The Power of Posture & Art of Alignment
Disclaimer • Mindfulness + Physics = Complex puzzle • Not all puzzle pieces are represented – Not all relationships are represented • The following information is not absolute and is intended to be used for understanding CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Learning Outcomes • To understand the importance of posture in terms of efficient movement and injury prevention • To explore some basic anatomy and physiology • To encourage research, questioning, experimenting and learning CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
What do we mean by posture? “Proper posture is believed to be the state of musculoskeletal balance that involves a minimal amount of stress and strain on the body” Yip et al, 2008 CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Posture Perry (1992) describes good posture as ‘quiet standing’ and suggests that during perfect alignment the only required muscular activity is that needed to accommodate the pulsatile surge of the circulation CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
‘Quiet Standing’ • Important to obtain optimal neutral upright standing position, to provide the base point for efficient movement • Connect the dots to create a line through ankle, hip and shoulder and balancing head on top of spine, with ribcage over pelvis – building our column CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
“…correct human alignment does not imply that there is one body position that we should be using all the time. In fact, it is often our determination to maintain a ‘good’ fixed posture that is undermining our health ” Bowman, Katy. Move Your DNA CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Alignment & Relaxation • In T’ai Chi the image of Needle in Cotton is considered the guiding principle of efficient movement • Needle is a strong axis running vertically through the body • Cotton represents the moving parts, relaxed where appropriate and moving fluidly around the needle CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Central Movement Principle • A sense of being centred, focused and strong, both physically and emotionally • Dantien – energy centre / life force • Moving from the centre • Working from inside out CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Dantien • Body’s centre of mass and point from where we visualise movement starts and energy begin to flow • Focus at the dantien stimulates an unconscious action of core stabilisation, controlling pelvic/spine alignment during movement • Part of the emotional / spiritual core • Many people have lost touch with this area, physically and emotionally CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Planes of Movement Sagital Plane Frontal Plane Transverse Plane Body Planes CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Movements of the Body CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Skeletal system • Acts as a framework on which muscles attach CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Other systems Postural alignment is • Musculoskeletal important in terms of • Cardiovascular • Breathing • Lymphatic • Digestion • Nervous • Circulation • Endocrine • Energy / Chi • Integumentary • Dispersion of stress • Digestive • Excretory • Communication • Reproductive • Performance • Immune CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
What is the Core? CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
What is the Core? If you disconnect the arms and legs the core is what remains CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
The Functional Role of the Core “The ability of your trunk to support the effort and forces from your arms and legs, so that muscles and joints can perform in the safest, strongest and most effective positions” Elphinstone and Pook (1998) CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
“ Core endurance is more important than core strength in regards to injury prevention.” Carla Cupido, D.C. 2011 CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
The anatomical core Deep layer • Spinal joints – vertebrae, disks and ligaments • Position sense muscles and accessory muscles responsible for controlling movements that occur within a joint CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Middle layer (inner unit) • Stabilise the spine and form a working foundation from which the arms and legs can function optimally – includes TvA, internal obliques, diaphragm, psoas and pelvic floor CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Outer layer • Muscle slings that contribute to the ability to maintain an optimal working relationship between joints and to integrate body segments for successful motion – includes external obliques, latissimus dorsi, gluteals CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Stabiliser muscles • Control posture, muscle actions and excessive range of motion (example gluteus medius) Mobiliser muscles • Move muscles through predominantly concentric muscle action (example latissimus dorsi) CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Myofacial Meridians “Our organs and muscular system are encased within a kind of connective tissue called fascia. Fascia is known as a systems-wide communication network , linking our thoughts , emotions and beliefs with our body and vice versa” gammamindset.com CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
The body is composed of myofascial meridians with all systems intertwined • Superficial back line • Superficial front line • Lateral line • Spiral line • Arm lines • Functional lines • Deep front line Thomas Myers Anatomy Trains CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Superficial Back Line • Supports the body in full upright extension • In terms of movement, creates extension and hyper extension with the exception of knee flexion • Includes plantar fascia, which is often a source of trouble that communicates up the rest of the line • Primary slow-twitch (endurance) muscles CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Superficial Front Line • Balances the SBL • Tensile support from the top lifts the parts of the skeleton that extend forward of gravity line • Flexes trunk and hip and extends knee • Primary fast-twitch (quick reactive) muscles • Common imbalance between SBL & SFL is that SFL is pulled down and SBL pulled up CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Lateral Line • Functions as a ‘break’ for lateral and rotational movements of the trunk • Stabilises the body in sagittal movement CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Spiral Line • Helps maintain balance across all planes • Connects foot arches with pelvic angle • Movement function is to create spirals and rotations in the body and to steady the trunk and leg to keep it from folding into rotational collapse CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Arm Lines • Connect seamlessly into other lines • Strain for the elbow affects mid back, and shoulder malposition can significantly drag on the ribs, neck and breathing functions CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Functional Lines • Can be considered as appendicular supplements to the spiral line • Appear as spirals on the body • Work as helical patterns • Example of use is contralateral counterbalance between shoulder and hip when walking and running CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
Deep Front Line • The body’s myofascial core • Fundamentally fascia in nature • Integral to breathing and rhythm of walking • Provides stability and subtle position changes to the core structure to enable the more superficial structures to work more efficiently • Predominantly slow-twitch endurance CHI RUNNING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME www.chirunning.uk #chirunninguk @chirunninguk
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