Sarah's Approach to Pilates: Part 2

JPD Method of Bodyworks: the Synthesis
excerpt from JPD Method of Bodyworks: Practitioner's Primer
© 2003 Sarah Gagnon

The following post is a continuation from the first article by this same title. This is part 2 of a 3-part article which will complete the entire chapter of the book.

A Priori Assumptions

This belief system, or philosophy, provides the inspiration that has guided the growth and development of the JPD Method. The following assumptions arise directly from this philosophy:

1. The beliefs of both the practitioner and the participant will greatly impact the process of restoring alignment and balance in the physical body. As such, a negative or positive mental attitude toward the impending exercise session will be directly correlated to the evolution of negative or positive results respectively. Furthermore, if either the participant or the practitioner project a negative attitude towards the exercise session, this negativity will override the positive beliefs of the other individual. It is imperative that both the participant and the practitioner have faith that the exercise system can restore form and function to the body; a lack of faith in either individual will produce nil, or even worse, negative results.

2. Anything in the mind, body or spirit can be changed. The manifestation of desired changes depend critically on the level of desire, the will to follow through, the ability to concentrate and focus the mind on desired changes, the persistence to continue the work in a rhythmic and consistent manner, and the clarity to visualize the intended results.

3. All past physical trauma impacts the body in the Now. Whether these traumas were accidental or intentional (i.e. surgery), the body is rarely restored 100% to its pre-trauma state, unless the individual consciously and specifically works on it. Otherwise muscle memory and scar tissue retains this history and impacts future movement.

4. The flow of emotions in the human body bears a tremendous impact on movement. Each emotion bears a signature muscular contraction pattern and the mix of emotions that have flowed through the body over the years affects the evolution of imbalances and misalignment of the musculo-skeletal system, and subsequently all movement. As such the individual’s emotional history adds another layer to the muscle memories history.

5. Balancing and aligning the spine and joints will facilitate the balance and alignment of all bioenergy systems.

Description

The JPD Method of Bodyworks is an integrated synthesis of three modalities, namely Pilates and key concepts from Laban and Bartenieff. The Method’s ultimate goal is to restore complete alignment and balance in the musculo-skeletal system. Neuromuscular repatterning is a necessary part of this process to address issues of emotionally and or physically based muscular contraction patterns. To this end, the Awareness Through Movement (ATM) exercise set was developed based on the works of Laban and Bartenieff. The ATM exercises raise the participant’s awareness of excess muscular tension and provides the opportunity to release these bound fibers through simple, gentle, and most importantly, mindful movement. Through repetition and a clear movement intention, new neuromuscular pathways are evolved between the brain and body which produce far less tension in the muscle fiber, thus utilizing much less energy and effort. Once the excess tension has been released, the participant will be able to recruit more of the weakened muscle fibers as they execute the Pilates exercises, thus encouraging the hypertonic muscle fibers to remain released well after the training session is finished. As such, the ATM chart works hand in hand with the Pilates exercises to bring about long-term neuromuscular balance and joint alignment.

At this time, it is important to mention that the JPD Method practitioner does not diagnose, or even speculate in any way. The practitioner is strictly an exercise specialist in a highly refined method of body conditioning. In fact, practitioners usually get involved at the post-rehabilitation stage. As the JPD Method works toward restoring alignment, balance and fluidity, it is very helpful in preventing chronic problems linked to physical trauma. Moreover, the individual must have all serious health conditions diagnosed before engaging in the JPD Method, or as soon as the conditions manifest. Finally, though the works of Rudolph Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff has influenced the JPD Method, a JPD Method Practitioner is not a Certified Movement Analyst, and does not practice in-depth movement analysis.
The basic concept of Laban, Bartenieff and Pilates are applied with each exercise as follows:

Laban In the JPD Method, Laban’s movement factors are set in order to facilitate smooth, fluid movement. The participant’s weight must be strong, feeling heavy in the floor, the mind must focus on the body as a whole unit while bringing extra attention to the weaker areas, movement will be sustained, never sudden, and, in all resistance exercises, the energy will flow freely from the center of gravity out to the extremities. As such, the participant’s mental position on the impending exercise will be set in this particular manner. Furthermore, unless there are post-rehabilitation issues to consider at the time, all training sessions must incorporate motion in all three planes of movement, sagittal, coronal and transverse, both individually and in combination. Finally, the JPD practitioner will divide specifically restricted joints into these three dimensions and seek to strengthen the weakened muscle fibers in each of these planes, before progressing from one and two-dimensional movements, to two and three dimensional movements.
Bartenieff Clearly, BF work extends into great depths of movement analysis and therapy. The JPD Method practitioner, however, applies BF-based exercises from the ATM chart to raise an awareness of hypertonic muscles while making connections in weaker muscles. The participant will thus approach movement in the following manner:
1. Breath initiates all movement.

2. Intention must accompany all movement.

3. Whether the participant is required to sequence from the center of gravity out to the extremities or the reverse, maximum articulation and range of motion will be the focus as each joint comes into play.

4. Each session must incorporate connections in all three planes, specifically above-below, right-left, front-back and most importantly of all, diagonals.

5. Each movement necessarily involves a complex interplay of mobilizing and stabilizing muscles. In all resistance exercises, the JPD Method practitioner will teach the participant which muscle fibers should engage in isotonic contraction, thus mobilizing, and which fibers should be concentrated in isometric contractions, thus stabilizing. The participant will strive to achieve the ideal and most anatomically correct muscular recruitment patterns.

The application of these Laban and Bartenieff principles, as they are determined in the JPD Method, must be remembered during each training session and with each breath of every movement.

Pilates The application of the Pilates method is as diverse as there are instructors. In the JPD Method, we will utilize the Pilates approach evolved by the PhysicalMind Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico which respects the need to restore the natural curves of the spine via the use of neutral spine exercises and pays special attention to the fundamental principles of movement. The following Pilates principles must also be applied in the execution of all movement in all exercises.
1. Alignment of the joints and spine must be considered at all times during movement or stillness.

2. The mind must be actively involved, continuously seeking the closest to ideal, and most efficient muscular contraction patterns at all times, requiring considerable focus and concentration.

3. Breath duration must coordinate with the execution of each movement.

4. Until the abdominal muscles are fully balanced in strength and recruit in a smooth, even manner, the exercises will be executed with a neutral lumbar spine and pelvis, unless both feet are in the air, at which time the pelvis tilts posteriorly to slightly imprint the lumbar spine in the exercise mat. The neutral pelvis position is determined by placing the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) in the same horizontal plane as the symphysis pubis. When this horizontal plane is parallel to the floor, the pelvis and lumbar spine are considered neutral. The JPD Method further suggests that, in the advanced levels, the movements that involve placing both feet in the air should be executed with a neutral spine and pelvis, as opposed to imprinting the spine, in order to assist the evolution of deep neuromuscular balance. JPD Practitioners must be flexible in this neutral versus imprinted choice as some participants may have health conditions that are exacerbated by either position throughout the training session.

The interpretation and subsequent integrated application of the principles and concepts of Laban, Bartenieff and Pilates form the JPD Method of Bodyworks, which is an instrumental tool in restoring deep neuromuscular balance and joint/spine alignment.