The Body in Motion

by Dimon, Theodore; Brown, G. David

• ISBN13: 9781556439704
• ISBN10: 1556439709
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-25
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Summary

In The Body in Motion, author Theodore Dimon confronts a simple yet crucial task: to make sense of our amazing design. This comprehensive guide demonstrates the functions and evolution of specific body systems, explaining how they cooperate to form an upright, intelligent, tool-making marvel, capable of great technological and artistic achievement. Enhanced with 162 beautifully rendered full-colour illustrations, the book opens with an introduction to the origins of movement, leading the reader on a journey through time and evolution-from fish to amphibian, quadruped to primate-showing how humans became the preeminent moving beings on the planet. Delving deeper into our upright support system, The Body in Motion clearly describes the workings of the hands and upper limbs; the pelvic girdle; the feet and lower limbs; breathing; the larynx and throat musculature; and more. These systems, Dimon argues persuasively, have helped us build, invent, create art, explore the world, and imbue life with a contemplative, spiritual dimension that would otherwise not exist.

Author Biography

Theodore Dimon, Jr., EdD, is the founder and director of the Dimon Institute (dimoninstitute.org) in New York City, where he lives. He is a widely recognized expert in the Alexander Technique, a practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support, and coordination. He received both master's and doctorate degrees in education from Harvard University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. xi
Preface	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
The Origins of Movement	p. 1
Bones, Muscles, and Movement	p. 1
The Head and Its Central Role in Movement	p. 3
Four-Footed Animals and the Role of Posture in Movement	p. 3
Our Upright Design	p. 4
Upright Posture and the Evolution of Intelligence	p. 5
Upright Support-Part I: The Extensors	p. 7
The Extensors	p. 7
Stretch Reflexes	p. 10
The Head and Spine	p. 10
Head Balance	p. 13
Upright Support-Part II: The Flexors	p. 15
Flexors and Our Basic Body Design	p. 15
The Suspensory Function of the Flexors	p. 18
Front Length and Head Balance	p. 20
Upright Support-Part III: The Spine	p. 23
The Central Column	p. 23
Origins of the Human Spine	p. 25
Upright Posture and the Spinal Curves	p. 26
The Spine as Lengthening Device	p. 29
The Shoulder Girdle	p. 31
The Mobile Cross-Piece	p. 31
The Yard-Arm	p. 34
From Fins to Limbs	p. 35
The Floating Shoulder Girdle	p. 36
The Upper Limb	p. 39
The Basic Limb Pattern	p. 39
Modes of Positioning the Hand	p. 40
The Rotation Mechanism of the Forearm	p. 41
The Hand	p. 43
The Opposable Thumb	p. 45
The Relation of the Upper Limb to the Shoulder and Trunk	p. 48
The Pelvic Girdle	p. 49
The Design of the Pelvis	p. 49
The Upright Compromise	p. 53
The Arch Design of the Pelvis	p. 54
The Pelvis in Relation to Lengthening in Stature	p. 55
The Lower Limb	p. 57
The Weight-Bearing Limb	p. 57
The Ankle Joint	p. 58
The Foot Joints	p. 60
The Arched Foot	p. 61
The Toes	p. 63
Length in the Legs	p. 63
Our Two-Footed Poise	p. 64
Breathing	p. 65
Why and How We Breathe	p. 65
The Anatomy of Breathing	p. 66
The Suspensory Support of the Trunk	p. 68
Widening the Back	p. 69
Breathing and Our Upright Design	p. 72
The Voice	p. 73
How We Produce Sound	p. 73
Closure of the Vocal Folds	p. 74
The Suspensory Muscles of the Larynx	p. 76
The Larynx and the Breath	p. 77
The Larynx and the Brain	p. 77
The Suspensory Muscles of the Throat	p. 79
The Suspended Throat	p. 79
Depressing the Larynx	p. 81
The Throat and Upright Poise	p. 82
The "Open Throat"	p. 84
The Jaw	p. 85
Head Balance Revised	p. 86
The Spiral Musculature	p. 87
Rotational Movement and Our Upright Design	p. 87
The Evolution of Spiral Muscles	p. 88
Rotational Movement and the Use of the Arms	p. 90
Anatomy of the Spiral Musculature	p. 90
Postural Twists	p. 93
The Suspended Trunk: Our Fishy Ancestry	p. 94
Our Double-Helix Architecture	p. 97
Lengthening into the Spirals	p. 98
The Miracle of the Human Form	p. 99
Our Upright Suspension System	p. 99
Our Unique Design Features	p. 100
Our Higher-Order Design	p. 101
Index	p. 103
About the Author and Illustrator	p. 107
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