Continued Professional Development (CPD) workshops in “Rhythmic Fitness” (“Total Fitness”).
With Dirk Marivoet
Future dates and locations will be planned
Open to Bodyworkers, Physiotherapists, Health and Clinical Psychologists, Masters of Medical Sciences, Body Psychotherapists, Fitness professionals, Everybody, .…
Many people today are obsessed with taking care of their bodies—and it’s for a good reason, because our lives depend on it! But even though our physical health is important we should remind ourselves that our emotional, psychological and spiritual fitness is equally important.
Rhythmic Fitness, which originated with Jack Painter, PhD in the 1990s is an approach to fitness that overcomes the willful forcing of bodies to a bidding coming forth of the common and self-defeating view of such bodies as objects or instruments. Building on Deep Bodywork Traditions, Bodymind Integration (Energetic Integration®, Postural Integration® and Pelvic-Heart Integration®), influences from Reichian Therapy, Bio-Energetics, Core-Energetics, Feldenkrais, Eastern Energy work, .… Rhythmic Fitness helps you get in touch with your core vitality, which can turn your existing fitness experience into a celebration and expression of your life, rather than a means to achieve idealized images of beauty, power, or efficiency.
Rhythmic Fitness is a dynamic, whole philosophy and approach to fitness you can use with the physical, psychological and spiritual exercises and routines you have already learned or are learning.
The goals of this two day workshop are:
- To define “Rhythmic Fitness” – “Total Fitness” (physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual).
- To explore our Inner supportive Energy. Rhythmic Fitness is a way of getting in touch with your core vitality. Inside, beneath our tendency to manipulate ourselves, is a current of energy which flows in natural stages and can support our movements rather than frustrating us as we try to discipline ourselves. When we are flowing with our core vitality, we not only are stronger with more stability and endurance, we also are more patient, flexible and relaxed. We can then fully enjoy our exercise, whether it be personal accomplishment, sports competition or creative play.
- To explore the 9 Stages of Core Vitality. Just as every living cell expands and contracts in a wave-like sequence, our inner vitality prepares itself, grows, crests, contracts and relaxes. When we exercise in tune with this inner rhythm we express ourselves more completely in our tissues, feelings and thoughts. We become more of what we can be. In each of the following stages there are movements which come easily, supporting our physical, mental and emotional balance and allowing us to flow from one stage to the next: 1) being at rest, 2) filling up, nourishing our bodymind, 3) opening the gates, exploring our movement possibilities 4) freeing power, really moving 5) making a final surge with excitement 6) peaking, 7) sustaining a plateau, finding our second breath 8) coming down, 9) creating rest, cool down. When we block or manipulate the flow of this vitality, our bodies pay a high price for the strength they may temporarily create.
- To ride the Fitness Wave. In becoming fit at all levels of our personality, it is important that our breath, mobility, metabolism and muscular action are appropriate to each stage of the natural energetic wave. Whether we are racing for the finish line, reaching high for a ball or spinning in a summersault, all of our experience, all our body movements, naturally move toward completion. But… if we sprint too soon, reach too high or turn too hard, we break the flow of our action. We act then too soon or late, or with too much or too little effort. We push ourselves and loose our grace. We can – on the other hand – stay with our own vital wave, riding and flowing with it, in three ways: 1) we can stay within the stage of energy that we have developed (e.g., not sprinting before or after it’s time); 2) we can flow from one stage to another (letting our surging energy become a sustainable plateau); 3) we can complete one wave of activity before beginning a new one (resting between sets of tennis).
- To explore Breath, Self-Massage and Guiding Imagery. At each of the stages of the way toward “Total Fitness” we cultivate the unfolding core energy by engaging our complete self — body, feelings and mind. At rest we breathe slowly and softly without much charge or discharge. We move simply to hold our energy and balance, touching ourselves lightly to hold and accumulate our reservoir of energy. And we orient ourselves without goals and with idealized images we do not try to fulfill. Later in the energetic wave, as we surge, our breath is both fully charging and discharging. Our bodies strive toward complete action. And as we find ways to stimulate the opening of body tissue, we create specific tuned images of what we will, without effort, and release at the peak of our movement.
- To introduce different sources of inspiration and components of Rhythmic fitness: In Rhythmic Fitness, we are standing on the shoulders of Gigantic Bodywork and Movement traditions, going from Dance Movement, Bio-Energetics, Core-Energetics, Awareness through Movement, Alexander Technique, Massage, Tai Chi, Tai Yoga, etc. etc. We find that Traditional Fitness Factors that are categorized as Health and Skill Related can be part of our workout or exercise routine.We can listen to our bodies and be in wonder of the multitude of possibilities to create a better muscle tone, myofascial ease, strength, flexibility, stamina, endurance, speed, cardio-respiratory capacity (aerobic endurance), agility, balance, reaction speed, power and coördination,….. At the Mental level, we can enjoy and claim Clarity, Resilience (Against: Distractions, Misinformation, Discouragement, Stagnation, Self-Sabotage, Bad Habits), Development of Mental Self-Efficacy – Positive Mental Conditioning – In doing so this Rhythmic fitness will allow us to influence our levels of anxiety, depression, stress, self-esteem, satisfaction, positive relationships, responsibility, competence etc. Like ‘workouts’ that improve the physical part of our fitness, we will use during this seminar, exercises that improve our rhythmic psychological and spiritual fitness.
Dirk Marivoet is a licensed physiotherapist (specialized in mental health), a psychomotor therapist, a registered body psychotherapist and a Trainer of Postural Integration® Energetic Integration®, Pelvic-Heart Integration® as well as of Core-Energetics®. He is also an experienced artistic gymnastics trainer for 25 years as well as the most successful teacher of bio-energetics bodywork classes in Belgium, with several thousands of students. He now offers all his accumulated knowledge and experience within “Rhythmic Fitness”.