Franklin Method for Tai Chi

Great day yesterday!! Had a client who's goal is to enjoy her Tai Chi class more. We talked about what is holding her back from this goal. Her frustrations stem from her inability to connect with her body. Through some Franklin work she was able to see her tibia, calcaneus, and femur within movement. At the end of the session she was on her femur heads for the first time in hip flexion. Even better she realized this herself! I am intrigued to see how this new awareness will affect her ability to connect with Tai Chi.

©2011 Matthew Deal Pilates

Lifting from our Esophagus

Take a moment and look at the esophagus relative to the erector muscles.  Which one would you say is more centrally located?

The esophagus is a muscular tube through which food can pass from our pharynx to the stomach.  The tube is approximately 10-12 inches long and has diameter of 16mm! This is smaller than the size of dime (18mm.)  Think about this during your next meal.

The esophagus passes through the diaphragm around T10 (Thoracic Vertebrae #10.) When we inhale will our diaphragm go down, or up?  The diaphragm moves downward on an inhalation.  Take a moment to feel this, and think about what the esophagus does on an inhalation versus exhalation.  Try moving the esophagus with the diaphragm versus against it on an inhalation.  

The esophagus will move slightly downward with the diaphragm on an inhalation, and slightly upward on an exhalation.  The esophagus moves with the diaphragm.

Now back to the original question of what is more centrally located.  After careful examination of the image provided above you will see the esophagus is located right in the center, while the erector muscles are located posteriorly (back.)

Let's lift our spine from our erector muscles on an inhale. Let's now lift our spine from our esophagus on an exhale.  When it comes to lifting our spine do you prefer lifting from the back or lifting from the center?

©2011 Matthew Deal Pilates