Wellbeing is something that requires constant practice. Humans have a great capacity to adapt to different circumstances and situations, but the downside of this is that sometimes we also adapt to conditions that are not entirely playing in our favor, especially in terms of physical wellbeing, ergonomics, and health. For example, we get used to living with pain, we accept pain and discomfort as a part of «normal life» and we slide slowly into states of unease that end up becoming our new normal.

This series of Intelligent Movement® sessions aims to bring your attention to the practice of wellbeing and to the awakening of a greater inner sense of awareness. When you develop your body awareness, you stop accepting states of lesser wellbeing in all the areas of your life. So we will explore this awareness from the physical perspective, and little by little we will see how we can bring this learning to areas beyond the physical part. Welcome to this journey.

One of the most common reasons for back pain is that we don’t use it in an integrated way. Instead, we move its different sections independently, stiffly, without paying attention to the possibilities offered by a more complete use of the spine.

In this class, we will mobilize different sections of the spine, first in a separate way and then together in different directions. This will remind our skeleton and of muscles that they have these possibilities, and will give us the opportunity to observe with more attention the interactions between the sections of our spine and other parts of the body.

 

Here you have the full audio of the lesson:

 

 

And here is the video with the short class that corresponds to this session:

 

The spine as a string of pearls from Movimiento Inteligente on Vimeo.

In this session we will explore the extension of the body from the frontal side. Usually we work on our backs, and we get used to this relationship with gravity. But working on the frontside is also a very useful way of learning more about our body and experiencing a different relationship with space.

In this class we will work with the connection of the neck, the eyes and the pelvis, as well as the action of the spine with a different type of bending. We usually bend our spines to the front, but we work very little on the opposite action. With this session, we will explore the possibilities of this kind of movement and how it can relate to the way we carry our head upon the neck.

Here is the audio of this session:

 

And here is the video class that corresponds to this session:

 

Making frontal extension easy from Ernesto Cortés on Vimeo.

In this session, we explored the connection between the ribs, the sternum, the shoulders and the hips. And although this class seems to be centered only on the ribs, there’s actually a lot of movement happening in the chest, so these are movements that also have an effect on all the thorax.

Here is the full audio of this session:

 

 

And here is the videoclass that corresponds to this session. I this video, we will seek to connect the movement even beyond of what we did on the floor, by bringing an action that begins in the foot all the way to head.

April 3 from Ernesto Cortés on Vimeo.

In this class we began by connecting the movement of the shoulders and the hips. Then we included the eyes in this relationship, extending the connection to the muscles of the neck and the head that are linked to the eyes. Then we developed a better sense of the relationship between the hips and the legs by mobilizing the legs in different configurations, and finally we joined everything together in a playful rolling along the floor.

The intention of this class was not only to give more freedom to shoulders and pelvis, but also to develop more awareness of how the connection of different parts of the body make anything easier and lighter.

This is the full audio lesson recording of this class:

 

 

With this short video class you will mobilize the shoulders in a way similar than we did on the floor. Now that you have experienced it lying down, pay special attention to what your pelvis does, even if we are not directly moving it and if it seems to be immobile on the chair. Begin to sense by yourself where the movement of one part of your body has an impact and how you can connect these parts with more clarity.

 

In this session we used for the first time an external element to work with the body: a book. Playing with a book on the foot is an excuse to acually work on the pelvis, in this occasion from a distal prspective.

We have seen before how small movements that are apparently not connected to the main action can have an effect on the improvement of this main action. This happens, for example, with the eyes and the movements of the neck. In this case, we used the movement of the toes to give more freedom to the pelvis.

Here is the full audio of this session:

 

 

And here is the video class of this session:

 

Book on foot 1 from Ernesto Cortés on Vimeo.

In this session we continued the process of the previous class, using the excuse of keeping a book in the air to work with an advanced level of connection, coordination and divided attention throughout the body.

This is also an exploration of the emotions and of intellectual capabilities. On one hand, because we are learning through failure, so we have to be able to go beyond the first sensation of frustration and use the errors to learn and improve our future actions. This is something that applies not only to the context of the Intelligent Movement lessons, of course, but to many other aspects of life. On the other hand, there is an extensive array of abilities involved in the task of keeping a book in the air while the rest of the body is moving around it, so it is a great exercise for the brain and it awakens a vast number of possibilities of what we can do with these discoveries.

Doing these classes is a fun way to engage all these different elements and unite them in a playful activity that leaves you with a sensation of accomplishment. It is important to note, though, that in the Intelligent Movement classes we are not looking to accomplish anything. We address the lessons without an expectation and just enjoy the results, whatever they are. Let’s keep this in mind as we continue through new stages of exploration in these classes.

Here is the full audio of this session:

 

 

And here is the video class for this session. As usual, the image is just a guidance, but I suggest you to focus on the audio and on your own experience.

 

Book on foot 2 from Movimiento Inteligente on Vimeo.

This was a different session because of the level of challenge and because, unlike other times, we were working with a sense of expectation, of having to accomplish something. The interesting thing about this is that we can also learn from this kind of situation and translate this knowledge to daily life situations: how do I manage expectations in my own life and how much do I push myself towards it?

I would suggest you to do the first 30 minutes of the audio class, but with a different perspective now: instead of working toward a goal, do as little as possible and find out how this feels. Is it easier to work less? Or is it harder? There may be a paradox here. Explore it in this safe space and see what you learn from it.

Here is the full audio of this session:

 

 

This time, for the video we will go back to a previous exercise. Instead of insisting with the books on the feet, we will return to the relationship between the legs and the feet, to give the legs a rest and some relaxation after the strain that we have put them through with this series of classes.

 

This time, for the video we will go back to a previous exercise. Instead of insisting with the books on the feet, we will return to the relationship between the legs and the feet, to give the legs a rest and some relaxation after the strain that we have put them through with this series of classes.

In this session we worked with two main ideas: on one had, exploring how a change in the relation with gravity can help us discover different things about the same function; on the other hand, how we can make a movement easier by amplifying the parts of the body that we involve into the action.

Parallel to these goals, this class is a great opportunity to help your head find a better place in space and in you.

Here is the full audio of this session:

 

 

And this is the videoclass that correspond to this session:

 

The head in its place from Movimiento Inteligente on Vimeo.

In this class we worked with the connection of the legs and the lower back as well as the arms and the shoulderblades, but at the same time we explored the relationship of these movements with the muscles of the face.

As we have done other times, we worked with the proximal parts of the body (lumbar spine, shoulderblades) from the distal perspective (hands on the feet, hand on the face). This gives the brain new information and helps the nervous system develop new strategies of movement, posture and action.

Here is the full audio of this lesson:

 

And here is the video of this session:

 

Connecting the movements with the head from Movimiento Inteligente on Vimeo.

In this session we worked with many different things at one, using directed and distributed attention as well as coordinated movements and synchronization to accomplish an everyday activity: rolling from the floor to come to sit up or to lie on the belly.

So, this class has two purposes. On one hand, developing the skills to perform an activity; on the other hand, learning how, by integrating more part of the body into one action, this action can be made in a more organic and coordinated way. There is a lot of information in this lesson, which is why I suggest to you to do the video class several times, and to do it on the other side as well, so that you can integrate this new pattern of movement into your habits.

Here is the full audio of this lesson:

 

 

This is the video class of this session:

 

Rolling with more of yourself from Movimiento Inteligente on Vimeo.

In this session we worked with different patterns of breathing and the expansion of the thoracic basket by practicing these patterns in different configurations.

Along with the expansion of the pulmonary and ribcage capacity, we explored the movement of the pelvis in relation to the breathing as well as the expansion of the chest by mobilizing the shoulderblade and the arm.

Since this is a lesson of mostly «invisible» work, rather than a video, I edited a short version of the audio class so that you can practice the three patterns of breathing in one configuration. This is a very useful class for relaxing at the end of the day, for resting and reflecting after an intense activity, to prepare yourself for a demanding physical activity that will require intense oxygen intake, and even to help you rest if you are suffering of insomnia.

Here is the short version of this class:

 

 

And this is the full audio version of this session:

 

 

In this session we worked with the muscles of the neck and the upper back from a distal perspective, using the movement of the hands and the arms as an excuse to mobilize the group of muscles that hold the head in its place and reminding them that the effort has to be distributed more evenly.

Here is the full audio of this class:

 

 

And here is the video of this session:

 

Relaxing the neck and shoulders from the arms from Ernesto Cortés on Vimeo.

In this session  we did a class inspired in the of the Bones for Life method, developed by the Israeli doctor Ruthy Alon. This class gives us the opportunity to connect with the pelvis by engaging it into a very primitive reptile movement with the help of the wall and different configurations with gravity. Understanding these ancient patterns of movement allow us to amplify the possibilities of our modern skeleton and body organization.

Here is the full audio of this session:

 

 

And here is the video of this class:

Bones for life video class from Movimiento Inteligente on Vimeo.

In this session we explored the spine, understanding its sections by mobilizing them in different directions and configurations.

Here is the full audio of the session, which you can do as many times as you want. I would recommend that you take the time to do it at least one time before our next session and see if it’s different to do it a second

time. Does the fact that you «know what to expect» change the way you do this lesson? Can you find something new every time you do it? How is this second time different?

 

I have made a short version of this class so that you can practice only a part of it in 15 minutes. I suggest that you do this as a practice to begin the day, or to take a break in the middle of your activities. It can be an interesting way to mobilize your body either to prepare it for action or to give it a rest. Try it as many times as you want along the week:

 

 

Finally, here is a videoclass that you can do anywhere, standing up, where you will evoke some of the movements we did in the class on the floor. Notice what changes when your relationship to gravity shifts, and pay special attention to how is the movement of your spine at the beginning and at the end of the class.

 


 

In this class we worked with creating a 3-dimensional inner image of the body using 4 corners as pointers: the 2 shoulders and the 2 hips. Usually we work towards the front, or moving upwards; in this occasion we also included movements towards the floor, playing with different levels of pressure.

This is the full audio of this class:

 

 

 

And this is the video that corresponds to this session:

 

Mobilizing the corners to find the center from Ernesto Cortés on Vimeo.

In this class we worked on the shoulders from the perspective of the joints that articulate with them both from a distal and from a proximal perspective: from the hands and from the hips. This helps us understand better the relationship between these parts and to relax the shoulders not so much by mobilizing them directly, but connecting them with other parts of the body.

Many times, when we have pain in one joint it is because there is another joint that is not doing its job. Pain in the neck may be related to a lack of movement in the lumbar spine or the pelvis, for example. Pain in the shoulders can be a result of stress in the hands and the wrists. This is why in this lesson we activate these connections, to remind these joints that they have a job to do, but we do it gently and in a conscious way.

Here is the audio of this class:

 

 

And here is the video class for this session:

Mobilizing the shoulders from the distal from Ernesto Cortés on Vimeo.

In this session we played with several ideas around the shoulders. One of them is the activation of the shoulders from the distal, by moving the fingers and the wrist. Another idea the ability to distribute your attention in several things at the same time without diminishing the quality of the movement. Another deeper idea that we explored in this class has to do with decisions: what do you do with your body in certain situations?

We explore this last idea in the final part of the class: when you are doing two opposite actions (pelvis and shoulders), what do you do with your head? Which way should you move it? Where does it make more sense? So, if you translate this to your daily life, what decisions do you make with your body that affect the outcome of the action? Do you always chose what makes more sense to your body?

Here is the full audio of this class: