Bones For Life
Bones For Life
The program for stimulating bone strength
through
natural movement and weight-bearing posture
by Ruthy Alon
Based on Dr. Feldenkrais’ approach to somatic learning

Intelligent Fitness • Quality Aging
Osteoporosis Prevention
Personal Ergonomics
The Body Language of Leadership
 
Ruthy Alon
 Bones For Life
  Welcome 
  About the Program 
    The Program Rationale 
    Themes of the Process 
    The Program Concepts 
  Pilot Studies 
  Sample Movements 
  Visual Overview 

 Attend a Course
  Program Schedules 
  International Contacts 
  Find a Teacher 
  Find a Training 

 Professional Education
  Curriculum 
  Certification 
  Competencies 

  

 Information
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Themes of the Program Process

1. Optimal pressure - defining levels of force

  • Hands press jaws - 80%, 40%, 20% pressure
  • Breathing pace, walking pace, running pace

2. Tapping - pulsations of rhythmic pressure

  • Tapping on the head, chest, kidneys, pelvis

3. Modes of response to pressure

  • Flexible undulating wave
  • Firm one-unit axis

4. Aligning the neck - the bottleneck of posture

  • Joined fingers, separated fingers - self feedback
  • Bent index knuckle between teeth - pull of resistance, straightening of neck backwards
  • Hand stabilizes chin with chest - neutralizing differentiation of neck
  • Hand combs hair - a passive elongation of neck
  • Using hand as foot - organizing upper back

5. Aligning the lumbar - bridging the critical link of the postural chain

  • Joined fingers, separated fingers - self feedback
  • Hand shortening anterior of belly - spacing out posterior lumbar vertebrae
  • Pushing feet on wall - flattening lumbar

6. Bouncing on the heels - springy pressure strengthening bone

  • Bouncing in rotations
  • Feet in and out
  • Wide basis - narrow basis
  • Inside/outside edge of foot
  • Crossed arms
  • Ringed arms
  • The efficient focus of pressure in the ball of the foot
  • Heels lower than floor surface
  • Bouncing on one foot

7. Strategies using a wall - confinement within support improves posture

  • Feet/shoulder interaction - pattern of walking
  • A knot on the wall - provocation and support of the vertical
  • Projector around a knot - three-dimensional adjustability
  • Two knots - redesigning alignment
  • Rumba in the strip - reciprocal interaction of hips/shoulders
  • Long back/short back - relationship between front and back
  • A tree in the forest - torso rotations along a roller

8. Domino effect - transmission of pressure from end to end

  • Wave response - proportional flexibility of undulating the curves
  • Axis response - tightening skeleton together to utilize pressure for antigravity straightening up
  • Hand on head, hand on wall - connecting head to chain of force
  • Heel thrusts toes/toes thrust heel - conditioning hip joints and spine on feet

9. Tantrum no, tantrum yes - the joy of assertiveness

  • Pounding feet and fists
  • Kicking heels and tapping elbows

10. Full breathing - pressure stimulates breath

  • Fragmented in-breath - stimulating out-breath
  • "Ha + 3" breathing formula - providing oxygen in dynamic activity

11. Arms - front legs deprived of original function

  • Hand-in-hand in a strip - non-habitual use that improves habit

12. Wrist - re-empowering the sustaining of pressure

  • Hand pushes wall - wrist organizes spine and pelvis in a spiral

13. Re-orientation of the hip joint - aligning the wheels

  • Bicycle on the side - stabilizing hip joint to pelvis
  • Bow and arrow - balancing hip joint while protecting the lumbar
  • Heel to ischium - releasing the anatomical freedom in the hip joint
  • Masculine pelvis - decreasing distance between hip joints, evoking straightening up

14. Ribcage - the hard nut to crack

  • Ribs around the steering - redesigning rib basket

15. Feet - basis determines structure

  • Roman sandals - focus of pressure in the metatarsal for efficient walking
  • Demystification of reflexology - neurological connection between pressure in the ankle and disposition of the lumbar

16. Ankle - the multi-dimensional adjustment

  • Flexibility and stability in ankle - moving the body in relation to stationary ankle

17. Shoulder blades - substitute for not walking on all fours

  • Narrow/wide shoulder blades leaning on a wall - options in mastering the back
  • Shoulder blades up/down - balancing front and back in posture

18. Jaw - the original articulation steering the spine

  • Knee lying/knee standing - jaw/pelvis interaction to neutralize excess stress in jaw

19. Stomach lift - organizing viscera to enhance moving

  • Integrating yoga with motion - movement reinforces position

20. Springy knees - the condition for generating pressure

  • Knee bends knee - spontaneous springiness
  • Seesaw in crossed knees - foot/knee/back interaction
  • Knee in a strip - hand activates knee to de-program counter-productive pattern
  • Harness around knees - incorporating knees to chain of posture

21. Recreation time

  • Rolling from side to side - uniformity reforms
  • Figure eight circles of knees to chest - three-dimensional symmetry
  • Visualizing the inside of bone - recruiting the power of the subconscious
  • Dynamics of yawning - gift of nature to refill deficiency of oxygen
  • Visualizing anterior or posterior vertebrae processes - focusing intention determines long or short back
  • Imagination of ideal fall - re-programming trauma
  • Visualizing green leaf - reconciliation with hope
  • Bone consciousness - readiness to move
  • Red and pink meditation - oxygen to lungs, nourishment to bone

22. Transitions

  • From sitting on a chair to standing - synchronizing distribution of labor with the anti-gravity game of pressure
  • From lying to sideways sitting - free ride on the spiral
  • From crossed legs sitting to standing - heel steering rising
  • From standing to sitting on the floor - proportional sinking to neutralize fear of falling
  • From lying to frontal sitting - strengthening the back without penalty to neck-jaw-stomach
  • From lying to standing - competence inspires confidence
  • Commitment to consistent rhythm - guarantees harmonious coordination

23. Creeping - the prototype of organic locomotion

  • Foot pushes a wall - metatarsal serpenting the spine
  • Sweeping head - generating movement from the backbone
  • Head under the elbow - thrusting hand to solid ground as a mobilizing force
  • Straightening the bent knee - the lever of moving one step forward

24. Primal swimming - the original leg/lumbar relationship

  • Loop of leg in swimming - rotation of leg organizes pelvis-spine-head

25. Crawling on all fours - the preliminary preparation for walking

  • Tiger crawl - bending the elbows

26. The harness - a loan of integration by means of a seven-meter cloth

  • Binding the harness - holding the body together
  • Lateral walk - skeleton as one unit in primal steps
  • Moving in harness - securing the anti-gravity axis of vertical posture
  • Padding the curves - protecting the vulnerable members

27. Running - perfecting dynamic movement

  • Running - restoring springiness
  • Bending knees in running
  • Running in harness with inclined head - continuity constructs uprightness

28. Jumping - the ultimate teacher for weight-bearing posture

  • Jumping in harness - safe learning of how to outsmart gravity
  • Breathing in jumping - "Ha + 3" formula for oxygen provision

29. African walk - deciphering the grace of effortless weight-bearing functioning

  • Load on head - a guide for adjusting the efficient alignment
  • Secure safety of neck - cooperating chest with no penalty to lumbar
  • Arms as oars - arm swings behind drawing out the chest; arm in front as a substitute for leg
  • Detachment of foot with no shaking to load on head - heel in the plane of leg and ischium
  • Ever-shifting projection of load - forward/backward ping-pong to reduce compression

30. Lifting weights - need for strength builds strength

  • Safe lifting weights - a challenge of mastering a well-synchronized and safe trajectory
  • Load on legs - stability of posture with springiness of knees
  • Load on wrists - engaging the spine through the wisdom of the spiral

31. Climbing - anti-gravity crawling

  • Dynamics of climbing - pulling body to hand
  • Pulling arms in pairs - controlled resistance to elevate body tone
  • Rock climbing - pulling a rope in pairs

32. Sphincters - the inner anti-gravity network

  • Map of sphincters - hand representation to facilitate mastery
  • Activating sphincters - indispensable factor in anti-gravity movement

33. Isometric pressure - self resistance

  • Handcuffs - closed circuit of heightened inner pressure

34. Equilibrium - the constant engagement of the brain

  • Negotiating for reliable equilibrium - a perspective of integration
  • Training in pairs - controlled loss of stability to regenerate resourcefulness for recovering equilibrium

35. Falling - training in strategies for avoiding injury

  • Squatting - proportional sinking within rotation
  • Rolling back and forth from lying on the floor to standing- competence and agility to overcome fear of falling
  • Initiated falling - becoming familiar with loss of stability

36. Models of organic locomotion

  • Homo/contra-lateral - arm-leg interaction in a variety of combinations
  • Silken scarf on long roller - undulating pressure in a pace of canon
  • Swinging fall - pushing wall in a whip style
  • Step-up/down - walking pattern initiated from the arms
  • Cow model - neck curving in
  • Horse pattern - neck curving out
  • Skipping goats - leaping from one foot to both in rhythm
  • Rooster fight - thrusting on one leg
  • Gliding sideways - a reminder of lightness
  • Descending a slope - velocity avoids slippery
  • Climbing uphill - falling up monkey style

37. Nutrition aspect - research and facts

  • Foods rich in calcium and minerals
  • What to eat / not to eat - the risk of disrupting Ph balance
  • Grandmothers' remedy - raw calcium directly from nature

38. Table - a break for refreshing posture

  • Half sitting/half standing - load on pelvis, legs are free

39. Doorway - superb device for setting uprightness

  • Back to one post, arms push the other - confining spine to straighten up
  • Pressing shoulder blades up / down - the key to vertical alignment

40. Chairs - generating vitality in sitting

  • Uplifting head and chest from pushing foot to ground
  • Bouncing the heels - raising body tone while straightening curves
  • Cross crawl pattern - hands walking on legs
  • Erect upper back - utilizing edge of chair, arm neutralizes neck
  • Leaning on hands to raise body - shifting in distribution of labor
  • Hip joint determines posture - knee rowing up / down / forward / backward
  • Foot pushing a wall - cultivate the pathway for anti-gravity force
  • Strategies for safely getting in and out of chairs - spiral/frontal configuration.