New DVD
Fascial Fitness DVD: Dr. Robert Schleip and colleagues have produced a beautiful DVD called Fascial Fitness: how to train your connective tissue network (2011). These examples of fascia-friendly movements demonstrate the resiliency, elasticity, variety and sensory awareness important in fascia remodeling. Many of the sequence would be complex for beginners but an experienced teacher could modify them for best results. Go to fascialfitness.de to sample the DVD.

In The News
The American College of Sports Medicine has updated its exercise guidelines. In addition to the big three–cardio, strength and flexibility–they have added “neuromotor exercise.” (See IDEA Fitness Journal, October 2011 to read about the guidelines.) Without telling us what they mean by neuromotor exercise, the implication is that something beyond, or in addition to, the big three is needed. They do say that such exercise should provide improved gait, balance and agility. I developed 3-D Workout for just that purpose. It is my view that we need to restore the “grammar” of movement: the weight shift, level change, grounding and whole-body organizational patterns that support improved gait, balance and agility. That’s what I mean when I say “get your body together BEFORE you load it.”

Figure 8s as fascial fitness
3-D Workout is fascia-friendly. Take the Figure 8 sequence for example. By paying attention to the reach and the weightiness in the downstroke (with out-breath) of the loop and then the lightness in the upstroke (with in-breath), you will move more slowly and experience a larger use of the kinesphere. Moving in far-reach space pulls on the fascia that links your arm, shoulder and back and gives you that expanded elastic sensation that feels so good. Your weight shift will alternate between grounded and buoyant.

My 3-D Workout students enjoy a feel good fitness experience. That feeling happens because 3-D gently releases the residual stiffness in the fascia. This gentle release is safe (no injuries) but its gentleness is often discounted as “not tough enough” to create change. What actually happens is an improvement in your readiness to move, lack of exercise soreness, greater range of motion and that feeling that you have moved your whole body and given it your loving attention. That’s a new definition for “change.”

Travel diary
Toronto: Anatomy of the Body-in-Motion, ran at Counterbalance Pilates Studio this past Fall. This 30-hour introductory course is designed to get students comfortable with the complexity of the body and its vocabulary and connect the anatomy with the movement it produces. As usual many interesting questions arose, including one about scoliosis. Michael Gatbonton (optimalmovement.com) referred the class to this article on scoliosis and craniosacral therapy.

Greensboro, NC: I presented at the Body Mind Centering Association conference in October. We met at beautiful Haw River State Park. I enjoyed many excellent presentations, among them, John Chanik’s on Connective Tissue Therapy and movement. I had the great pleasure of rooming with Carol Boggs, my former housemate and dance major colleague from Ohio State University. Carol is a CMA and Alexander Teacher in Bethesda, Maryland and is working on biotensegrity and AT. All of us enjoyed gluten-free meals, a great facility and a friendly female park ranger, armed and not dangerous, who often sat and joked with us at meals. Southern hospitality all the way.