Long term stress - emotional, psychological and mechanical/physical - can create a sympathetic dominant pattern of the nervous system that ultimately leads to pain, injury, movement issues, illness (both mental & physical), and structural changes in the body. By identifying these reflexes, we can rewite them in a healthy, holistically sound manner and allows for the nervous system to appropriately choose the operating system, sympathetic or parasympathetic, that is most appropriate for the moment. This culminates in adaptive changes in brain function, thought patterns, metabolic regulation, and joint and fascial functioning to bring the mind & body to a place of structural integrity and efficiency. This adaptability becomes habitual and unconscious.

Holistic Biomechanics is also a great tool for highly accomplished movers such as dancers and athletes, or for those looking for an effective movement experience without it being “hard.” Body mapping in the context of slow and simple movement allows for more coordination and efficiency in sophisticated and highly articulated movement as well as smooth transitions between simple and complex motor patterns. By refining our motor patterns, we can expand our movement range and interweave them into highly technical movement.

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Movement is an integral part of the nervous system, and in itself creates a lot of sensory input. More specifically, the autonomic nervous system, which is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic, is under the direction of the motor division. So, all of our physical movement, whether it is done for exercise purposes, speech, or general everyday movement, is completely different depending on if we are presently in the sympathetic or parasympathetic mode. It also means that if I have dominant sympathetic reflexes with, for example, lifting my arm up, it means that my fight-or-flight nervous system is triggered every time I raise my arm.