Fascial Fitness with Robert Schleip and Divo Müller Sydney, January 2014 By Kerrie Murphy
“Come and explore the wide matrix of the fascial web and its relationship with Pilates and movement” The New Year began for me in a dusty community hall in Marrickville, NSW, alongside other body workers from many disciplines. We were there to be inspired and to learn from a leading researcher in fascia from the University of Ulm in Germany, Dr Robert Schleip, who led us on a journey of the latest discoveries of the body’s fascial web. His wife, Divo Müller, joined him and presented the practical application of these findings through movement. With industrial fans blowing on the back of our necks in the mid-summer heat, we began madly scribbling down notes about the discoveries Robert and his colleagues had to share, hungry for all the latest findings about the largest sensory organ of the body, fascia. In between Robert’s lectures on recent scientific findings, Divo would have us up on our feet demonstrating the science through motions and with great detail. This exploration took us out on the streets, jumping and skipping towards the playground where we reclaimed our youth, climbing and swinging in and around the equipment. Not quite with grace and vigour, but I am sure with practice this too could spring back! Back to the dusty floors in the hall, and to watch Divo move and ripple like a fish, and swing and bounce with ease, was a delight to see! Then it was our turn to explore. It was great fun and you could really sense the
Terra Rosa e-magazine, No. 14 (July 2014)
fascia moving and rippling under the skin. This was a new and novel experience for me and one to visualise and revisit in Pilates classes for breath, flow and ease. After 4 full days of work with Robert and Divo, I walked away with a greater appreciation of the function and purpose of the living sensory organ. This insight also highlighted how well Pilates trains the body harmoniously. With this new knowledge, I can only draw even more greatness out of the body of work Pilates has to offer and share it with my clients. I was so excited about the world of fascia; I want to share my experience and the highlights of the Fascial Fitness Workshop. Come inside and explore the wide matrix of the fascial web and its relationship with Pilates and movement.
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