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Terms and Definitions
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
This refers to the way understanding is anchored at a neuromuscular level. When correct
postures are tested using MUBA , the verbal response is often "Aha! So this is how
it feels!" This expression is a reflection of a deeper inner realisation (within
the motor pathways governing motor control) that occurs a fraction of a second earlier.
The anchor is created as the sensation of ‘correctness’ is experienced throughout
the whole body and transmitted to the brain. Anchoring help to ‘give the brain a
reason to accept and use new neural pathways’. Anchoring accelerates learning and
re-
Apithology
Defn. ~ 1. The systemic study of the nature of wellness and its causes, processes,
development and consequences in emergent systems (also called [apic-
A state achieved when sum effect of two or more forces acting upon one another is zero. The body balances the force of gravity by pushing or extending itself upwards.
Describes an individual's relationship to and interaction with his body as well as the relationship and interaction of the body with the environment. This corresponds quite well with the term Use used in the Alexander Technique.
Improving mechanical cohesion, the ability to move and hold the body as one unified entity.
Confounding Thinking
Using ideas and models that we believe help us to achieve certain end results, but
which in reality prevent us from achieving those results. In regard to posture and
body use, confounding thinking includes ideas such as ‘keep your back straight’,
middle-
The choice of balance that makes standing or sitting upright elevated, as opposed to oppressed (incorrect balance).
This refers to the feeling in the body that ‘all the parts of the body are where they should be and they are all fully connected’. Correctness in posture and movement becomes very clear when MUBA is applied. Why does it feel ‘correct’? Because the response to the test is experience throughout the whole body in the same instant and the effort used in responding feels negligible.
Balancing and using the body in a way that creates postural elevation. This is experienced as lightness, freedom of movement, agility and alertness in the body.
This refers to the tendency to focus solely on achieving results without attending to or caring about the process, sometimes at any cost. Power Ergonomics requires active participation in the process that leads to change. Coined by F M Alexander, this is an excellent term that applies to any area in life.
A property of a system, that does not exist as a distinctive ‘part’ but that arises
as a result of the way the system functions. For example, music coming out of a radio
exists only when the parts that constitute the radio work correctly as a unified
whole. If you dismantle a radio you will never find the music. The same applies to
the postural support afforded by elevation -
Ergonomics is concerned with the ‘fit’ between people and their work. It takes account of the worker's capabilities and limitations in seeking to ensure that tasks, equipment, information and the environment suit each worker. To assess the fit between a person and their work, ergonomists consider the job being done and the demands on the worker; the equipment used (its size, shape, and how appropriate it is for the task), and the information used (how it is presented, accessed, and changed). Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology. The term was first coined in 1857 by Polish scientist Wojciech Jastrzębowski in a publication entitled ”An Outline of Ergonomics, or The Science of Work, Based on the Truths Drawn from the Science of Nature”. Read more here. See also Human Factors.
The focus of our sensory attention at any one moment, that which can be ‘caught’ and which can deepen to become interest. What fails to catch our attention is ignored and forgotten. See Focus of Interest below.
This is the focus that leads us to decision or action. It is the focus that ‘moves’ and ‘stops’ the body, it is also the focus that creates attachment. Focus of Interest has location (it can be ‘out there’, outside the body, or inside the body). Where it is located depends both upon the environment and on where we choose to put it. Focus of Interest is important in regard to posture and movement correction, partly because it is easy to become attached to instructions and ideas that have a confounding effect and partly because many people are stuck in disorders such as lower back pain. Sometimes the right Focus of Interest has to be made clear in order to improve an action, and sometimes it has to be removed.
Humans (and animals) can be gravidynamic (just as birds are aerodynamic and fish
are aquadynamic) -
- The science of understanding the properties of human capability (Human Factors Science).
- The application of this understanding to the design, development and deployment of systems and services (Human Factors Engineering).
- The art of ensuring successful application of Human Factors Engineering to a programme (sometimes referred to as Human Factors Integration).
The term "human factors science/research/technologies" is to a large extent synonymous
with the term "ergonomics", having separate origins on either side of the Atlantic
Ocean but covering the same technical areas. In general, a human factor is a physical
or cognitive property of an individual or social behaviour which is specific to humans
and influences functioning of technological systems as well as human-
The choice of balance that makes standing or sitting upright oppressed, as opposed to elevated (correct balance).
‘Just stop doing it’ -
This is the focus of attention that turns us towards something, but that does not necessarily lead to decision or action.
Kinaesthetic awareness (proprioception)
This describes the individual ability to sense or know how the body is positioned
and orientated relative to the environment. Feeling that one is ‘all fingers and
thumbs’ is one example of (momentary or perpetual) kinaesthetic blindness, as is
dizziness or tunnel vision. Many people avoid the discomfort of learning new movements
or re-
Describes the physical position or location of our Focus of Attention or Focus of
Interest. We do not usually think of focus as having location. But clearly our attention
or interest can be ‘out there’ or ‘ in here’. If our minds wander of in a day-
Keeping the body parts together, so that actions are perceived as coming from the whole body, i.e. in a unified manner. Mechanical cohesion is characterised by a general sense of relaxedness combined with (sometimes immense) power that can be transmitted out of the body through any limb. This state is also characterised by a general sense of comfort and ease when performing actions, even heavy ones.
Interruption of correct, healthy function caused by, for example, the separation between body parts that arises from incorrect balance and poor use. The body is made to act in a unified manner and any separation between, say the arms and the upper body, will be compensated for by making extra effort from the shoulder and upper torso region. Many disorders of the musculoskeletal system arise as a result of the mechanical distortion caused by poor body use.
Musculoskeletal disorder, see below.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can affect the body's muscles, joints, tendons,
ligaments and nerves, and include ailments such as lower back pain (LBP), carpal
tunnel syndrome and frozen shoulder. Most work-
MUBA
Manual Unified Body Assessment. The method used in Power Ergonomics to assess posture and movement.
The neocortex, from an evolutionary perspective the youngest part of the brain, surrounding the Old Brain, and divided into four lobes or regions. This brain is is the site of our cognitive functions. It is the part that is conscious, that thinks, reflects, remembers, fantasises, imagines, reasons, calculates, and memorises. It creates new ideas and organises information, anticipates and responds. It is fundamentally logical and seeks to find a cause for every effect and vice versa. It is for the most part the part of our being that we think of as ‘I’.
This is closely related to inhibition, but has more to do with understanding when
to make effort and when to just ‘go with the flow’. Our general tendency is not just
to do, but to over-
The mammalian brain (limbic system) and reptile brain, the part at the centre, the
oldest part from an evolutionary perspective. The mammalian and reptile brains are
together responsible for reproduction, self-
Balancing and directing the body in a way that creates postural oppression. This is experienced as heaviness or sluggishness (when extreme), restricted movement and agility, and being less alert.
Pathology
(from Greek πάθος, pathos, "fate, harm"; and -
Posture
A ‘positioning’ of the body (in relation to gravity, our Primary Environment, and
also a ‘positioning’ of attitude (in relation to society, our Secondary Environment).
Etymology: 1605, from Fr. posture (16c.), from It. postura "position, posture," from
L. positura "position, station," from postulus, pp. of ponere "put, place" (see position).
The verb, in the fig. sense of "to take up an artificial mental position" is attested
from 1877. Posture and movement are two sides of the same coin -
Power generated within and directed through he body must be aligned correctly, or it will damage the organism, e.g. by creating lower back pain, by inhibiting the movement of the diaphragm, by causing the head to be thrust forwards, etc. Elevated use directs power anteriorly, along the front of the legs and torso, through the chest and into the arms and head, thus leaving the spine free to move in a relaxed manner. Oppressed use direct power posteriorly, along the backs of the legs, along the spine and into the arms via the upper back.
The ergonomics of body use (posture, movement, balance, coordination, control), from
a unified action perspective. Improved use of body helps improve the human-
Power Ergonomics Restorative Exercises
A series of exercises designed to restore body unification and improve overall awareness of how to maintain unity in daily life movements. These exercises help guide us back to ‘ideal power alignment’ in daily movement.
Refers to the conscious primary positioning of the body relative to gravity -
The gravitational filed within which we live and to which we relate vertically. The Primary Environment is a constant that all humans are obliged to learn to deal with equally. Mastering the Primary Environment makes dealing with the Secondary Environment easier.
Conscious individual effort to use the body in a different manner. Practice can only
be done consciously, with the full participation of the user, who takes full responsibility
for his/her actions. There is consequently no ‘mechanical’ alternative for people
who do not really want to be involved in the re-
The world around us, including landscapes, objects and people -
This is the kinaesthetic awareness of ‘the whole body’ behaving as one unit. It is one thing to be aware of body parts and their positions relative to one another. It is another to be able to experience the ‘connection’ that unifies these parts, even when the parts perform different actions and move in different directions. Sense of Unity cannot be imagined. Either you know it or you don’t.
This refers to the way a new action or behaviour is interpreted as ‘wrong’ when it
is in fact right. Swinging a golf club in a completely new manner will always feel
‘wrong’ to begin with. Driving in a country where they drive on the ‘other side’
will also automatically feel ‘wrong’. This is because habitual action always feels
‘right’ and the brain judges any changes -
Systems thinking is a framework that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system (such as the living human body) can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems (the earth’s gravity, work environments, etc), rather than in isolation. The only way to fully understand why a problem or element occurs and persists (e.g. poor posture, poor balance, lower back pain, etc) is to understand the part in relation to the whole. Standing in contrast to Descartes's scientific reductionism and philosophical analysis, systems thinking proposes to view systems in a holistic manner. Consistent with systems philosophy, systems thinking concerns an understanding of a system by examining the linkages and interactions between the elements that compose the entirety of the system. Read more here.
This refers to MUBA, the manual method of evaluation used in Power Ergonomics.
The natural state of the body and the way it is perceived by the user (we have muscles but we do not perceive individual muscles or bones because all the ‘parts’ work together as one cohesive unit). Unity is strength, division caused by distraction or lost Primary Control is weakness. The beauty of unity is that it is perceivable. It can be seen and it can be felt, not just subjectively but also objectively (as when tested using MUBA).
