The JPD Method of Bodyworks

The following Preface and Table of Contents are excerpts from The JPD Method of Bodyworks: Practitioner's Primer
© 2003 Sarah Gagnon



Preface

Many years ago, I began teaching dance and eventually became a full-time, professional dancer. Over the years, I became aware of the deep movement restrictions that had evolved in my body and began noticing that my dance students all had their own patterns of restriction that sometimes even produced pain. I began seeking ways to help us all release these restrictions and restore fluidity and freedom to the body’s movement patterns. It was this seeking that led me to read the writings of Rudolph Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff; the concepts they introduced in their works changed my perspective on movement forever.

Though I was afflicted with a condition now known as Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), I did not became aware of this fact until after my dance career ended. Actually, in hindsight, I now realize that it was the FMS that ended my career. This syndrome involves considerable pain and soft tissue injury thus presenting a constant challenge as I tried to live and work as a dancer. Both Laban and Bartenieff introduced the notion that the mind’s influence over the body is all-encompassing and their works gave me tools in the form of exercise to help me restore a healthy relationship between my mind and body. I spent the next ten years researching this mind-body connection in the forum of my dance choreographies. As I applied the exercises I learned from books as well as from Certified Movement Analysts, I noticed deep, wonderful releases in muscle tension that left me capable of expressing much freer and more comfortable movement. Since I found so much relief, I began introducing the notion that the mind can release excess tension to my dance students via these exercises. To my surprise, this work was effective, helping all those who experienced severe pain and movement restriction to alleviate their symptoms. I noted that, regardless of the individual’s background and attitude towards their bodies and/or its abilities to move, every single person was capable of making the mind-body connection and consequently release excess muscular tension.
When I concluded that my body was too unwell to continue in my dance career, I took the Pilates certification course with Moira Stott in Toronto. After nine months of study, many hours of apprenticeship teaching and nearly five hours of practical and written exams, I achieved my Certification as a Pilates Instructor. After only a few weeks into the Stott certification program, I realized that the release work I had been practicing was highly compatible with the alignment work of the Pilates method. I was able to fully eliminate pain and restore range of motion to joints that had been severely injured during my dance career and had been diagnosed as ‘chronic’. Furthermore, the FMS had caused my spine to become extremely rigid, which led to severe losses in flexibility, daily migraines, chronic digestive problems and a deep fatigue that could not be overcome. I explored various forms of alternative health therapies to heal my body, changing my diet considerably taking supplements and receiving a variety of treatment modalities including massage, shiatsu, Feldenkrais, acupuncture, Alexander Technique, reflexology and so on. Intuitively, I understood that I needed to exercise in order to restore grace and ease to my body, and my search led me to the study of yoga and Pilates; I was on the road to wellness. Within a few months of practicing Pilates in combination with the Bartenieff-based release work, all these symptoms disappeared. Moreover, my dance students had allowed me to transform their class so that I could research this Pilates and release work combination during our sessions together. I was astounded by the ease with which people were able to release long-term pain and restore movement simply through intention and visualization combined with gentle movement. I continued to work with this approach to exercise, researching and developing new exercises and variations to meet the needs of participants, and now, I am firmly rooted in the belief that all exercise must incorporate mind-body connections to facilitate the release of hypertonic muscle fibers and the recruitment of long-time inactive muscles. Furthermore, it is my belief that this is a necessary precursor to restoring complete neuromuscular balance and joint/spinal alignment. My years of movement research during my time as a professional dancer and the years of teaching exercise to all types of people has led me to develop the JPD Method of Bodyworks.


Table of Contents

Introduction.....................................................................1
JPD Method of Bodyworks: the Background........................................4
The Pilates Method.............................................................5
Rudolph Laban..................................................................7
Irmgard Bartenieff............................................................10
JPD Method of Bodyworks: the Synthesis..........................................15
The Philosophy................................................................16
A Priori Assumptions..........................................................18
Description...................................................................20
The Mind-Body Connection......................................................24
The Training Session..........................................................27
The JPD Assessment..............................................................30
Joint Alignment Chart.........................................................30
Pain Assessment Chart.........................................................31
Spinal Range of Motion........................................................31
The JPD Method Program........................................................32
Special Populations.............................................................33
Back Pain.....................................................................34
Post-Rehabilitation Training..................................................36
Scoliosis.....................................................................37
Pregnancy.....................................................................38
Diabetes......................................................................39
Osteoporosis..................................................................39
Arthritis.....................................................................40
Fibromyalgia..................................................................40
Hip Replacement...............................................................43
Cardiac Conditions............................................................43
Conclusion......................................................................45
Appendix A: The JPD Method of Bodyworks Instructor
Training Course.....................................................48
Appendix B: JPD Exercise Syllabus...............................................49
ATM Matwork...................................................................49
Essential Mat.................................................................51
Complete Mat..................................................................53
The Ball......................................................................54
Essential Reformer............................................................56
Intermediate Reformer.........................................................59
Advanced Reformer.............................................................61
The Rack......................................................................63
The Barrels...................................................................66
The Chair.....................................................................67
Appendix C: JPD Assessment Charts...............................................69
Appendix D: JPD Fundamentals 1 Course Scripts...................................72
Appendix E: JPD Fundamentals 2 Course Scripts...................................87
Bibliography...................................................................103

History of Pilates

I was wandering the net as I am prone to doing when I am procrastinating, and I came across this wonderful article on Jospeh Pilates and how he came about developing his exercise method. As it turns out, Joseph Pilates has met and worked with Rudolph Laban one of my heros. If I had not been exposed to the works of Rudolph Laban and his protege, Irmgard Bartenieff, I would not have been able to manage and prevent muscle injuries. I am prone to such injuries because I have Fibromyalgia and when I danced professionally, I was always nursing one injury after another. I started every day with what I called 'release work' by doing the Bartenieff Fundamentals exercises. For each show, I did a 'pre-warmup' with Bartenieff Fundamentals exercises which allowed me to perform with injuries without exacerbating them. Moreover, the injuries continued to heal even though I did not modify my training, rehearsal and show routine! The FMS eventually ended my dance career but the fascination with Rudolph Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff continued as I explored the amazing and profound effects that resulted from my consistent practice of the famous Bartenieff Fundamentals exercises. This link provides more information about Rudolph Laban, Irmgard Bartenieff and their institute for movement studies.

Now, today I discover that Joseph Pilates actually worked with Rudolph Laban at some point!!!! Now it all comes together in my mind; this is why the Pilates method had such a strong appeal for me! Read this great, comprehensive article about Joseph Pilates now.

What is Pilates?

This link for the Pilates Method Alliance takes you to a thorough, accurate, detailed description and history of the Pilates exercise method. See photos of Joseph Pilates, and his wife Clara, teaching clients or working out. In fact, this site is an excellent resource for many reasons so look around!!

http://pilatesmethodalliance.com/whatis.html