A New Neuro-Mechanical Understanding of Us
Here at El Habitus we view the body as ‘One‘. This understanding of an absolute connectedness allows us to implement our comprehensive approach, guiding you on a transformative journey that realigns your body and fine-tunes your nervous system to work as nature intended.
Most will simply look at treating the superficial symptoms, which whilst still important, lacks longevity. The El Habitus way takes things back to the source, addressing the sensory receptors and realignment, before we move you forwards.
Understanding ‘You’ is the key; the missing link.
You are a Pressurised, Fluid-Based Structure.
Posturology
Eyes: The Portal To Our Souls
Feet: The Dying And Forgotten Entity
Jaw: The Silent Destroyer
Fascia: The 3d Web Of Life
A Pressurised, Fluid-Based, Tensegrity Structure
To give this some context, when at sea level, the average person has 14.7 pounds of atmospheric pressure per square inch acting on their body. This means that the body has to generate enough internal pressure not to be crushed by the weight of the atmosphere at all times.
When we fly in an airplane and increase elevation, atmospheric pressure drops and our ears pop! That’s because there is more internal pressure in the body than external pressure acting on it. When we dive into the ocean, there is a limit on how deep we can go before the outside water pressure crushes us.
Humans are not solid structures but an interconnected, pressurised system; a multitude of energy waves, reacting to different stimuli and interacting with each other. This must be understood when working with the body.
Posturology
Eyes – The portal to our souls
Humans are binocular creatures, meaning we see with two eyes; our brain receives two separate images then superimposes them together to give you what you see. Everything you see and feel is captured through your senses and interpreted by your brain.
To present images of what we see onto the retinas the two eyes must rotate inwards toward each other. The closer an object is, the more the eyes must rotate. The brain then uses this information (amount of rotation) as a cue to construe how far away an object is. Differences in eye convergence causes our brain to the neck and shoulders to compensate. The body uses the information from the eyes as feedback tool for posture, in a sense.
The eye has two main functions, Exteroception (vision) and proprioception (extra-ocular muscles).
Ocular pathologies cause many postural deficiencies. While vision problems (exteroception) are often diagnosed and treated, proprioception issues, such as insufficient eye convergence, are rarely diagnosed. The nerves in the eye musculature are also related to nerves that innervate some of the neck musculature. If there is a problem with jaw position, the musculature of the eye and muscle tone of the neck muscles will be affected.
Feet – The dying and forgotten entity
The feet are the foundation of our being, the direct physical link between us and the Earth we live on. Our ancestors evolved in close connection with the earth’s energy; we walked barefoot, we slept on the ground. Our feet were a combination of strength, adaptability, and coordination, allowing our early human ancestors to navigate their world and shape the course of human history.
Unbeknown to many, your feet are also one of your body’s most important sensory receptors. Our feet are rich with nerve endings, receptors called mechanoreceptors, which are essential for movement and proprioception. With the rise of modern shoes and their abundance of support and cushioning, our feet have become mere platforms, devoid of sensation and feedback – dead to the brain.
Your feet are a complex universe – each foot has 26 bones connected by 33 joints and over one hundred other tissues. This shape adapted through millions of years of evolution to move in many directions and balance your vertical body against gravity. The feet serve as the foundation for the entire skeletal system and kinetic chain, and any deviations or abnormalities in foot posture can have significant impacts on your whole body.
Every step you take has the potential to collapse your body to the ground. Your arches create the space needed for the soft elastic tissues of your foot to absorb this shock and store the force. Problems arise when the arches fail to pull their part. The foot collapses inward, and the full sole touches the floor. Causes vary from lack of development during childhood to overused tendons, injuries, and poor footwear choices.
Jaw
Proper jaw posture might seem like a small detail, but it holds an extraordinary influence over the human condition. On the most simple level, it affects the obvious functions such as eating, speaking, and breathing. Improper jaw posture can contribute to poor posture leading to musculoskeletal problems in the neck, shoulders, and back. But on a deeper level, our jaw affects our main cranial nerve – our TMJ. Jaw clenching and teeth grinding are causing huge mental and physical ailments which most people are completely unaware of!
As the position of the jaw influences the alignment of the head, neck, and spine and the functioning of our nervous system, incorrect jaw posture can disrupt the natural alignment and harmony of our internal ecosystem, affecting our ability to function at our optimum.
The TMJ is the Temporo-mandibular joint, the joint that hinges the lower jaw (mandible) to the skull. Patients diagnosed with TMJ problems often suffer from headaches, jaw pain, insomnia, various body aches and fatigue. Others may experience symptoms at a later time in comparison to others, depending on other factors, such as their overall state of health. Neck and shoulder muscles will often be sore and tense and there may be pain in the cervical spine.
The postural system will always be affected if TMJ issues are present. The masticatory system (the jaw) can also influence oculo-motor muscles. Dental pathologies like crossbites, clenching, lateral deviations and lateral missing teeth are serious obstacles to postural reprogramming and may also be addressed during your session.
Fascia – The 3d web of life
Fascia, the often overlooked connective tissue, unveils an astonishing secret about human beings, revealing that we are intricately woven masterpieces. Like a cosmic spider’s web, fascia envelops every muscle, organ, and bone, creating a dynamic network that unites our entire body. It not only provides structural support but also conducts information, akin to a celestial communication highway, transmitting signals and orchestrating movement with astonishing precision.
Fascia’s profound revelation challenges the traditional view of our bodies as separate parts, allowing us to embrace the awe-inspiring truth that we are vibrant, interconnected beings, where every fiber matters, and our essence is greater than the sum of its parts. At El Habitus, we focus on Fascia as holding the key to understanding human movement. Your fascia is you!
We are fascia. We were literally born into fascia. From the moment our bones started developing in our mother’s womb, the intelligence behind connecting everything together, the organs, muscles, bones and vessels. This started it’s communication through the fascia.
The term “fascintegrity” is the union of the words fascia and integrity. The fascia is any tissue that contains features capable of responding to mechanical stimuli. The fascial continuum is the result of the evolution of the perfect synergy among different tissues, liquids and solids, capable of supporting, dividing, penetrating, feeding and connecting all the districts of the body.
Humans: a Bio-Hydraulic Operating System
At El Habitus, we understand that humans are predominantly a fluid-based organism responding to sensory stimuli, with bones and muscles, all encompassed by a 3D web of fascia. The brain needs clear sensory signals for optimal movement. Appreciating the way pressure impacts the body, the El Habitus Method utilises your breath to affect the way air and fluid move through you, optimising your movement and results.
As blood rushes through a muscle, it expands the muscle, stimulating and stabilizing movement, similar to when air rushes into the lungs and the diaphragm and ribcage expands, stabilising the upper body.
Therefore, the body is not only bio-mechanical but also bio-hydraulic. Our bodies use fluid, air, and pressure distribution to expand and relax compressed areas in multiple dimensions. Understanding this and how your body distributes weight and pressure to create force is crucial for creating true balance and stability.
This is the El Habitus Philosophy.
- Full Postural Assessment
- Bespoke Bio-Mechanical MOT
- Transformative Lifestyle Coaching
Personal Services:
We offer a range of services here at El Habitus, combining Lifestyle Coaching, Personal Training and Postural Assessments.
Frequently asked question
What is Bio-Tensegrity?
A combination of biomechanics and tensegrity models viewing the body as a fluid based, pressurised system, with interconnectedness through fascia. Bones do not touch. Bones are more like “floating” objects, supported by soft tissue. The skeleton is not a framework that keeps us stable and upright; the skeleton is not a solid or continuous structure. Instead, the bones that are held together and controlled by a network of fascia and soft tissue, supported by joints and ligaments.
What is Neuro-Mechanics?
A combination of biomechanics and neuroscience applied to understand how the nervous system interacts with the skeletal system and musculature, enabling humans and animals to move. It attempting to understand the role fascia plays as a connective tissue but also with the capabilities to transmit electrical signals. Fascia therefore is alive and is not dead tissue, no amount of stretching, massage or exercise will make it go where you want it to – it is responding to the sensory stimuli it receives.
What is a Stimulus?
A stimulus (stimuli plural) is anything the body can detect with its 5 senses, and can send to the nervous system to send to the brain to make a decision on how to respond. These can be internal stimuli or external. At El Habitus, we focus mainly on the eyes, feet and jaw as sensory receptors for movement.
