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Articles: bodywork
Below are the articles associated with this topic. Click on a title to read one.
12 Exercises for Strength and Grace
by Samm Kweku Richardson
The author tells us that a healthy body is one that is well nourished in all areas through its regular use.
A Better Approach to Complementary Therapy
by Thea Bailey MRSS
I suspect that all Complementary Therapists (CT) would agree that, no matter which technique, 'map' or energy system is being used, amongst the myriad therapies on offer today, all would see themselves as dealing with the whole person.
A Fluid Core: Redefining Core Strength
by Liz Koch
This article focuses on core strength, intended to help stabilize, coordinate and organize movement in the human body, and the author's understanding of how it evolves, following 30 years of exploring the core muscle (iliopsoas).
Achieving an Integrated Approach for Treating Musculoskeletal Conditions
by Wendy Emberson
There is a growing body of research evidence that is beginning to change our attitudes to treatment away from being a pure medical condition model.
Alignment and Breathing Techniques for Health
by Harmon Hathaway
Applying and maintaining physical alignment gives us the information to understand our own body. Within a brief period, the application of the principles of alignment will show positive results across the spectrum of health.
BEAM™ – Bosiger Energy Alignment Method
by Fiona Slatter
The author is a co-founder of the Bosiger Energy Alignment Method (BEAM™), and explains how the technique works to balance the body's natural energy flow (vital force/chi). It works on the principle that illness is the result of blockages or a reduction in the circulation of this energy.
Biodynamic Psychology: Healing Through the Body's Wisdom
by Ellena Fries
The author discusses the origin and concept behind Biodynamic Body Psychotherapy & Massage, developed by the late Gerda Boyesen (1922-2005), how it works, the techniques used as well as the healing process.
Biodynamic Psychotherapy – Meeting the psyche in the body
by Clover Southwell
Biodynamic psychotherapy was developed in the 1950s by Gerda Boyesen, a Norwegian psychologist and physiotherapist, and is based on a deep appreciation of the inseparable interaction of mind, body and spirit.
Body Alignment Technique and Vortex Technology
by Cherry Tyfield
Body alignment technique uses vibrational energy to heal others and ourselves. Negative emotional experiences become subconsciously locked into our body at a cellular level. This unique technique clears these subconscious memory pathways.
Body Stress Release
by Kerry Teakle
The article discusses how Body Stress Release (BSR) began as the idea of retired American chiropractor Dr Richard van Rumpt, that the body is limited in its ability to respond to severe stress and what to do about it.
Breema® Essence of Harmonious Life
by Jon Schreiber
Through deep receptivity to the body, and a rhythmic connection to the Earth, Breema can help us become available to the instinctive wisdom of the body. By allowing that wisdom to participate with us in our daily lives, we can experience bountiful health and vitality.
Chinese Herbal Sports Medicine
by Lev G Fedyniak
This article focuses on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and why and how Chinese herbal medicine, in particular, is one of the best treatments for sports injuries.
Chironic Healing – The Cranio-Spinal-Sacral Mechanism and Physical Etheric Interface
by Dr Trevor D Creed
The basis of Chironic Healing is that each of us has an etheric energy pattern, or 'blueprint', that underlies the physical body that we can see and touch. It is a conductor of vital energy from our inner origins to the outer physical. Physical and chemical traumas, and emotional/mental restrictions, may block the flow resulting in 'dis-at-ease-ments' on all levels.
Cranial Osteopathy
by Joseph Goodman
To understand cranial osteopathy it is necessary to understand osteopathy itself. As with visceral osteopathy, the term refers to an aspect of osteopathy, not to a separate modality.
Dr Rolf, Rolfing and Structural Integration
by Allan Rudolf
The practitioner of Structural Integration (Rolfing) applies systematic pressure (energy) to re-shape and re-balance the body structure. Tissue which was short and hard becomes soft and has more length and resilience. People look very different after undergoing the process.
Empowerment Fitness®: Revolutionary Mind-Body Programme
by Sharon O’Connor
This article focuses on the positive effects of body movement. For centuries, high achieving individuals, including runners, walkers, cyclists and rowers, have understood that if you move your body, you will think better and do more than you ever thought possible.
Fitness for Health
by Nigel Kerr
Articles dedicated to the benefits of regular exercise show that exercise routines are much like religious doctrine. They all claim to be the miracle that will change your life forever. Truth is essential in the world of "Health & Fitness", because it is true that practitioners in these fields do have the power to facilitate permanent change, and not always for the better.
Flotation and Body Harmony - A unique healing experience
by Peta Knaggs
Wellspring combines the benefits of flotation therapy and Body Harmony. It is an experience which clients describe as, "exquisite", "profound", "extraordinary", "unlike anything I have experienced in my life".
Gravity: Balance of Body – Balance of Mind
by Will Johnson
Our physical relationship with gravity determines whether our journey through life will be one of buoyancy and lightness or tension and struggle.
Health Exercise Techniques: Strength Training and Stretching
by Neil Summers
The article looks into correct exercises for the maintenance of a Healthy Lifestyle and the few exercises where the benefits outweigh the damaging elements brought on by unwelcome stresses and strains caused by the pounding and jerking movements of many regimes.
Hellerwork – Excellence with Ease
by Roger Golten
Hellerwork is a Structural Integration school founded in 1978. Overall there are about 250 active and certified practitioners worldwide using the Hellerwork service mark.
Holistic Exercise Techniques for Optimum Training & Conditioning
by Jason Barlow
The author, a Holistic Physical Specialist who integrates Mind, Body and Nutrition techniques, touches on his experiences in a health club and consultation with clients and members who showed signs and symptoms of over and under-training. Without proper coaching from highly skilled and trained fitness professionals, he says exercises can produce the opposite result to that which is promoted, creating a greater imbalance within the body.
How to Address and Prevent Repetitive Strain Injuries of the Body and Eyes
by Meir Schneider and Melissa Moody
RSIs are also known as overuse or cumulative trauma syndromes, and they are caused by a myriad of actions performed during daily work and leisure activities. The inflammation, numbness, pain, fatigue and loss of mobility inherent to these disorders begin when we perform repetitive tasks, day after day, with muscles that are already habitually tensed up.
Iliopsoas – The Flee/Fight Muscle for Survival
by Liz Koch
Liz Koch continues her lifelong study of the voluntary Iliopsoas muscle. Understanding the muscle to be part of our survival response provides both therapists and clients a fresh perspective and more thoughtful approach to personal healing.
Independent Physiotherapy
by Jean Kelly
Physiotherapists utilise a growing number of complementary forms of medicine and treatment methods such as massage, manipulation, acupuncture, reflex therapy, cranio-sacral therapy and therapeutic exercise.
Integrative Bodywork Techniques
by Ian Traynar DO APSMT
In his article, the author sets out an argument for integration of bodywork 'modalities', working with the similarities, dealing with 'professional stubbornness' and the diversity of philosophy and belief. Ian believes research into whether what each modality claims it does for clients actually happens and would create enough trust for relaxation of long-held beliefs and merging of treatment methodology.
Interdisciplinary Bodywork for Best Results
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
Approximately one year ago I was teaching a group of physiotherapists the basics of osteopathic soft tissue manipulation, demonstrating a version of positional release technique (PRT) on the neck, when one of them asked me whether I was familiar with 'SNAGS', which is based on the work of a New Zealand physiotherapist, Brian Mulligan.
Introducing...Neuroskeletal Dynamics - For accident trauma, sports injuries and general back pain
by Carole Preen
Neuroskeletal Dynamics was devised by Diana Hunter in Adelaide, South Australia about 17 years ago. It was discovered that by accessing the body's electrical system, a way could be used to promote correct skeletal alignment.
Ishta Spinal Touch – Core Alignment
by Sue Weller and Allyn Edwards
This article focuses on the Ishta Spinal Touch – Core Alignment method used to assess the level of postural distortion in the spine, pelvis and other parts of the body, and how this is done. The authors also explain how postural changes and the health of the spine relate to the overall health of a person.
Matrix Repatterning(tm) – The Structural Basis of Health
by George B Roth
In this authoritative feature, Dr. George Roth, the originator of Matrix Repatterning, explains how symptoms, especially in chronic conditions, are often the result of the compensatory tensions and stresses created within the body in response to a primary site of tissue injury.
McTimoney Chiropractic
by Dr Christina Cunliffe
As the largest healthcare profession in the world after medicine and dentistry, and in the light of the new legislation regulating its practice in the UK, chiropractic is fast becoming one of the most popular methods of treating neuromusculo-skeletal problems today.
McTimoney Chiropractic
by Susan Cartlidge
McTimoney chiropractic is a particular branch of the profession in the UK which developed for some years outside of the apparent mainstream, so to speak. There are over 300 McTimoney chiropractors registered with the McTimoney Chiropractic Association representing approximately one-third of the chiropractic profession in Britain.
McTimoney-Corley Spinal Therapy
by Dr Heather Parsons
This article focuses on McTimoney-Corley Spinal Therapy, a treatment that involves gentle whole body manipulation. The therapy works at the level of adjusting the bones and realigning the joints. This brings about a re-balancing of the bony structures, unrestricting the body's natural restorative healing mechanisms.
Metamorphic Technique – Tool for Inner Change
by Katherine L Knight
The Metamorphic Technique was created in the 1960s by Robert St John, a British naturopath and reflexologist, and further developed by Gaston St Pierre, founder of the Metamorphic Association.
Myofascial pain trigger points nerve root pain satellite trigger points
by John Halford
Myofascial trigger points coincide with the acupoints of traditional Chinese medicine.
Myofascial Trigger Points and Beyond
by Simeon Niel-Asher
Trigger points develop when parts of the muscles stop moving as they should and instead become set in one position, which leads to a state of contraction. Niel-Asher looks at the different ways of describing trigger points, how to treat them using different techniques.
Naturopathic Osteopathy
by Jeff Richards, Registered Osteopath, Registered Naturopath
In 1874 Andrew Taylor Still brought osteopathy into the world. It had taken the death of three of his children from meningitis in 1864 for Still to realise that the drugs and preparations he prescribed were useless.
Network Spinal Analysis™ (NSA) – Interview with Dr Epstein
by Dr Donald Epstein
This is an interview with New York Chiropractor Dr Donald Epstein, on Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), which was discovered in 1982, when Dr Epstein began networking various chiropractic techniques – marrying certain techniques in a manner which enables the practitioner, through the use of light touch to release large amounts of spinal tension from a patient.
Pelvic Integrity – Centering the Core
by Liz Koch
Liz Koch has made a lifelong study of the psoas muscle and sees the pelvis as the keystone of our structural system. It is not only the base of support for the upper body, but transfers weight down the legs to the feet. Pelvic instability shows itself in pelvic tilts, forward flexion, twists, dips or torques.
Physiotherapy Today
by Nadia Ellis
Physiotherapy today is defined as: "A systematic method of assessing musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological disorders of function including pain and those of psychosomatic origin and of dealing with or preventing those problems by natural methods based essentially on movement, manual therapy and physical agencies."[1]
Pilates for Today
by Dreas Reyneke
Pilates looks after the basics of posture, the cardiovascular system, breathing and reduces stress to make it, according to the author, the most suitable method to counterbalance our sedentary 21st century life. He takes us through a brief history of the background to Pilates before moving on to the core of the article: how he has seen Pilates evolve in his 30 years of teaching and specifically in relation to his own development, 'Ultimate Pilates'.
Podiatry – Importance of the Foot
by Paul Harradine
This features look in depth at the way your feet can affect other areas of your body. Podiatry is the profession which specializes in the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of foot-based problems. The author, an eminent and well-published podiatrist, looks at the relation between foot to gait dysfunction and related symptomology such as back, hip, knee and foot pain.
Prenatal and Birth Therapy - Healing our Earliest Wounds from Conception to Birth
by Graham Kennedy RCST
Prenatal and birth therapy was developed by Dr Raymond Castellino as a powerful method of working with babies and their families in order to resolve traumatic imprinting that originated in prenatal life and the birth process. The approach draws on other modalities, such as cranio-sacral therapy, polarity therapy, psychotherapy, trauma resolution work and birth simulation work.
Releasing Trauma Through Bodywork The Power of Awareness
by Anthony Deavin Ph.D.
In Polarity Therapy we recognize that the harmonious flow of energy within and around the body is the essential prerequisite for health. For Polarity Therapists, the safe release of trauma is a key concern.
Rolfing®: Transformative Method of Structural Integration
by Jean-Pierre el-Rif
This article focuses on Rolfing, originally named Postural Integration and later Structural Integration, a comprehensive system of hands-on connective tissue manipulation which releases both deep and superficial stress patterns, restoring the body to good posture, better health and emotional wellbeing.
Self-Breema – Exercises for Harmonious Life
by Denise Berezonsky
Through Self-Breema, we can discover a natural, joyful connection to the body and the aliveness of our Being participating in life, in the moment.
SHEN® Physio-Emotional Release Therapy
by Eilís Ward
Eilís Ward C.S.P.I. tells us about this powerful technique for emotional growth and empowerment.
The Feldenkrais Method®
by Barbara Barnes
Feldenkrais invites you to learn how to move in a new way. It is a movement based solution to movement based problems. If you imagine a friend of yours walking down the street, and that all you can see is their silhouette – not the person, I imagine you would recognise them by the way they move.
The Healing Process: A Polarity Therapy Case History
by Anthony Deavin Ph.D.
This article takes the form of a comprehensive case history undertaken by a student who had just completed a ten-day foundation course in polarity therapy, and illustrates how effective the therapy can be even after only a short period of training.
The Importance of Anatomy to all Healthcare Practitioners
by Caroline Barrow
Caroline Barrow discusses the importance of studying anatomy for all those working in healthcare. She points out that so often in natural medicine there is a pull between the scientific and intuitive approaches. These two approaches she believes can be melded together and are indeed complementary.
The Importance of Correct Breast Support
by Lynn Young
That 'most women wear the wrong size bra' has almost become a cliché. Women today should be very aware that wearing the wrong bra size can cause all sorts of medical problems, not to mention psychological problems.
The Metamorphic Technique and the Universal Principles
by Agnes Boes
Life itself is the great healer. It appears simple and obvious, yet the finite mind has difficulty in grasping it. The Metamorphic Technique and the Universal Principles put into practise this idea and offer an environment for contacting and reawakening the self-healing quality of life.
The Mézières Method - a revolution in manual therapy
by Joel Carbonnel
Françoise Mézières' (1909–1991) career as a physiotherapist and a teacher of anatomy/physiology changed radically following an empirical discovery. With this discovery she found the clue to all our deformities, developed a powerful therapeutic tool for our musculoskeletal dysfunctions and pains, and formulated totally new biomechanical laws.
The Mini-Trampoline
by Michele Wilburn
Mini-trampolines, also referred to as Rebound units and bouncers, are easily accommodated in homes, and widely used in sports centres, gymnasiums, health hydros, hospital physiotherapy and rehabilitation departments, sports injury clinics and schools
The Multiple Applications of Swiss Balls
by Paul Chek
This article looks into the benefits of Swiss ball training and the multi-functional exercises one can perform with it. He says that the use of Swiss balls in most gyms tends to be limited to crunches, which actually represents only a fraction of the exercises that can be performed with this equipment.
The Osteopathic Approach to the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
by David Lintonbon
This article looks at the structural osteopathic approach to evaluating dysfunction at the Temporomandibular Joint and its associated structures.
The Psoas Within
by Liz Koch
At the very core of your physical body lies a muscle that influences every aspect of well-being. The psoas muscle, critical for balance, alignment, joint rotation and range of motion, also influences the circulatory system, the functioning of organs and diaphragmatic breathing.
The Role of Anatomy and Physiology in Bodywork
by Darien Pritchard
At present Anatomy and Physiology sit uneasily in much bodywork training and practice. In this article I want to look at their place and relevance.
The role of soft tissue work
by Mario-Paul Cassar
Soft tissue work was incorporated in physical therapy many years ago. Its efficacy has been demonstrated by the extent of its utilisation and by its continuous evolvement, sometimes into other therapy forms.
The Self-Healing Method – A Physiotherapy for the 21st Century
by Maggie Lyons
Self-Healing – a unique therapy combining massage, movement, and natural vision training based on the teachings of Meir Schneider (see our interview with Meir under - Interviews). Our bodies have forgotten what they most need – movement. Self-Healing is a gentle yet dynamic method dedicated to reversing this trend.
Touch Therapy Training Programme For Children with Disabilities
by Katie Essex
The author shares her experiences of her involvement as both therapist/instructor and research assistant in the Touch Therapy Training Programme (TTTP) developed by Julie Barlow and Lesley Cullen at Coventry University's Psychosocial Research Centre.
Transformational Bodywork
by Graeme Stroud
Transformational Bodywork is a method of working on the physical body that begins the process of contacting, accepting and transmuting the pain, trauma and congested energy that resides within the physical, emotional and mental bodies.
Trauma Energetics
by William Redpath
The author, William Redpath, a psychoanalyst, Reichian therapist, special education teacher and certified advanced Rolfer, has spent many years studying tragic theory and trauma theory, and has written Trauma Energetics, A Study of Held-Energy Systems. However, it was not until 1991, when undergoing a trauma resolution session himself, that he discovered the importance of 'vibrational black' in resolving trauma.
Trauma Release Body-Mind Processing
by Louis A Gross BSEE
In this article Gross describes his system of Trauma Release Body-Mind Processing, which combines Ida Rolf's Structural Integration Method of Connective Tissue Manipulation, psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich's body-oriented psychological therapy and psychotherapist Morris Netherton's method of past traumatic event release. He describes how the use of these three methods gives a better resolution in faster times than would be usual with any of these individual methods.
Treating Chronic Pain Deep Tissue vs. Muscle Release Technique™
by Michael Young
By using the Muscle Release Technique,™ we not only break up scar tissue, we lengthen the muscle. This results in more flexibility, no more nerve impingement and no more pain. By using this technique regularly, the muscle memory is restored and most pain sufferers experience permanent relief.
Treating Pain in Joints and Muscles
by Vicki McKenna
As an acupuncturist I commonly see people with pain in their joints and muscles. Often pain in joints is labelled "arthritis" and muscular pain may be classified as "fibromyalgia" but in Chinese medicine these problems are viewed differently.
Treating the Complex Shoulder
by Simeon Niel-Asher
This article focuses on shoulder problems, such as frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tendinopathy, capsulitis, arthritis of the glenohumeral joint, impingement syndrome, post operative/fracture stiffness, etc., which the author says as many as one in four adults suffer at some time, and shares his special technique to treat such conditions.
Trigger Point Therapy
by Steve Hefferon
This article focuses on the importance of Trigger Point therapy and how it works.
Vibromuscular Harmonisation
by Mark G. Lester
The Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique (VHT) is a new bodywork technique developed by Jock Ruddock and inspired by such disciplines as Aikido, Bowen Technique, Tai Chi, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Kinesiology and Zen.
Vibromuscular Harmonisation
by Mark G. Lester
The Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique (VHT) is a new bodywork technique developed by Jock Ruddock and inspired by such disciplines as Aikido, Bowen Technique, Tai Chi, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Kinesiology and Zen. Jock Ruddock and his wife Ivana teach VHT worldwide, including in the UK, and have also developed The Equine TouchTM, a discipline for horses. The first part of the article, an interview between VHT practitioner, Mark Lester and Jock Ruddock, describes the technique.
Walking with your Iliopsoas Muscle
by Liz Koch
The author explains the importance of maintaining a supple, well-functioning iliopsoas muscle, and has written a book on the subject.
Walking – The Good Way
by Ganapati Iyer Ravishakar
Psychologists claimed that communication among human beings is 7% verbal, 30% toe and 55% body language. Whether these figures are correct or not, it's plain that we speak with our bodies. In fact what we don't say can be more influential than what we verbalize. We constantly transmit and receive non-verbal messages, often revealing our attitudes before we say a single word.
Zen-Bodytherapy
by Sula Thomas-Forero
Zen-bodytherapy is a system of bodytherapy and somatic education whose goals are to align and balance the structure, function and energy of the body.
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