Why Use Directed Imagery?
by Julia Wyncoll
August 14, 2019
I recently had a fellow Pilates teacher tell me, “Some of my clients don’t like images, so we don’t use them.” Well, I’m here today to challenge this idea, because it’s my belief that we are all using images all day long.
I’m a Franklin Method Educator and a Pilates teacher. You’ve likely heard of the Franklin Method and right now an image is forming in your head around what that is all about – orange balls, bands, positive mindset, red balloons floating off Cervical Vertebrae, something like that. I turned to the Franklin Method because my mentor, Dianne Miller (2nd generation teacher and the first Canadian Pilates teacher), told me the work was well worth my time. I took a few workshops and, before I knew it, I was on a 10-year path of learning. Working closely with Eric Franklin has allowed me to see more accurately how the body moves, relates, and creates power; it has challenged many of the ideas I first learned as a Pilates teacher. I feel I’m a better teacher today because of it.
So, your client says they don’t like images. We should understand we “image” all the time. It’s just that the word “image” gets sticky and tricky for many people. You could possibly replace it with “thinking” and that would mostly work. However, an image speaks to something that is more conscious and directed. An image is something we work to see with our brains, and it may involve more senses than an average thought. For instance, if I “image” my breakfast, I can taste it, see it, name the colours, conjure up the feeling of it in my mouth, and will have a positive or negative reaction to what I picture. I’d have to work hard to think all of that about the traffic light I just passed in my car, but I guess I could if I really wanted to be conscious of it. Then I’d perhaps move the traffic light into an image category. I’d also be using the “thought” as an “image” if I hoped it would have an end result. And herein perhaps lies the biggest barrier and possibility combined around that word. Our students have to invest conscious directed attention to an image and to have some faith that using images is a path worth taking towards better health, movement, bodily sensation or whatever we as teachers are offering.
I’ve found over my years of teaching that I am tired of instructing, and that what I really want is a partnership with a student towards their health. I bring what I have to the table, all my knowledge, my abilities, my mindset and very importantly, my unwavering belief that they can move well. They bring their abilities, their hopes for health, their faith in me, and their mindset. Together we forge a path. I’ve found image work to be one of the richest places for me to understand the person in front of me, and what works for them in terms of motivation, cueing and understanding of the work. By moving into this territory with them, I’m asking them to be a significant partner with me, the Pilates Method and their body.
Let’s take an example for clarity. Imagine (!) we are doing the Long Stretch on the reformer. There are numerous things we can think about here, but one that I find addresses an often lacking element in the performance of this exercise is the relationship between the body and the bar. Often clients will appear to be sitting on the bar and the result might be winged scapula, sore wrists, or lack of a “through line” between the head/spine/legs. You probably have a great image going in your brain right now! So, we could try to work on this in many ways. We could bring out the bones and illustrate how the scapula is held snugly to the ribcage with the serratus anterior, and how the scapula swings around the ribcage like a ball. Too technical? We could have them image a large ball underneath them and have them try to float off the ball as they move back and forth. Too abstract? How about a dowel on the back and ask them to keep their spine and head aligned with the dowel as they move? That works but maybe it’s boring? How about “my body is an arrow” and I want them to be energized from heel to head, move back to gain momentum and then reach forward over the bar with power? I like that one.
Each one of these images may work for different people in different sessions. And what we need to remember is that without a specific image to play with, our clients will definitely be working on something in their brain. Often that is beautifully self-directed and we should leave well enough alone. We’ll know this when we see focused, clear movement in front of us by an engaged mover. But if we see someone struggling not to plan their next session while working out or just struggling with a movement because it isn’t clear in their body, then stepping in may be the appropriate thing. Hands-on is one way of suggesting an idea to a client, but it’s not always appropriate and sometimes we need more than this suggestion. Taking time to explain a bone rhythm (Eric Franklin’s term for the way the bones move within the body) can be time very well spent and may result in fabulous mechanics and clearer images.
My son is an elite athlete and mindset work is a bigger and bigger part of his game. Athletes are visualizing movement, tweaking mindset around failure and opportunity, and using mind training to stay in the “flow and zone”. It’s been advertised that only 25% of an elite athlete’s success is due to his or her physical prowess and skills, and 75% is due to the mindset work. As an ex-professional dancer, I can feel this with my bones. The days where I was on mentally, I could wow anyone in the room. The days where self-doubt crept in and stole my focus, I would often forget steps or make my way to the back of the room.
Images are here to support our life and our work as movement teachers. Have no doubt that your students are using them. Why not play with what an “image” can mean and enter into a relationship where you explore what types of images produce the best results in terms of efficient, graceful and powerful movement? Imagine that … I bet your movement session will be lively and engaged.
Julia Wyncoll is a movement educator whose career spans over twenty-five years. Julia began moving as a modern dancer, and studied Kinesiology and Anatomy throughout her B.F.A. at York University and M.F.A. studies at Arizona State University. It was at A.S.U. that she worked with Pamela Matt, a student of imagery pioneer Barbara Clark. Julia embraces the idea of marrying the science of the body with the internal, artistic work of creating imagery – and she fell in love with the ease the practice created in her movement. She maintained an injury-free career as a dancer and has been working to help others move while respecting the body ever since.