Pelvic Motion, Awareness, & Control
Jenn Pilotti Your pelvis, the bowl shaped structure that hangs from the bottom of the spine, is comprised of muscles on the inside that help maintain intra abdominal pressure and muscles on the outside that transmit forces from the leg to the torso during walking and running and also control movement of the […]
Vaulting as a Catch-All Skill
Jenn Pilotti One of my favorite post-rehabilitative exercises is vaulting. Yes, you read that right, as in figuring out ways to navigate objects that are off the ground. Or, more accurately, the steps towards tripod vaulting or the butt roll vault or any other variation that involves weight bearing on a hand while navigating […]
Anatomy of a Movement Practice
Jenn Pilotti I was recently contacted by a concierge service to train an out of town visitor. I thought about it before calling her back, since it meant I wouldn’t have any days off from training and I had things I needed to do, like format the book/film/complete online training for my government job, […]
Prediction, Perception, and Challenging Bias
Jenn Pilotti I stumbled across an unread motor control textbook sitting underneath a pile of books on my bedside table. In my world, this is akin to finding a clothing item that still has tags on it in one of my drawers—it represents something that is new, shiny, and brimming with possibilities. Motor control, […]
Human Get Up
Jenn Pilotti View this post on Instagram One more from Bali: the human Turkish get up.. .. This was delightfully challenging and more interesting than a traditional TGU (at least for me). The rep isn’t pretty, but it will smooth out with practice.. .. Do things you enjoy that challenge you, […]
Kinesthesia & Proprioception
Jenn Pilotti While I was researching a chapter for my book on awareness, I was searching for research to back my ideas that improving your sense of self and your internal body schema were related to proprioception. What I discovered was my understanding of proprioception and how it works was actually misinformed. Somehow, in […]
Interoception
Jenn Pilotti My last post was on proprioception and body awareness, or kinesthesia. Proprioception, according to dictionary.com is “the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself.” A really interesting paper by Gaffin-Cahn, et.al points out we engage with the world through the motor system; its accuracy and […]
The Everything Trunk
Jenn Pilotti What do you consider your core? Is it different than the trunk? And what, exactly, is its role during specific movements, like walking? From an anatomical point of you, the trunk is the structure that consists of the neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis. The spine, structural component of the trunk, serves as […]
Why Movement?
Jenn Pilotti I was chatting with a colleague recently, who asked me why I choose to associate myself with the word “movement.” It’s all over my website—I identify as a movement practitioner and educator, I provide education for movement professionals, and if one were to ask what type of physical practice I have I […]
Coaching Feeling
Jenn Pilotti I was talking with a physical therapist a few weeks ago. He has worked with everything from professional athletes to seniors recovering from hip surgery. When I asked how he felt about working with athletes, he said, “athletes are easy. It’s general population clients that are difficult.” I have heard this […]
Teaching Workshops
Jenn Pilotti I have always enjoyed in-person learning. While I am self motivated and have no problem learning on my own, there is something about the energy from other people and a person engaging you, challenging your perspective and making you think a little bit harder than you otherwise might that is rewarding. When […]
The Learning Adult
Jenn Pilotti I was on a beach in Costa Rica recently, jumping and spinning, when the teacher gathered us up to look at the break down of an aerial cartwheel. She showed us how the head moves down while you jump up with one leg behind you, replacing the stationary leg with the […]
Feedback, Process, and Accomplishment
Jenn Pilotti As a coach or movement specialist, when do you give people feedback regarding their performance? Do you do it in the middle of the movement? Do you do it after? And after you have sussed out when what do you give feedback on? Do you give feedback on how the movement is […]
Movement in the Big Picture
Jenn Pilotti What does it means to be alive? Not just the experience of living, but the actual physiological process that accompanies being able to exist in a conscious way? In the book, “The Big Picture,” Sean Carroll breaks being alive down to three basic principles: compartmentalization (which is part of self organization), […]
Transitions – Effective vs. Efficient
Jenn Pilotti In the movement disciplines, it’s easy to get hung up on specific aspects of a skill. What does the finished product look like? How does the person begin? What does the posture look like at the end? It’s as though the middle part takes care of itself, assuming the rest of the pieces […]
Reembody Workshop – Philosophy Overview
Jenn Pilotti I recently got back from four days up in Portland, studying the Reembody Method with founder Kevin C. Moore. It was an immersive experience, complete with understanding what we were looking at and experiencing the work on ourselves and each other. To embody means to be personify or realize; from a physical […]
Play and Exposure to Failure
Jenn Pilotti A curious thing has happened across gyms and fitness centers across the US- people are worried about doing things right. “What is the right way to pick something up from the ground so I don’t hurt my back?” I get asked. “What is the right way to stand/sit/move around?” people inquire, worried […]
A New Framework for Personal Training
Jenn Pilotti A client that I see occasionally came in recently. “What would you like to work on?” I asked. “My shoulders,” she immediately responded. After a little more questioning, I discovered her shoulders felt tight and a little cranky. She’s quite active and had stepped up her intensity over the last few weeks. I […]
Routine, Assessments, and Seeing the Bigger Picture
Jenn Pilotti A fair amount of people initially come to see me for issues surrounding pain and discomfort. Often, it’s an area that has bothered them off and on for a long time, with doctors left shaking their heads, suggesting another cortisone shot or another round of physical therapy. These individuals are usually extremely active […]
Learning, Freedom, and Motor Skills
Jenn Pilotti You approach a tree that you used to climb as a child. As you look up at its branches, you wonder how your now somewhat larger body is going to navigate the branches and move upwards. You begin climbing, only to find yourself stuck, about three feet off of the ground. Feeling like […]