matics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about sensation-based movement practices. For the Greek philosophical system, see hylics. For other uses, see Somatic. Somatic educator Moshe Feldenkrais adjusting a students head placement Somatic educator Moshe Feldenkrais teaching in 1978 In human movement, a somatic technique or practice is one which emphasizes individual proprioceptive experience. The term is used in movement therapy to signify a therapeutic approach based on the soma, or the body as perceived from within,[1] and in dance as an antonym for performative techniques such as ballet or modern dance which emphasize the external perception of movement by an audience.[2] Somatic techniques may be used in physical therapy,[3] dance education[4][5] or performance, or spiritual practices.[6] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Therapeutic practices 3 Movement disciplines 3.1 Traditional practices 3.2 Dance practices 3.2.1 Performance 3.2.2 Education 4 See also 5 References History[edit] Movement practices in Asia, outside the influence of Cartesian mind-body dualism, have included somatic components such as embodied cognition and physical mindfulness for many centuries. Somatic movement in Western culture can be traced to the turn of the twentieth century, when philosophers such as John Dewey and Rudolf Steiner advocated experiential learning while Isadora Duncan and Rudolf von Laban challenged traditional European conceptions of dance. Although Frederick Matthias Alexander developed a seminal somatic technique as early as the 1890s, the term somatic or somatics was not in general use until movement therapist Thomas Hanna introduced it in the 1980s.[7] Therapeutic practices[edit] Many forms of alternative medicine hold that the interrelationship of mind and body plays a role in the genesis of physical ailments. The Alexander technique, an early example of such an alternative medicine practice, was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander, an actor, in the 1890s.[8] It is an educational somatic technique intended to undo students habits of using unnecessary tension in movement.[9] The Pilates method is a somatic form of physical fitness conditioning developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1910s. He designed his technique, which he called Controlology, to benefit posture, strength, and flexibility. He emphasized the somatic principles of mind-body connection, concentration on proprioceptive observations, and attention to breath.[10][11] Most contemporary forms of Pilates focus on correct physical technique and form more than proprioceptive connection. The Feldenkrais Method is a somatic movement pedagogy developed by Moshé Feldenkrais. It aims to improve well-being by bringing attention to movement patterns which are inefficient or unnecessarily tense and replacing them with more beneficial patterns.[12] Movement disciplines[edit] In non-medicinal movement contexts, the term somatic generally refers to techniques which emphasize the movers internal proprioceptive sensations, in contrast with performance-based techniques. Traditional practices[edit] person in crow pose next to a stream Yoga combines physical and mental exercises Many traditional Asian spiritual practices involve the integration of body and spirit. Yoga is the best-known and most influential in Western civilization, but many others exist. Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices which originated in modern-day India before 500 BCE.[13] The ultimate goals of yoga are spiritual,[14] and yoga practice generally involves physically assuming and moving through codified asanas or body positions. Yoga physiology describes a system of interconnected bodies, having different but interrelated physical and spiritual properties.[15] The concept of energy flow through corporal channels reappears in other somatic forms, including contact improvisation and Qigong.[16][17] Qigong, another traditional Asian somatic practice, helps its practitioners align body, breath, and mind through cultivation of qi, or life energy.[18] Dance practices[edit]
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 23:53:38 +0000
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