An introduction to rhythm

My research dances within several areas of study, including the human senses, embodied cognition and the phenomenology of space, but, first and foremost, it originates from a philosophy of rhythm. Rhythm is everything we are and everything we do. From how you text and type to how you speak and carry on conversations. From the cities we live in to the spaces we sleep. Our bodies have endless rhythms for eating, sleeping, breathing, heartbeats, nerve synapses, and more. From the objects we choose to appreciate to our subjective experiences to how you read this page right now. It is all rhythm!

When we think of rhythm, usually, the first thing that comes to mind is music. The rhythms of music can be interpreted in endless ways. Your personal experiences, where you are from and how you experience the world can influence the musical rhythms you might prefer and how they are perceived. Below is a great introductory video on visualizing rhythm in music.

Enjoy and refer to it often. It’s a good one.

Tips for more movement

Exercise doesn’t always mean 30-minutes on a stationary bike or a treadmill. As contradictory as this might sound, fitness can be more effortless. In fact, using less force might be a better way to build positive habits. Instinctive, extra movements are some of the best things you can do for your body and mind throughout the day. Make them easy and natural. Incorporate other things you love, whether it’s the feeling of fresh air, the smell of baking bread, or the sound of a loved one on the phone. BlueZones offers a short menu of juicy ideas to add more movement throughout the day. Bon appetit!

Breathing

A gentle yet strong reminder and collaboration by some amazing artists

Why Pilates leg turnout builds core strength

From the Mind Body Moderate Archives, April 23rd, 2012

Pilates position, Pilates stance, Pilates “V,” – all of these refer to the positioning of the legs in Pilates exercises – a 30-degree turnout of the legs from the hip socket with the heels pinched together and feet turned out – roughly 3-4 fingers apart. The common assumption is that it’s a “dance thing,” and often, students look down, turnout their feet, and move on without knowing why.

The problem is if the feet are only twisting from the ankle or more often, from the knees, without incorporating from the hips, it could lead to knee and leg strain, tightness in the hips, low back, and even neck pain. It is essential to feel the femur bone at the top of the thigh is rotating outward and stretching away from the trunk to create the turnout in the feet. No movement is forced in the knees or ankles. We extend and reach out from the hip joints without gripping in the buttocks, but wrapping and using the muscles underneath the buttocks and at the top of the thighs like you’re pinching a dime between your cheeks. This is how to turn out, the result of which is seen in the feet, but not initiated from them.

Ok. Fine, but why?

This turnout position allows the pelvis to stay neutral and slightly disengages the quadriceps muscles (the front of your thighs), helping lengthen the “zipping up” sensation of the core muscles – from the pelvic floor through the deep belly and psoas, all the way up to the diaphragm and releasing the tension in the neck muscles. Remember, Pilates is never just “abs,” but requires control and understanding of all the muscles and how each affects the other to create overall balance and postural health. Pilates V position is not so much an extreme ballet turnout, as it a military stance. Standing upright with an assertive “chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in,” keeping the heels together, toes apart, with weight balanced forward over the balls of the feet – stable and centered, the body is standing active and ready for action.

A good time to practice your Pilates position is waiting in line at the grocery store, using the cart handle for balance. Draw your thigh bone outward, heels together, and weight over the balls of the feet (but keep your heels on the ground). At the same time, lift through the crown of the head and draw your core in towards the spine (like you are putting on a pair of tight jeans). Your entire body should be in lengthening and working at the same time. Now try to take your hands off the cart handle, just don’t fall into the candy and magazine racks.

Meet Me at Quarantime!

HOW NOT TO GO STIR CRAZY, OR if we must, let’s do it together

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic all fitness studios have been closed in the City of Los Angeles. To help ease a bit of stress during these uncertain times, I will offer a free Pilates and movement class at 12pm on Thursday, March 19th. Subsequently, I’m offering twice-a-day, 30-minute exercise classes at 8:30am and 5:30pm, Monday through Friday. These are donation-based classes, to promote regular movement, community, and sanity. Email me to sign up for the weekly class links and feel free to pass the word along. Maybe we’ll theme classes, but maybe you should do whatever you want, wear your pjs, a dress, request a theme, drink a brandy, let’s just get together and say hi and keep moving forward. Take care of your friends, neighbors and loved ones out there. Hope to see you soon, no matter where on earth you are!

Falling Forward

“A gesture, be it a leap, turn, run, fall, or walk, is only as beautiful, as powerful, as eloquent as its inner source. .Purify, magnify, and make noble that source. You stand naked and revealed. Who are you? What are you? Who, what do you want to be? What is your spiritual caliber?”
José Limón

January 12th was the 112 anniversary of Jose Limon’s birth. Since the introduction of the Limon technique in college, not only was I taken with the exuberance and playfulness of dancing his movements, but even more with his conceptual philosophy, because it seemed to be an ideal representation of moving forward in most aspects of life. It’s of the stuff of what makes us human, distilled down to a repetitive cycle, carried out in infinite ways, yet remaining as monumental or mundane as need be to the movement and efforts we experience over and over in a single step: We rise (one foot up) We fall (one foot down). We stabilize (standing even). Repeat.

This is what we do. In one way or another, we carry on

Mark Willis and Elise Drew León of the Limón Dance Company performing at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan.Credit...Andrea Mohin/The New York Times

Conceptually the image of life and movement as a fall and recovery - a rhythm, a wave, that single step forward - that has stayed with me throughout my life. Here’s a bit more about Jose Limon’s technique directly from Jose Limon Dance Foundation website.

The Limón technique is based upon the movement style and philosophy of theater developed by modern dance pioneers, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In the early 1930s, both Weidman and Humphrey developed a dance vocabulary that worked in opposition to the strict rules of classical ballet. Their intention was twofold: to demonstrate human emotions in a less stylized manner than ballet; and to incorporate in their work the natural movement patterns of the body and its relation to gravity. Limón further developed their ideas for his own work and technique.

The Limón technique is divided among various physical extremes: fall and recovery, rebound, weight, suspension, succession and isolation. These ideas can be illustrated in the way a dancer uses the floor as a place from which to rise, return to and then rise from again. The way a dancer explores the range of movement between the one extreme of freedom from gravity and the other of falling into it; for example, the moment of suspension just as the body is at the top of a leap, and the moment the body had fallen completely back to the earth. There are many words and ideas that are immediately associated with the Limón technique, i.e. its humanism, its use of breath, musicality, lyricism and its dramatic qualities; however, the overwhelming consensus is that through the movement is always demonstrated some physical expression of the human spirit.

Start Your Own Squad

Inspired by an archival post of The Mind Body Moderate, July 2009 ( you can see it below).

I knew a group of coworkers who would come to my pilates class once in awhile. They developed a plan where every week they took turns choosing an exercise activity. They’d mixed it up between spinning, pilates, yoga, walking, cycling, hiking, dancing, and on and on. Their creative movement opportunities were endless, and most importantly, they had their crew - that group that supports you and holds you accountable when you’d rather hide on the sofa.

It reminds me of the beloved LA Municipal Squad. They are creating inspired workshops and performances that celebrate social dance, new movement rituals and personal empowerment. They warrant their own post, but suffice it to say here, it started as a group of women who enjoyed dancing and each other, and for years they get together every week and work it out.

LA Municipal Dance Squad

Building your own squad is a creative way to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, in more ways than one. Finding your team might be the hardest part, but it’s also a chance to make new friends. If you can’t imagine who would want to join you on your adventures, try asking a co-worker, neighbor, or post a “wanted ad” on social media and see which friends might bite. It’s a little scary to put yourself out there, but you’ll be surprised how many people would be just as excited. A group of anywhere from two to four people would be easiest to manage, unless you have some very organized friends. Having a group means the onus is not always on you. Being a “team player” makes it easier to commit to keeping it up.

The laughter alone in trying new things is certain to put you in a better mood, enhance your creativity, solidify friendships through experiences, and yeah, burn a few extra calories along the way.

Original Post From The Mind Body Moderate is here.