17/02/2025
.this is a translation from Vroni Buhn:
5. Juli 2013 4 Kommentare
**Neuromuscular Mobilization in Humans: The Feldenkrais Method and the Alexander Technique**
Before turning to riding in Légèreté, I would like to build a bridge. The example of yoga demonstrates that flexibility and stability are fundamental prerequisites for pain-free movement in humans. Most back pain that people experience results from incorrectly used, chronically tense muscles. These issues often originate from poor posture, which begins to develop around the age of three and is significantly influenced by our culturally ingrained sitting habits. Sitting on a couch or even just on a chair for several hours a day, as we demand of ourselves and our children, is an entirely unnatural form of human "movement" against gravity.
In walking, squatting, lying down, and even in some sitting positions (e.g., sitting on the floor with legs bent and stretched out), our body has the opportunity to fall into its center of gravity or alignment against gravity. This falling action activates the kinematic chain of our intrinsic musculature—those evolutionarily older muscle components that we cannot voluntarily move but are crucial for stabilizing our bodies against gravity. Sitting on a couch, however, represents a different kind of falling: falling backward. In this position, our center of gravity leaves our support base, leading to a state of total imbalance. To free ourselves from this extreme imbalance, we must use force, meaning our voluntary movement muscles, to "pull" ourselves out of the unbalanced position—such as getting up from the couch. The more frequently we do this, the more we train our movement muscles and develop poor posture that persists even when standing or walking.
This initiates a vicious cycle: we can no longer stand in alignment with gravity due to poor posture, requiring the activation of voluntary muscles to prevent falling. More and more, we rely on our active muscles for stabilization rather than our intrinsic musculature. Because this process happens unconsciously, we establish inefficient movement habits without realizing it. These movement patterns lead to the overuse of specific structures over time, resulting in issues such as back pain. Unfortunately, when we experience back pain, we often follow the dogma that our active muscles are too weak to support us, assuming this is the cause of the pain. Consequently, we train with sit-ups or exercise machines to strengthen our active muscles. However, what we actually strengthen in doing so are the very postural issues that caused our problems in the first place. This leads to chronic pain cycles that are difficult to break.
Since the early twentieth century, several movement therapies have emerged that propose a different approach. They operate on the idea that inefficient movement behaviors must be replaced by relearning efficient movement patterns. Two such methods are the Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method. While Alexander primarily analyzes our behavior in basic movements such as standing, sitting, and walking, aiming to introduce corrective behavior through conscious instructions, Feldenkrais works primarily by engaging the various components of our body system. Body parts are moved individually, sequentially, and finally together in a way that stimulates the brain, prompting it to learn new movement patterns. Verbal guidance of movement helps bridge the gap between unconscious and conscious behavior. Both methods avoid relying on strength and instead focus on gentle and sensitive body mobilization. Slow, mindful movement takes precedence over speed and range of motion. Furthermore, both methods explore the body's relationship to gravity, seeking efficient movement pathways that are so effortless they remain reversible at any moment and allow for spontaneity. Preconceived notions of posture and aesthetic ideals are set aside, as they often introduce inefficient muscular engagement into movement. Over time, the intrinsic musculature can once again become the starting point for movement, with voluntary muscles facilitating action. Movements become lighter and freer, and overall posture improves in a newly found harmony with gravity. Studies in the UK have recently shown that the Alexander Technique can be effective in reducing back pain.
These neuromuscular mobilization methods—the Feldenkrais Method and the Alexander Technique—are therefore superior to approaches that rely on strength to influence the human body. They are not forms of exercise, yet they produce results that enhance the body's mobility and stability in ways we typically associate with rigorous physical training. Without sweating, stretching to the point of pain, or enduring muscle soreness from strength training, we can effectively "gymnasticize" our bodies using these highly efficient approaches.
**François Baucher and Modern French Riding**
The riding style proposed by Philippe Karl is largely—though not exclusively—based on the ideas of François Baucher, a 19th-century French riding master. Baucher's riding method does not rely on the concept of a "bridge" through the back or a "tension arc." Instead, he focuses on the horse's balance relative to gravity, meaning that the horse's balance in both standing and movement is central to his method.
Baucher developed a riding system aimed at achieving self-carriage of the horse, even under a rider. This continues the tradition of granting the horse "freedom on its honor," a principle that was central to de la Guérinière in the 18th century. Unlike the German military riding tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries, which aimed to "frame" the horse between aids (constantly maintaining rein, leg, and seat pressure), Baucher's method operates on an impulse basis. The rider intervenes only to give a specific instruction and ceases any influence as soon as the horse responds correctly.
Baucher worked extensively on corrective techniques available to the rider to guide the horse into specific movements or positions. These methods were already known to de la Guérinière, who used the demi-arrêt (an upward half-halt) to adjust the horse's head position. Baucher refined these techniques, allowing separate influence over different parts of the horse's body. He employed flexion exercises to mobilize the jaw, head, and neck and used lateral movements such as haunches-in to mobilize the hindquarters.
Similar to what Feldenkrais would do for humans nearly 100 years later, Baucher, particularly in his later methods, used differentiation and integration to enhance the horse’s responsiveness to the rider’s aids. His approach included separating hand and leg aids, mobilizing specific body parts individually before integrating them into the whole, and progressing through movement sequences in a structured manner. The ultimate goal of Baucher’s corrections was to maintain the horse’s equilibrium against gravity, ensuring that each movement originated from a balanced stance.
In essence, Baucher's method aligns with Alexander’s concept of human movement: establishing a fundamental equilibrium and then transitioning smoothly into movement. Just as Alexander emphasized freeing the head joints to initiate movement, Baucher believed that relaxation of the horse's jaw was key to overall suppleness.
This approach starkly contrasts with the German tradition, which prioritizes muscular engagement, speed, and constant effort. While a German-trained horse appears powerful, energetic, and visibly muscular, a French-trained horse moves fluidly, with balance and ease. The distinction mirrors the difference between conventional strength training and neuromuscular mobilization in humans. Ultimately, Karl’s school of Légèreté follows Baucher’s principles by providing a logical framework for achieving lightness, prioritizing relaxation, and ensuring that movement flows freely through the horse’s body.
