Excerpts from Job's Body and connection to Taijiquan

Job's Body by Deanne Juhan makes the connection between bodywork and taijiquan.  While most of the content is anatomy and physiology, the author never fails to note the interconnectedness of the systems of our A&P.  Below are some excerpts to stoke your interest in exploring this resource more fully.

In the preface (pp xxii) Juhan discusses what body work can do.  To paraphrase, he says,  "Manual manipulation does result in mechanical changes which can relax muscles, free up joints and restore fuller range of pain free motion, but we are also a confluence of physics, chemistry, consciousness streams and quanta of energies that interpenetrate each other in complex ways".

(pp. xxv-xxvi)  Again paraphrasing:  "Thru friction on the skin, pressure on deep tissue, distortion of tissue surrounding joints, the organism perceives itself and, thereby, organizes its internal and external muscular responses.  This sense of self becomes habitual and does not let us know when such movements may be harmful, as in misalignment, or cause unnecessary muscular tension".  Juhan suggests that skillful touching of a manual manipulation therapist can penetrate this blockage and allow the body to heal.  Trying to do this for oneself can be self defeating because of deep seated postural habits , sensory cues and mental images that tell us that all is normal.

Taijiquan note:  Fong Song, roughly translated as release to loosen, is a common taijiquan dictum for the release of obstructions and tension which allows for the free flowing of these "quanta of energies", and is one description of qi (energy or life force).

Alexander Technique Note: The Alexander Technique refers to "Faulty Sensory Perception" in insisting that a client cannot self correct postural alignment problems or faulty "use of the self."  Only through the releasing of postural and movement habits and relearning new ones, can changes take place.  Hands on assistance by an Alexander Technique practitioner is critical to success.  Alexander Technique describes, basically, the same precise alignment recommendations as you will find in yoga and taijiquan (see note below)

Taijiquan and yoga note:  Tai Chi and Yoga use long term movement and stance practice to bring about the release of habitual misalignment and resultant tensions.
In Taijiquan it all starts with the 4 principles of alignment, 3 movement principle and 3 principle of harmonizing of the mind.  These are clearly described in Yang Yang's book Taijiquan, Art of Nurturing, the Science of Power, reviewed in this blog.

Anatomy Trains note:  Describes the changes that take place at the cellular level and in the extracellular matrix (ECM) through repetitive movements.  Collagen may be laid down by fibroblasts in response to stress that is registered as a piezo-electric affect in the cells.  In the bone osteoblasts lay down new bone in response mechanical stress and osteoclasts eat bone in the absence of stress.  The result of these processes is a permanent change in the connective tissue and bone from repetitive movements.  Permanent is a relative term, in that, over time, a change in movement patterns can again change the structure of the connective tissue.

Sensing, Feeling and Action note:  Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen might describe such changes as "repatterning" which takes place in the presence of the body mind centering as described in her BMC approach.

Molecules of Emotion note: The question to ask is "what is the contribution of the neural feedback loop that includes neuropeptides and neuro-receptors, in how we feel as we move, learn and adapt in the use of our body (mind).