The Ballet Store - Classical Stretch - also known as Essentrics

By Dianne, on Thursday, 11 June 2009

"This month I thought I’d give you an excerpt of our training manual that helps describe why this technique makes you feel the way you do! " Miranda Esmonde White

The following article is by Miranda Esmonde white ;

The Flow of Energy and Muscle Chains

One of Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous masterpieces is the drawing of the universal man standing in the center of a circle with his arms and legs outstretched, touching the circumference. What was Leonardo trying to say with that drawing? In naming the drawing The Universal Man, was Da Vinci relating the physical body of man to the basic universal laws of motion? Circular motion to be exact!

Technically speaking, each muscle is a separate entity in itself, each having its own unique points of origin, insertion and task to perform. However, when we move, there is a natural flow between the muscles, which could be seen as a series of links in an invisible chain of muscles.

In CS & Essentrics we try to follow the natural chains of muscles while exercising. Not only does following the natural chains of the muscles feel very soothing, but it also feels very natural and easy to do. The reason it feels easier is because the body is following an instinctive flow. The movements in CS & Essentrics are designed to deliberately follow the natural chains of the muscles. This creates constant circular or rotational type movement, which are the trade-mark exercises in Essentrics.

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There are several benefits to deliberately following the muscle chains. One is psychological, leaving the participant with a sense of well-being and peace. In other words, the movements are in harmony with what the body wants to do and where the body wants to flow to. At the end of an CS or Essentrics workout, the participants often walks away relaxed and content even though they just finished a rigorous workout.

The fitness value gained from following the muscle chains is as great a value as the emotional one. A chain implies a series of connecting links, or in this case connecting muscles. If one muscle along the chain is weaker, tighter or in any way off balance from the others, all of the muscles along the chain will be affected. That is why a foot injury can cause hip problems, or an arm injury can cause shoulder problems. The concept of following the invisible natural chains of muscles is part of the basic philosophy behind CS & Essentrics which is to rebalance the entire body. It is partly why this is such a successful workout from a fitness point of view.