The physics of Feldenkrais series f peer evened pupers wll eon he ses J.C. Hannon A brazen truth is that we don't know what we don’t know. This series of articles will review some important but often ‘overlooked physical principles underlying all forms of bodywork. Most therapists study kinesiology in school but do they comprehend it in their bones? We may be able to rattle off Newton's Laws but do we find benefit applying them in our own daily practice? These articles will attempt to reconnect our understanding of the role physics plays in enhancing efficiency, safety and economy of effort in our therapy. This understanding involves a coherent integration of proprioceptive tactile, visceral as well as intellectual factors. ‘The irony is that we all have experienced the reality of inertia, momentum, friction and leverage. In our earliest years we cultivate conscious movement by the kind of relentless exploration drives our parents to distraction. It takes years to learn to stand well on one leg but only a few unbalanced milliseconds to feel the power of gravity. Unfortunately, most civilized adults use their bodies inefficiently; clumsy stiff movements are seen everywhere. Athletes have overuse injuries and repetitive strain disorders proliferate even among bodyworkers. Where do you ache! Underlying ergonomics are the ® physical relationships of forces and resistances that contribute to all movement, The purpose of this series is to explore the basic physics of Kinesiology and to point toward practical strategies to improve the way that we, and our clients, use ourselves. The writings of Moshe Feldenkrais lend themselves to this study. He was a qualified engineer and he possessed two certificates, attesting to his commitment to learning about movement. Not only did he earn a DSc in physies from the Sorbonne but he also became the first European to receive a Black Belt in Judo from the Kodokan. His six books and hundreds of pages of transcripts provide a mother-lode from which his thoughts on the science of movement may be mined (Leri 1999), This series will purposefully ignore the neurophysiology of motor control, theories of motor learning, the effect of anxiety upon human behavior as well as Kinesiological concepts not directly raised by Feldenkrais. Instead, the material will focus on concrete applications of the physical “house rules’ that underline good manual therapy. By uncovering principles of movement science, we all may maintain our health and deepen our practice. Enhanced clinical results, with less effort will accomplish both goals. JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES JANUARY 2000Hannon But we must recall a peril in establishing principles to guide our practice. Too slavish a reliance on principles may lead to ignoring the individuality of our clients and applying ‘cookie-cutter’ techniques. Perhaps this is why Feldenkrais ‘would sometimes say in his trainings that the first principle of his method wwas that there were no principles. No stranger to controversy Feldenkrais (1977) also said, during his Practitioner Training class in San Francisco, ‘We have as our first principle — you have to know all the techniques possible oF imaginable on every part of the body and in every combination. This way you are capable of taki cout the exact error that hits the bull's eye on that particular person. The thing that is right on that person. Give the thing most needed by that person at that time (Leri 1999). Somehow we need to discover principles that will help us to gauge what “bulls eye’ manual techniques look and feel like. It is a premise of this series that the best place to start is by understanding the heft and shape of the effects that gravity has upon our movements. Another premise is that the value of gentleness lies not only in being more efficient but also by enhancing the ability to sense more. Dr Milton Trager's famous comment comes to mind: ‘Why ask how high you can jump, why not ask how lightly you can land’ (Liskin 1996) A\ principle from Judo that has center stage in the Feldenkrais Method'" is the Principle of Maximal Efficiency with Minimal Effort. Let us shorten this to the Principle of Least Effort. This principle will pop up throughout the series: it has many applic Two exercises to learn more about amount of effort we usually exert, and how the Principle of Least Effort may make our job casier can be found in Boxes Vand 2, The series will explore, with a maximum of experiential exercises, the importance of awareness in learning new movement skills. If concepts such as the importance of a fulcrum for leverage, (the rotation of the pelvis in the above exercise being an example), help organize your clinical practice for safer and more effective results, it will be time well spent. ‘© Sit on @ solid stool about as high as your kneecap. Fig Rocking the hee in the siti ‘© Place your knees shoulder-width apatt and your ankles directly below your knees. Your shins should be vertical and your thighs parallel wit the floor, the feet parallel with each other ‘© Now slide your right foot a hand’s width backward toward the stool legs and the let foot a hand's width forward ‘© Your feet should be resting fat on the floor. ‘© Using the ankle asa hinge, lift the left foot up in such a way that the front of the foot rises without the toes tensing: in other words, rock the foot as a whole ‘upon the heel ‘© Try not to have the toe tendons tighten but use other muscles to hoist the foot. Gauge how high the big toe rise and see if you ean lift the foot without rolling the forefoot to either side. ‘© Perform the same movement with the right foot. © Naturally, the right foot does not raise as high, but are you using more effort than necessary on the let? ‘© What is the height that you can reach with the right foot using only as much effort as on the left side? ‘© Slowly slide the right foot forward a bit and try the maneuver and see where is the exact point where the effort becomes easy. How is this point on the floor related to the ankle hinge? ‘© Move the feet far away from the stool until the feet rest only upon the heels. ‘© Why is raising the feet easier still in this position? JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES JANUARY 2000The physics of Feldenkrais ® © This exercise is not designed for aerobics or for strengthening; its purpose is awareness so please do not strain. Attempt to use the least effort consistent with the task. When a maximal effort is asked for, ensure thatthe effort is safe and comfortable. A Fig 2 Rocking upon the ichia with «clasped yet dangling le Raise a knee and cradle it, fingers interlaced around the kneecap. # Arrange your supporting foot for stability The more effort you exert, the less attention to detail you will be able to distinguish. Test th idea by just once maximally: isometrially push the knee floor-ward while clasping the knee to your chest with maximal effort, Do this for a few seconds then rest As you rest, notice if you are able to sense if your diaphragm and lower ribs lost some excursion during the effort ‘Was there added tension in your tongue, eyes, jaw muscles? Did your support leg tense oF move from its original spot? Are you sill tensed from the effort? ‘Why was there extra effort and which muscles were requited to work for this task? Can you repeat the exercise with only these museles working? One application to be explored in the series is how our skeleton is designed to carry the gravitational load. I the skeleton is arranged optimally for this task, the support leg need not tighten even during maximal isometric effort of the arms and knee. Interestingly, repose of this leg requires a solid awareness ‘of the best place forthe ischial tuberosities tobe upon the stool Just as we Saw the elects of moving the feet upon the ease of ling the soles, there isa relationship of the ischial tuberosities, gravity and the stool to the task of lifting a knee. # Explore the effects of very small sideways rocking of your ischial tuberosties upon the stool © Try many positions of the supporting foot until the leg muscles relax, support being provided by the stiffness and bulk of the bones of the leg and pelvis. # Last ofall, while continuing to eradle the knee, relax the neck, back, arm, chest, the hip flexors and any other smusele that is unneeded for this position # Continue to prune unnecessary effort until you feel the position to be an easy and comfortable one © I you have found the sweet spot, a slight tilt of your neck backwards should rock your entire upper body backwards upon your ischial tuberosities. © Can you sense which ischial tuberosity participates most fully in this rocking? JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES JANUARY 2000Hannon © Note that, although sometimes taking months to discover, hip flexion effort is not needed when sitting securely with the Knee held clasped, © Does your clasped shin swing like a pendulum as you rock back and forth. 11 isa tiny but very evident feelin of swing. ‘© Are your elbows tensing during the rocking upon the stool? If so, you still have not pruned enous effort away from the task. © Notice another principle: Control follows awareness Leri D 1999 Learning How to Learn, The REFERENCES Principle of no principles. tp Feldenkrais M 1977 Training transript: San www semiophysies.comearn him, pS Francisco Yeur HL Porta, The Liskin J 1996 Moving Medicine: the fe and Feldenkrais Guild, 11 work of Milton Trager, MD: Station Hill Feldenkrais M 1992 Body and Mature Pros Behaviour: study of ane, se, nivtation and leaning. International Univensites Press, Madison, 13 JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES JANUARY 2000