Liz Koch - Core awareness: enhancing yoga, pilates, exercise, and dance

Praise for Core Awareness, Revised Edition

It seems that yoga classes are offered on every corner these days, but unfortunately they often emphasize movement over awareness, stretching over sensing, and pushing oneself over self-exploration. Luckily Liz Kochs book can offer the yoga student inspiration as well as simple exercises that can create both the depth of feeling and profound sensitivity necessary to use yoga practice as a physical, mental, and spiritual tool for transformation. I recommend it highly.

Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD, PT, yoga instructor since 1971, and author of 30 Essential Yoga Poses: For Beginning Students and Their Teachers

Life is experienced within the frame of our body. Liz Koch offers practical tools to enhance our ability to function, grow, and move through life more gracefully. I highly recommend this book as a resource for teachers and students.

Tom McCook, fitness and movement specialist, and director of Center of Balance, Mountain View, California

Copyright 2012 by Liz Koch. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

Note: The information presented in this book is in no way intended as a substitute for receiving medical advice. The purpose of the book is to provide information and education. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information, suggestions or exercises (explorations) contained within this book or written in response to this information. The author is not a medicinal authority and is not qualified to diagnosis or prescribes any therapy. Please consult your physician. The information in this book is only her personal opinion.

Core Awareness: Enhancing Yoga, Pilates, Exercise, and Dance, Revised Edition is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Koch, Liz, 1949
Core awareness: enhancing yoga, Pilates, exercise, and dance / Liz Koch.Rev. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: A guide to Core Awareness, an innovative body-oriented approach developed by somatic educator Liz Koch to enhance sensory development and cultivate an innate capacity for expressive movementProvided by publisher.
eISBN: 978-1-58394-525-4
1. Self-care, Health. 2. Health. 3. Physical fitness. 4. Movement therapy. I. Title.
RA776.95.K63 2012
613.719dc23

2011048453

v3.1

To Jeff,
with whom I share my love and life.

I would like to thank the following people whom I have had an opportunity of directly knowing and who have had a profound effect on the quality of my life. In alphabetical order: Martha Benedict, Bob Cooley, Don Cohen, Victor Collins, Patty Dunks, Anna Halprin, Brian Jenner, Tom Longo, France Louvet, Ronnie Neufeld Oliver, Marianna Nielson, Katherine OConnell, Lord John Pentland, Aminah Raheem, Iona Teegarden, Catherine Wilder, Laurel Wolf, Roy Yates.

Most of all, I thank my family. My husband Jeff, for supporting me in creating the space, time, and the conditions to write this book. And my three childrenAdam whose sense of humor makes me laugh, Megan whose tender heart heals mine, and Lily whose generosity offers me a constant source of love and friendship.

When I originally wrote this book I had only heard of Emilie Conrads Continuum Movement. Since then I have had the opportunity of working directly with Emilie and two of her inspiring teachers Beth Pettingill-Riley and Bonnie Gintis. I wish to personally thank her for supporting my deep intrinsic desire to move and be moved. Her work continually invites me to fully participate in the flow of life.

A special thanks to each of my models: Continuum teacher and movement educator Val Leoffler, undergraduate student Lily Oberdorfer, Megan Oberdorfer MWS, U.S. Ranger Special Forces Brandon OLeary, Powerlifter and Elite trainer Deric Stockton.

Contents

PART I
CORE AWARENESS CONCEPTS

CHAPTER ONE
AWAKENING CORE AWARENESS

CHAPTER TWO
ENGAGING THE PSOAS MUSCLE

CHAPTER THREE
CENTERING THE PELVIS

CHAPTER FOUR
CONNECTING TO BONE

CHAPTER FIVE
DEEPENING CORE AWARENESS

PART II
CORE AWARENESS EXPLORATIONS

CHAPTER SIX
STEPPING STONES TO CORE AWARENESS EXPLORATIONS

CHAPTER SEVEN
EXPLORATIONSAWAKENING CORE AWARENESS

CHAPTER EIGHT
EXPLORATIONSENGAGING THE PSOAS

CHAPTER NINE
EXPLORATIONSCENTERING THE PELVIS

CHAPTER TEN
EXPLORATIONSCONNECTING TO BONE

CHAPTER ELEVEN
EXPLORATIONSDEEPENING CORE AWARENESS