Massage & Bodywork

JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2019

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Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 73 Recognizing the wild psoas as an eco-messenger for not only survival but also thriving offers the opportunity to be in collaboration with an ever-fluctuating process of expression deep within our own core. Doing so challenges the status quo, requiring dogmatic beliefs to be dissolved and inviting our story of body to undergo transformation. CORE INTEGRITY I explore psoas and core integrity very differently than most people in the health and wellness field, as most professionals have been taught biomechanical approaches to improve function and/or to remedy injuries. The biomechanical approach, however, does not address the fundamental aspects of an expressive psoas, which are vital for thriving as human organisms. Mechanistic forms of exercise, for example, which focus on imitating and cueing to stabilize and control the core, will disrupt biological expression. In contrast, employing a biomorphic approach recognizes and works with biological explorations that enhance and support our core expression. The results are not intended to be cathartic but to improve overall function, movement, and health. Turning toward, rather than overriding, our internal sensory system allows our innate intelligence to dissolve strictures, change processes, and innovate new ways of being. This process frees our attention to move from a narrow focus to a wide field of receptivity. BIOMORPHIC EXPRESSION Exploring biomorphic expression is a process of attuning our self to a different mode of perception. Rather than focusing on accomplishment it requires fostering a softening of control. Both personal and universal, biomorphic movements share similarity in form and gesture. The curling of a leaf, caterpillar, spine, rivulet, embryo, horn, pinecone, hair follicle, and galaxy reveal expressions shared by all living processes. These biomorphic expressions are found throughout nature in diverse species and within every micro or macro scale of the universe and are synonymous with the expressions of living water. Playful and delicious, water is life's hidden creative force. Sensed as undulations and spirals echoing through our living tissue, all life is touched by the planetary rhythms of vibrating water. DYNAMIC CORE When perceived through an embryological and biomorphic paradigm, our spine is no longer perceived as a column; rather it is the nexus of our being, the source from which all aspects of self flow—a life-shaping central channel of fluid embodiment. Whether referred to as a channel, midline, primitive streak, notochord, or central nervous system, the spine has oceanic and cosmic origins. Envisioning our dynamic core as a living, fluid, and expressive channel takes us back over 3,000 years to a system of health that mirrors rivers of flowing energy. Orbiting through the core, two essential channels reflect balance and the complementary flow of polarities referred to as yin and yang. "The duality of these two medial lines joins at the extremities (the head and perineum), forming one complete circle of energetic current." 1 Within Eastern philosophy, the psoas may well be housed in what is referred to as the governing and conception vessels. 2 These two opposite but complementary flows connect within the soft palate, through the tongue, to form a harmonious flow creating what is said to be a microcosmic orbit. Rather than a segmented structure, the spine is recognized as a multidimensional life form. PRIMAL MOVEMENT Humans are a biologically spine-based organism with all aspects, functions, and expressions emerging from a central channel of intelligence. From one end to the other, all core movement is an expression of wholeness. Like a fish or a caterpillar, our head to our tail moves as one. Stabilizing one end of the caterpillar by pressing down your finger only makes the other end of the caterpillar flail. The same is true for the head and pelvis. When one end of the Shaped by personal, social, and global flows of information, the psoas responds to not only stress signals but also impulses that stir our hearts and resonate deep within our bones. By having respect and support for our biological intelligence, the psoas emerges as a messenger that reveals deeply moving stories about compromise and sourcing as well as depletion and nourishment. PSOAS: 4 OF 4

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