, and/or endurance, you cannot translate those into purposeful movement unless you have good whole body coordination that allows movement to transmit through your entire body.

For example, no matter how strong your leg, core, and arm muscles are, if they don't coordinate well together, you cannot throw a ball very fast and far or you cannot hit a golf ball very far. Your strength, power, speed, flexibility, and endurance are only as good as your coordination is.

So, how can you improve your coordination?

This is what I focus on my movement training! By improving your coordination you will not only improve athletic performance, but you will also improve overall physical conditions (injuries, pain), and balance.

I have over 100 short movement lesson/exercise videos on my YouTube channel ( www.youtube.com/c/TaroIwamoto ). You can try some of coordination exercises. Please don't forget to subscribe to my channel if you like my videos.

If you'd like to work with me in person, please contact me. I offer sessions in person as well as online.

Have a great day!

If you bring a friend, you will receive a $100 discount!

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Muscular Strength and Balance

Did you know adults lose 10% in strength and endurance for every decade after the age of 30?  Combined with a similar loss in muscle power (30% per decade), this leads to a decrease in physical function among seniors that puts them at greater risk.

Muscular strength particularly leg and trunk strength) plays an important role in your balance.  Thus, any events that decrease muscular strength (aging, injuries, and/or diseases) will have a negative impact on your balance.

For example, decreased leg and core muscle strength will make it difficult for you to get out of chair .  You will feel more effort and less steady/stable.  Do you find your self using the momentum and pushing through your arms on armrests to rise from a chair?  Does it take longer to cross a street?

If you don’t notice those things, don’t wait.   Start working on your balance now!  I can help you!

Sign up for my upcoming Balance Re-training Program:

www.trans4move.com/balanceprogram

If you bring a friend, you will receive a $100 discount!

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Balance: How does it relate to you and your life?

Did you know, according to the National Council on Aging, one in four Americans over the age of 65 falls each year?

Doing everything you can to improve your balance and movement ability daily is very important!  Just because you are “young”, which is a relative term and has nothing to do with your balance, don’t assume that you are not at risk.  Even if you haven’t had any traumatic falls, that doesn’t mean you will not.  If fact, falls happen to anyone at some point.

What does balance mean to you?  How does balance relate to your life?  Please take a few moments to think about this.

Balance directly relates to your life.  It relates to many things you do daily from getting in/out of a chair, taking your dog to walk in the morning, to hiking, playing sports, and more.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy all social and physical activities you like, just imagine how you would feel not being to do those things.  The sooner you start, the better!  Let’s work together and get better balance and enjoy your life even more!

Sign up for my upcoming Balance Re-training Program:

www.trans4move.com/balanceprogram

If you bring a friend, you will receive a $100 discount!

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Can the Feldenkrais Method help with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

I believe the Feldenkrais Method (either in group class or one-on one hands on session) can help people with MS in many ways.

One of the benefits of the Feldenkrais Method is that we help people learn more efficient movement patterns that will work the best for their own body because every person has a unique body and there is no one “correct” movement pattern than works for everyone. Improving movement efficiency and economy is very important for anyone, but particularly for people with MS as energy conservation is a key.

Improving movement efficiency and movement patterns is also important to improve functional mobility such as getting in and out of bed, toilet, walking, etc. As their energy level goes down, their movement patterns are likely to change. For example, they may show decreased leg and trunk coordination, affecting their gait pattern, and increasing risks of falling. Thus, through this work, we can help them become more independent and reduce their fall risks.

We also help people improve their kinesthetic/proprioceptive awareness. While changes in gait pattern as a result of fatigue may look apparent to observers, there is a very good chance that they are not aware of such changes. Thus, improving kinesthetic/proprioceptive awareness can help them notice when they start altering their movement patterns so they can pay closer attention to how they are walking and minimize fall risks.

It is not uncommon for people with MS to experience muscle pain and joint pain. The Feldenkrais Method uses very gentle movements and can lessen unnecessary muscular tension, which can give them a pain relief.

This work is also helpful in calming the nervous system by balancing out autonomic nervous system and reducing anxiety ans stress. Anxiety and stress can interfere with their sleep pattern, and can also increase pain.

These are some of the benefits of the Feldenkrais Method for people with MS that I can think of. Please leave me your comments, questions, and/or feedback.

 Get help to move more comfortably and be more comfortable in your body.

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Difference between Feldenkrais and Yoga and Pilates

What I share here with you only comes from my experience as a Feldenkrais practitioner with a little of knowledge and experience about Yoga and Pilates, thus it is by no means an absolute definition.

I will make it very simple and short.

What Feldenkrais, Yoga, and Pilates have in common:
MOVEMENT. They all work with movement.

Characteristics of Feldenkrais:

-Whole body integrated movement as opposed to isolated movement

-Uses many development movement patterns to improve coordination and balance

-Movement is used as a means to improving human functioning

-Focuses more on subjective experiences of movement

-Process- oriented

Characteristics of Yoga:

-a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices originated in ancient India.

-Tends to be more static (hold a certain posture for a period of time), though it depends on which yoga you practice.

-Whole body integrated movement

-can be goal-oriented especially modern yoga that is practiced as fitness/exercise as opposed to mind-body practice

Characteristics of Pilates:

-works to build strength, develop control and endurance in the entire body.

-may be practiced on the floor or on Pilates equipment such as reformer, Pilates chair.

-tends to be more goal-oriented.

Generalization of Yoga I often hear is that yoga is great for flexibility and strengthening.

Generalization of Pilates is that it is great for core strengthening.

I believe there is a lot more to Yoga and Pilates than those generalizations, however, at least to a small degree that is true.

For me what differentiates Feldenkrais from Yoga and Pilates is that teachers guide students attention to their internal sensations so each student can discover “ideal” movement patterns for him/herself, as no one individual has the same body thus no one movement that fits everyone. In Feldenkrais classes, teachers don’t usually demo movements for students, but instead teachers only verbally guide students through a sequence of movements and guide their attention to their bodies so they become aware of their habitual movement patterns and new and more efficient ones.

These are all movement systems and you cannot learn about movement by only talking about movement and reading. The best way to learn is to try all of them and you will experience the difference between them.

 Get help to move more comfortably and be more comfortable in your body.

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

How I do know whether I need a knee replacement or not? Can the Feldenkrais Method help prevent a knee replacement?

“I have a severe arthritis in my knee.  Will I need a knee replacement or can I avoid a surgery with the Feldenkrais Method or any other modalities?”

This is a very common question I receive from my clients and friends.  I believe that the amount of information you can get on the internet is overwhelming, and it is not easy to differentiate reliable information based on good research from information based on personal opinions without a scientific basis.

My intention for this article is to clarify a reasoning for a surgical intervention and the Feldenkrais Method (TM) for some conditions such as arthritis, degenerative joint disease (DJD), and degenerative disc disease (DDD).

The diagnoses mentioned above are all chronic conditions that result from repetitive use over many years vs traumatic acute injuries.  It is important to remind you that degeneration of joints, discs is normal aging process, and that should not intimidate you.  No matter how well you use your body and move you will have some wear and tear.

So how do you know if you need a surgery or when you need a surgery?

Here are two important questions you need to ask yourself:

1) Is your condition causing pain/discomfort?  How severe?

2) Is your pain/discomfort compromising your daily activities?  How badly?

Notice I didn’t ask you about the severity of degeneration based on imaging studies (MRI, X-rays, etc).  Why didn’t I ask you that question?

Whether you will need a surgery or not depends on the severity of your pain experience, not necessarily based on the severity of arthritis, bone/joint degeneration.

* There are other factors: age, other medical conditions.

Research shows that the severity of pain is not really correlated with the severity of arthritis. In fact, many people experience little or no pain in the presence of severe arthritis, or vice versa.

It’s not uncommon for some people in their 90’s to have no joint pain.  I bet x-rays would show quite a bit of joint degeneration in most joints including knees, hips, and spine.

Does it make sense for them to have a surgery if they are not having much pain and their functions aren’t affected?  A surgery may not be necessary if a person is experiencing little or no pain regardless of the severity of arthritis/degeneration.

I’d like to clarify that I am not suggesting that you don’t see a physician, nor that imaging studies are unnecessary.  I believe it is important that you consult with your physician regarding your condition(s).  My point here is that the presence of degeneration does not necessarily determine whether a surgical intervention is warranted.

Can the Feldenkrais Method (TM) reverse my joint degeneration?  How can it help me?

The state of the joint integrity cannot be reversed with the Feldenkrais Method.  It is important to realize that your habitual movement patterns create uneven use of your body.  You use certain parts much more than others.  There is a very good chance that to some degree uneven use has contributed to increased joint degeneration in some areas.

Proportional distribution of effort and movement is one of the Feldenkrais Method’s fundamental principles.  We, Feldenkrais practitioners teach you how you can redistribute your movement effort more evenly and efficiently, which will reduce stress at the affected part, and you can move more comfortably and easily.

What is unique about the Feldenkrais Method is that we don’t work with the affected part in isolation.  We, instead look at its relationship with other parts and improve the whole relationship, as you cannot influence one part and not influence the rest.  

If one part is affected by any condition, your nervous system will find a way to compensate in an effort to protect the affected part.  While compensatory mechanism is helpful and necessary for a short period of time, it will have consequences in a long term.

That said, the Feldenkrais Method can improve the relationship between the affected part and the rest of the parts and can recreate a new experience and sense of how you use and move the affected part of yourself and change your pain experience as well.

Thus, whether you end up needing a surgery or not, the Feldenkrais Method can benefit you. You cannot go wrong with improving the quality of movement. It will benefit you tremendously even if you have a surgery.

In summary, the severity of joint degeneration is not directly related to the severity of pain.  Whether you’ll need a surgery (a knee replacement in this case) or not depends on the severity of pain experience and how much pain is limiting your activities (plus other factors such as age and other medical conditions).  Ultimately your physician and you will decide the best option for you.  The Feldenkrais Method can benefit you whether you pursue a surgical intervention or a conservative treatment.

 Get help to move more comfortably and be more comfortable in your body.

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Toe Dexterity and Balance

How well can you move your toes? I bet you can't move your toes as well as your fingers. Your feet used to get a lot more sensory stimulation from the ground when you were a child as you probably walked in barefoot than you do now.

Notice how babies use their feet and toes and use the feedback from the ground to develop movements. Your brain gets so much information from your feet and toes.

Imagine how little freedom your feet and toes have in your shoes. Sensory feedback your feet receive from the ground help you develop balance.

Start activating your toes once again like when you were a child with "Monkey Toes Exercise" and improve your balance!

Get help to improve your balance and movement.

Movement is essential to our life. Improving movement quality is directly related to quality of our life. Teaching people to move well is my passion. Sign up for Trans4Move Newsletters that will teach you how to improve your movements, functions, and your life!

My name is Taro Iwamoto. I am a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement expert. I help people develop new and more efficient movement patterns and expand movement options in order to overcome injuries/pain and move beyond limits. Feel free to post in the comments section below and feel free to share this with your friends!

Applying the Feldenkrais Method in Working with People with Dementia

I have been fortunate enough to have had many opportunities to help individuals with dementia including Alzheimer’s disease as a Feldenkrais practitioner and a physical therapist assistant in the past several years.  Although people’s diagnoses would not change how I work with people, working with people with dementia brings unique challenges.  

I’d like to share a few things that I’ve learned over the years and how I use some principles of the Feldenkrais Method to help those individuals.  I understand there are several types of dementia and they all present different symptoms, but what I am sharing here applies to people with all forms of dementia.

Principle #1:  Be present and meet them where they are at

This principle is not unique to the Feldenkrais Method,but is such a fundamental one to keep in mind.  Even if they don’t understand what you are saying, they can intuitively sense whether you’re giving them your attention or not.  It is very important to be able to  recognize all of their cues (verbal or non-verbal) that can suggest their needs because they may not have the ability to express them verbally.  Being present is a pre-requisite to notice those cues.

Principle #2:  Let go of expectations  

You teach them something, say, teach them how to get out of a chair more efficiently, and there is a very good chance they will forget what you teach and you will end up teaching the same thing again next visit.  We, Feldenkrais practitioners know that we should not expect any particular outcomes/results from our clients.  This is especially important when you’re working with people with dementia.  

We may guess and speculate what might happen, but it’s not our job to decide their outcomes.  It it their nervous system’s job to decide.  Just observe and notice their responses/changes.  The nervous system will take what it can take at that moment and will not take anything if it’s not ready.  Knowing this will greatly reduce pressure/stress on practitioners as well as clients.

Principle #3:  Developmental Movement Patterns

It’s not uncommon that people with dementia decline in motor functions as well as cognitive functions as they tend to work together.  A beauty of being a Feldenkrais practitioner is that we help improve people’s functions through movement.  Based on my experiences people tend to regress in their motor functions in the very similar development sequence except in reverse.  

I find it very helpful for them to practice developmental movement patterns such as rolling, crawling, scooting, all transitional movements, etc.  Development movement patterns are fundamental building blocks for more complex movements such as walking.  Thus, when complex movements become more difficult, it’s beneficial to go back to earlier movement patterns.  

I had a client in her 80’s with mild dementia, and she was declining in all her functions.  It was getting harder for her to get out of a recliner chair, bed, toilet, get in/out of shower, walk, and more.  She was working on some strengthening exercises, which were helpful, but didn’t seem to improve her functions significantly.

 I started incorporating developmental movement patterns, which she had not done for years.  After a few weeks, she started to show significant improvements in all her functions.  It was getting much easier to get out of her recliner, bed, toilet.  She was walking faster.  She was much more confident in her balance.  I am not describing specific movements here as what is appropriate will depend on each person.  

What I’d like to emphasize here is that practicing developmental movement patterns can affect their functions so significantly.  However, please don’t be shocked if you don’t see any improvements or carryover from one session to next.  As I said earlier, it’s not our job to decide their outcomes.  Our job is to facilitate their learning by creating such conditions.  Then, we’ll just need to let their nervous system do their job.  Observe their responses and adjust what we will provide next time accordingly.

 Here’s a video that shows a few examples of developmental movements I use with my clients.

While there are more Feldenkrais principles that I apply in working with people with dementia, I wanted to select a few that I find particularly helpful.  I hope you find this information helpful.  Whether you are a Feldenkrais pracitioner or not, you can use these principles to help people with dementia.  

Get more information:

Feldenkrais Method and Developmental Movement

Feldenkrais Method uses developmental movement.  

Do you have any guess why??

There are several reasons but I will explain one here.  

Children rely on their own kinesthetic senses (subjective) to make a decision.  Adults, on the other hand often make a decision based on objective information (norms of the society, opinions of others).  

This happens as we learn to act in accordance with the rules set by our society.  As a result, we move away from our own senses to make a decision.

Then what happens?  

When our senses do not match our decision that was made based on objective information, stress (physical and emotional) will be created.  What we are doing is basically trying to make our senses fit into the norms of the society and others.  

So what can we do?

We can re-learn how to connect to our own senses, ourselves like children so we can make a decision based on our senses, which will free your tension (muscular and emotional). 

We use developmental movement to create similar learning conditions and processes to the first few years of our life when the only thing we could rely on was kinesthetic senses, which has nothing to do with the norms of the society or opinions of others.  During Feldenkrais class, a teacher does not show students how they need to move.  Instead, students will be verbally directed to their own kinesthetic senses.  As you practice more, you will become more sensitive and you will be able to recognize when you go back to your old habitual pattern of relying on objective information to make a decision, which may not match your senses.  At this moment, you have a new choice, that is, to tap into your own kinesthetic senses to make a decision.  Then you have more freedom than you did before.  

Here is a video of me doing simple movements to develop new movement patterns:

Get help to move freely, comfortably, and gracefully.

Is Sitting on the Floor Better than Sitting on the Chair?

When my friends see me sit on the floor instead of couch, they often ask me why I sit on the floor because it's not comfortable.  

First of all, it's much more comfortable for me to sit on the floor than to sit on a chair or couch no matter how fancy or ergonomically designed they are.  Besides my personal comfort, there are several reasons why I advocate floor sitting.  

It is not so much a surface you sit on, or a position you are in.  For me, the biggest difference is in movement variability from floor sitting vs chair sitting.  When you look at all possible movements that can take place during transitions from sitting to standing, standing to sitting, and compare floor sitting and chair sitting, you will notice right away that there aren't that many variety in the way you move from chair.  Sitting on the floor, on the other hand can provide many more options in a sitting position and movement options from each position.  

So, why does movement variability matter?  To understand it you will have to put in a context.  Here are a few contexts:  1) Flexibility/Mobility 2) Strength 3) Coordination/Balance 4) Health of Joints

1) Flexibility/Mobility:  Let's experiment to understand this:  Try SLOWLY sit on the floor and SLOWLY get up and notice how much movement this action involves at toes, ankles, knees, hips, spine, ribs, arms. Now, try do this from a chair.  I think the difference is very obvious.  Imagine how much of difference this could make over months and years.  Our bodies adapt to demands placed on, thus those that are used more become flexible and mobile, and those that are not lose flexibility and mobility over time.  No wonder why those who grow up in countries where sitting on the floor is common have, in general, good flexibility and mobility even when they are in their 80's.

2) Strength:  Do the same experiment as above, and notice any differences in muscles you engage.  Moving from the floor and to the floor requires more movements at all joints, meaning it also requires more muscle engagement, particularly in hip muscles, which is the "powerhouse" as it generates the greatest power in our bodies.  "Use it or Lose it" principle applies to this.  

3) Coordination/Balance:  This may not be as obvious as the first two.  To illustrate this domain, observe toddlers and/or judo/aikido masters how they move to the floor and from the floor.  You will notice gracefulness, softness, smoothness, ease, and elegance, which are some of the characteristics of coordinated, balanced movement.  What gives movement such quality is the use of the entire body and coordination among the body parts so all parts are working in harmony.  Movements from the floor involve more body parts than from a chair and to make transitional movements easier requires improvements in coordination among all body parts, which is essentially improving your balance.  

4) Health of Joints:  There's a saying "Motion is Lotion."  Joints naturally produce lubricants for themselves, and the production of joint lubricants is stimulated by movement.  Thus, as movement decreases, joints produce less lubricants and eventually dry up.  Movement is literally essential to our life as movement increases circulation and all joints receive essential oxygen and nutrients through blood.  When joints are deprived of movement, they are deprived of nutrients.  It's very obvious what will happen, isn't it?  

While there are many benefits in floor sitting, I'd like to mention to you that floor sitting may not be appropriate for everyone, especially if you haven't sat down on the floor for many years for some reasons.

In conclusion, from my perspective, the real value of floor sitting is in movement potential it creates rather than a position.

Why is movement important?

As my website's name and business (Trans4move) name imply, I consider movement to be vital and essential to our life.  Everything we do involves movement.  From the day we're brought to our life to the day we die, we are moving 24/7.  Movement allows us to develop all our senses so we can make sense of the world.  When we were born, we didn't even know what our own hands were.  It is through movements of our own bodies that we relate ourselves to the world and slowly start to make sense of the world.  Our ability to sense, feel, think, and move develops simultaneously from the day we are born.  These domains (feeling, sensing, thinking, and moving) are interconnected and they influence each other.  No wonder why we feel depressed when we get ill or injured, or no wonder why we cannot think well when we feel angry.

We can of course try to improve any of these domains to improve overall quality of our life, but I choose to work with movement because changes in movement quality is much easier to notice than changes in the other domains.  Thus, movement is a very powerful means to influence one's life.  

Let's join weekly Awareness Through Movement class to improve your life!

What is Awareness Through Movement class?

I'm a certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) teacher.  Whenever I tell people about ATM, I get asked what ATM is.  I've always struggled to explain it to people for several reasons.  ATM is kinesthetic learning, which means you learn by feeling/sensing/moving and you must experience to make sense out of ATM.  But, it also helps to put it into words so people can understand cognitively.  

Many ATM lessons are based on developmental movement especially first 2 years of our lives (learning to flex/extend our head/torso/limbs; learning to roll; crawl; sit; stand; walk, etc).  Reasons why we teach developmental movement patterns are that as we get older, we tend to lose the coordination of head-torso-limbs and become more compartmentalized.  As a result of poor coordination, certain parts get used much more and certain parts hardly get used.  Uneven distribution of stress to the body can become a problem.  Practicing developmental movement can restore the coordination of all body parts and re-distribute effort/stress more evenly.  Another reason is that babies learn by sensing/feeling/moving (kinesthetic learning) vs by thinking (cortical learning).  In ATM class, we (ATM teachers) guide movements only verbally.  We purposefully do not show movements to students because we try to direct their attention/awareness  into their body and movement so they can tap into their own kinesthetic sensation just like all babies do.  When you are tuned into your own kinesthetic sense, you start to become aware of your habitual patterns.  You not only become aware of your habitual patterns, but you also discover new options.  Do you remember the first time you rode a bicycle?  It probably didn't go so smooth, did it?  You probably fell a few times and got a few scratches on your arms or legs, right?  So, how did you learn to ride a bicycle?  Probably not by reading a manual.  Probably by lots of trials and errors.  This is an example of kinesthetic learning.  ATM class creates a similar experience where you focus on feeling and sensing your body while exploring movements and start to move towards more efficient movement patterns.  The emphasis on ATM is to improve "Awareness" through Movement; thus the name ATM.  

Come join my ATM classes to have kinesthetic learning experience!

Why I don't give specific instructions during Awareness Through Movement lessons

When you go to exercise/fitness classes, you would expect your instructor to show you how to do each exercise/movement correctly step by step, right?  What if your instructor wouldn't show you how to do exercises correctly?  In Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes, teachers guide students only verbally through a sequence of movements in a way that they are encouraged to explore and experiment many options of movements instead of being instructed to move only specific ways.  We also don't tell our students that they SHOULD move this way or that way, or this is the CORRECT way of moving.  Instead, we invite our students to pay attention to sensations in their bodies to notice the way they use their bodies habitually and non-habitually. In other words, we help our students to focus on their own kinesthetic experiences, which is subjective.

So, what are the benefits of avoiding specific instructions and encouraging exploration/experimentation?

One size won't fit all.  If we observe 10 different people's body and movements (e.g., walking), we will have 10 different body structures and 10 different movements.  A movement that feels good for one person may not feel good for another person.  If we assume there's only one correct movement that fits everyone, then we try to force ourselves to fit the idea, which may not work for you.  But, if you start to pay attention to your own kinesthetic sensation while exploring movements, you can probably find what works and what doesn't.

Your kinesthetic experience from one exercise/movement is different from others.  If I as an instructor/teacher showed an exercise to my students step by step and told them exactly how they should move, I'm imposing my idea on my students.  What would happen is that they would only focus on trying to make their movement look exactly like my movement.  At that moment, they disengage themselves from their kinesthetic experience.  In my experience, this is when people get hurt in many exercise/fitness classes because they are busy forcing their body to move like someone else's, which may not be right and not paying attention to their own sensation.

After one class (Feldenkrais pelvic clock lesson) I taught to a group of people, I asked them to share what they experienced from the lesson.  One student said that he noticed how he was using his hips and why he felt off balance when he squatted.  Another person said that she noticed how she liked using back instead of hips.  I really don't know what people will experience from each lesson.  I can't expect everyone will have the same experience as I did from the same lesson.  But, if I showed people how to do each movement specifically and asked them to repeat what I did, I could potentially take away all kinds of different experiences and learning they would otherwise get.  

It may be difficult and uncomfortable at first not to have someone show you exercises/movements step by step, but if you let go of that idea and start to "play" with movements and pay attention to how you feel, I can guarantee that exercise/movement will become a lot more enjoyable and fun.  And, you can find more comfortable movements.

To learn about Awareness Through Movement class:

Using Mistakes to Facilitate Learning

There's a saying "practice makes perfect."  What's involved in practice that leads to "perfect?"  

When we start learning any skill, we don't really know what's perfect as we haven't had any kinesthetic experience that we can make comparison to, though we may have a rough idea where we want to go.  As we try once, and twice, and three times, we start to accumulate experience and constantly receive feedback and make adjustments to refine our skills.  When our movements didn't feel quite right, we would know based on our previous experience.  

Mistakes provide feedback we need in order to make adjustments for the following attempt so we can get closer to our goal, ONLY IF we pay attention to the mistakes we just made. Otherwise, we're more likely to make the same mistakes without much improvements.  This is why some people say "perfect practice makes perfect."  Just simply repeating movements isn't necessarily going to guarantee improvements.  In fact, you may become good at unwanted skills, which now become your new habit.  

Fundamentals of motor learning can always be found when observing babies and kids.  My 9 month old son recently learned to pull himself up to stand.  He was very excited to check out completely different views from standing.  He, however, didn't know how to get back down to the floor.  He lost his balance and fell backwards and hit his head on the floor.  That was a very hard and painful lesson for him.  He was still curious about standing up so he stood up while holding onto the couch.  After a few minutes, he quickly recalled the painful event and was trying to figure out a way to get down to the floor without hitting his head against floor.  He slowly reached one hand towards the floor with the other hand on the couch.  Finally he was able to put one hand on the floor and lowered himself down without falling!  He's learned how to get down to the floor from standing from his mistake.

Mistakes are necessary for improvements.  The word "mistake" is often perceived as having a negative meaning, but if it weren't for mistakes, we wouldn't even know what is "right."  When I work with my clients, I always encourage people to make mistakes and help them recognize what makes certain movements/postures a mistake and what makes them a correct one for them.  We all make lots of mistakes, but mistakes are what get us closer to our goal!  If we make mistakes, we might as well make it fun!  Come join my weekly Awareness Through Movement classes to make mistakes in a playful environment!  

Does Core Strengthening Really Do What You Think It Does?

You probably heard about "CORE muscles."  The word "Core" became a buzz word in fitness and physical therapy about 15 years ago, and is still a popular concept.  It's become so popular that core concept is often applied without much relevance.  It's commonly assumed that low back pain is caused by weak core muscles, thus strengthening core muscles fixes back pain; poor posture indicates weak core muscles, thus strengthening core muscles improves/corrects posture.  However, no research shows such relationships.  Weak core muscles DO NOT cause low back pain.  Weak core muscles DO NOT cause poor posture.  Yet, these misconceptions still exists.  

So, is core strengthening a good thing or bad thing?  It depends.  I mean, it depends on functional contexts.  First, you need to know what core is and what it does.  Without going into anatomical details, I will simply tell you that core refers to muscles around the trunk and it mobilizes and stabilizes trunk.  Core strength has nothing to do with back pain or posture. They are whole different topics.  With these things in mind, if you're strengthening your core as you preparing for your daily tasks or sports requiring heaving lifting, which will load the spine, core strengthening is very relevant.  How you train your core muscles also makes a difference. You have to train your core muscles in a way they are used during functional activities.  In other words, doing 1,000 abdominal crunches a day may not give you functional improvements, though you may get 6 packs.  Thus, functional contexts do matter. Strengthening muscles in wrong contexts is sort of like trying to eat soup with a fork instead of a spoon.  

Besides the point I made above, I noticed a trend of holding core muscles all the time in many people.  Maybe at one point, they learned this idea to resolve their back pain, and holding core muscles has eventually become their habit, meaning out of their consciousness.  This trend is much more common than you would think.  And this trend has negative consequences.  First, this constant abdominal contraction inhibits diaphragm, which is the primary breathing muscle. Thus, it affects breathing quality.  Consequently, the demand for other breathing muscles increases, which are intercostal muscles (muscles between ribs) and scalene muscle (one of neck muscles).  These breathing mechanisms are not as efficient as the primary breathing mechanism.  This may sound strange, but habitual core contraction can lead to increased neck and shoulder strain.  When I work with clients who are complaining of neck or shoulder pain, I often end up working with legs, as how they use their legs influence how they use their trunk. After all, everything is all connected.