WHEN PHYSIO & PHYSICS MEET FREEDOM: THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF RUNNING WITH THE ANTI-GRAVITY REFLEX

Monica G
with Tom D and
Their Very Cute Daughter
(Bohème)

A new way to keep you loving your running and running longer and lighter is available to you.  Or at least I am guessing it will seem new to you. In reality, it has been around for well over 100 years. It places lightness, ease and efficiency at the center of your runner’s skill set.

So if you are an alumnus of that popular Tough Guy School of Running and are determined to kill yourself with massive effort and the adrenalized tension that makes you feel like a Real Runner, learning about this subtle physiological reflex is not for you.  If you want to quietly pass that kind of runner at mile 5 of a 10K with a smile on your face and a kick at the finish, keep reading.

Everyone can benefit from saying farewell to stiffness and rigidity on the run.   Everyone can learn the simple skill of taking off the brakes. Everyone can learn how to stop impeding natural movement and how to activate automatic balancing reflexes that reduce effort exponentially.  It is not complicated. It is a simple, straightforward and understandable physiological force. But when you tune in to it, you won’t feel like you are doing anything. And you might get confused and disoriented at first without all the pounding and panting that you have grown to associate with a good hard run. You may think you are slowing down or running lazy.  Until you check your watch.

I know from my own experience. I started running in my late 30s and I am convinced I would never have survived as a happy and uninjured runner, nor would I have had PRs into my 40s or still be running in my 50s, without knowing about this basic physiological principle of balance and coordination. And although I have taught it to others for more than 25 years, I still am amazed by the results I see in my students.

What is this perfectly evolved physiological secret weapon that makes us feel as if we are defying the laws of physics?  It is the human Anti-Gravity Reflex.

We are perfect in every way – until we tighten up!

  

YOUR RUNNING SUPER POWER

When a mom or dad watches their toddler launch into joyous full flight, they see the little guy getting right under his head, going right up, and then following that big head all the way to where he wants to go.  And if he falls down, he doesn’t hurt himself because he’s not pulling down, he’s going up, up, up and away!  It is the most natural, efficient way to move:

   

This Anti-Gravity Reflex, or ”Righting Reflex,” works exactly the same when you are one year old, 20 years old, 50 years old, or 80 years old.  It never ages. And it is always working perfectly, as long as you don’t screw up its functioning by locking down the delicate balancing mechanism that causes your head to move up and stimulates a lengthening, flexible, elastic spine.

Enjoy the purity of this child’s head-neck-back reflexes in this video clip, above.  The dancers were trying to follow the natural movements of the child. But what a huge amount of their reflexive freedom and ease they have already lost access to as adults!

“LET GO FLYERS!”

I train adult runners in how to use this same natural reflex pattern to maximize running without strain and regain the satisfaction and pleasure of the happy-go-lucky kid. I base all my form work on the Alexander Technique (AT). It is a proven method for achieving maximum activity with minimum effort. It teaches anyone with a head and a spine to stop locking them up and instead start floating them up, like the kid running with headlong abandon.

As one of my students said, “It’s not about keeping your head up, it’s about keeping up with your head!” It’s about working with physics instead of working against physics. Working with this beautifully evolved Anti-Gravity Reflex and floating up instead of fighting with gravity by pulling down or pushing your way up. Memo to Runners:  Physics is not only a good idea; it is the Law.  So show some respect, and don’t throw away what our ancestors spent generations perfecting!  Give up the effort and discover your inner float.

And here’s what you’ll look like when you do…

Kenenisa Bekele, one of the greatest distance runners of all time, setting a world record with efficiency and appropriate effort and making it look easy!

  

SO WHAT IS IT? AND WHAT IS IT NOT?

A question I sometimes get:  Is Alexander Technique like Barefoot Running? Or Chi Running? Or Pose Running? Or various other similar “natural running” techniques or methods?  

No, it is not. AT is not a “running technique”. It is a unique way for you, an average human being, to learn the basics about your natural reflexes. It gives you direct and conscious access to these coordinating systems which you can then apply to your running or anything else you do.

You get a lot more “bang for you buck” with AT since it will not only improve your running when you remember to free yourself upward, but it also will reduce the stresses and strains of every other thing you do in your life:  from handling a conflict with your boss, to washing dishes, to riding the charming NYC subway system!

If as a runner you have ever had to face the grim prospect of giving up this wonderful activity that you love, you will understand the motivation and determination that led FM Alexander to develop the work that is now known as Alexander Technique. In the 1890s in Australia, chronic laryngitis threatened to end his successful career as an eager young actor. He sought help from doctors and voice teachers but none could give him anything but general answers to his specific question: “What am I doing that is causing me to lose my voice?”  Through patient self-observation and experimentation in his own home, Alexander discovered what biologists were discovering in their laboratories: That the key to human coordination is the freedom of the delicate balance of our heads on our long, extending spines. 

FM Alexander in his 70s. He lived into his late 80s and recovered fully from a paralyzing stroke in his late 70s by applying personally what he had taught others about the physiology of human coordination and functioning.

HEY KIDS, TRY THIS ONE AT HOME!

Want to experiment yourself and have a taste of your own natural buoyancy and resilience? Here is a simple way to experience your Anti-Gravity Reflex.

Stand up and have a friend put their hand on your head.  (If you currently have a neck injury, you can do this experiment to your friend instead.) Now have them press down firmly on your head while you resist the pressure.  After about 10 seconds, have them take away their hand.  What do you feel happening?  Which direction do you go? I suspect you will notice yourself going upward.  You did not push up. You just went up and returned to your more natural lengthened state.

So why would you want to be pulling down on your own head while running?  You would only do this if you were not aware you were doing it. Would a jockey tighten the reins on their horse when they wanted it to gallop? When we are running, human beings are both the jockey and the horse. AT teaches you to be a lighter-handed jockey so you can be a swifter little pony as well! 

 Monika giving an Anti-Gravity Reflex reminder

to AT teaching colleague, Barbara Curialle of the Mercury Masters

 And they’re off!  Up, up and away!

HOW CAN I LEARN TO USE MY OWN ANTI-GRAVITY REFLEX SUPER POWER UNTIL I’M IN MY 80s?!?

By taking AT lessons with a certified teacher of course! As an AT trainer with specific experience coaching runners, I work both with individuals and with groups, and with runners of all ages and abilities.

 Runners training for the Tryon Half Marathon in Tryon NC

 with Monika after a recent AT running clinic. “My head is a floating balloon!”

Although Tom and I now live in Asheville NC, I see my NYC students for sessions on my frequent visits throughout the year. I also coach one-to-one via Skype to give runners the chance to practice the reflex skills they need out on the roads even while they are in their homes or offices.

It’s no use having fabulous form on the run and then dumping yourself like a sack of potatoes on a chair when not running, putting pressure on organs, tightening joints, shortening muscles, twisting your spine, and reducing the respiration and circulation necessary for a positive post-workout recovery and a renewed vigor for running.

Fundamental physiological information, instructive coordinating drills, and valuable recovery strategies are taught and practiced. Eventually this new way of thinking, moving and being is integrated into a very natural, pleasant and satisfying lifestyle both on and off the roads.

To hear from other runners who feel they have benefited from AT training, click here. For additional info, call 212-327-2978 or visit Monika and Tom’s website at FormFitnessFunction.com

Monika midway thru the

2007 Empire State Building Run Up

BIO:  Monika Gross has been a distance runner for 20 years, completing 12 marathons (with a PR of 3:21 in the 1999 NYC Marathon), three Empire State Building Run Ups (with a best of 17:12), and placing 3^rd overall in the 2009 Rockefeller Center MS Climb to the Top. She has been a proud NY Flyer since 1995.  She and Tom met through the Flyers and they were married in 2002 in Central Park beneath the Obelisk, a few yards from where they first ran past each other on The Loop. Race numbers were given to all the guests.

 

                         

Blogmaster's Note:   Form Fitness and Function (Monika G and Tom D’s studio) is offering NY Flyers some discounted services:

• Free introductory private one-to-one Skype Pilates or Alexander session
• 15% off your single first private in-person session
• 15% off your first package of any of our sessions in person or via Skype
• Special rates for individually designed Retreats for Flyers who want to enjoy Asheville and train in the mountains of Western North Carolina

For more information on services for runners from Monika and Tom, including retreats, private coaching, training schedules, and Skype and in-person Pilates or AT training sessions, please click HERE.

-Monika G.