Systema Health / 15 posts found
Martial Art Shows You Can’t Beat the System
By Melinee Prochasson The St. Petersburg Times It’s the middle of a December afternoon, and in a spartan hall in northwest Moscow, a group of men and women of various ages are lying on the floor, while others are defending themselves from opponents wielding whips. This is not some sado-masochistic ritual, but a seminar devoted to a form of the Russian martial art Systema. Originally developed as a military practice for Russian special forces, Systema remains a relatively unheralded practice. Nowadays this training is also employed in the form of an education based on self-knowledge and control of others through […]
Understanding Body Weight
In his January, 2020 Systema Seminar in Durham, NC, Emmanuel Manolakakis presented a unique approach toward understanding the four pillars or Systema; study body weight. I, for one, thought this was brilliant. Body weight has to be one of the most basic elements of self, yet I had no idea what my body weight felt like. I only had a cognitive understanding of what it was. It turns out even a cognitive understanding of body weight is confusing to many. Nature, June 24, 2019, published that about 15% under guess their own body weight, except for those who are modestly […]
Systema and Brainstem Function
Anyone who is an avid Systema practitioner knows that Systema is a philosophy that improves all aspects of life. My name is Bobby Schwartz, and I am a Board-Certified Physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a Fellow in Vascular Medicine and an avid Systema practitioner and instructor. I often get asked why I think Systema is beneficial to health. Some point to the incredible energy of Mikhail Ryabko and explain that he somehow passes this along to all of us. Others cite the unrelenting, unconditional, jewel of Vladimir Vasiliev as he shares his wisdom and skill. Then there are more […]
Examining Structure and Tension
We often think about structure and function affecting pain, and understand that tension only adds to pain, but we don’t often consider the impact that tension has on structure and function. Tittel’s muscle slings illustrate how we are wired from a structure, function and tension point of view. Tension can affect structure and function Whether it be due to fascial pulling, brain stem induced anxiety, expecting that cause and effect are always inextricably linked, or simple fear, too much tension collapses our structure and reduces our ability to respond. Fortunately, there is a solution. Systema Russian Martial Art incorporates a […]
Burst Breathing To Reduce Tension
Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. The idea is that when you inhale from the nose you get oxygen quicker to your brain and that helps to reduce tension. While you may not actually be directly increasing oxygen to the brain with this technique, you are likely activating your autonomic nervous system (through a structure called the sphenoplatine ganglion) so that tension reduction, and increased oxygen delivery, does occur. Inhale through the nose to cut tension, exhale through the mouth to unlock yourself If you exhale from the mouth you recruit your rib cage and diaphragm […]
When Tests for Tension Are Not Enough
What might you do if traditional diagnostic testing is not enough? Certainly there are situations when just that happens. Consider the instance of tension. In this instance, while traditional tests may address anxiety, they don’t really address tension. When this occurs physical assessment techniques may be more fruitful. Examples might include trying to perform cross body movements, or muscle isolation exercises. Systema Health to Reduce Tension While we all have tension, and want to reduce it, most often simple, or popular self help techniques simply are not enough. So, how can we reduce tension? The Challenge and Choice program (see […]
Life After a Bad Knee
I hear it all the time: “I used to exercise but then my knee went bad”. It is common. Some just stop exercising and others look for alternatives but lack the enthusiasm they once had for their new sport or activity; many see their overall health decline. That creates internal tension as options are reduced. In the end everyone has to redefine themselves throughout life. It would be nice if we could create a system for ourselves to do that. Systema Health may be the answer. It borrows from Systema, a Russian form of martial arts that focuses on three […]
Personal Ownership For Health
Taking personal ownership in your health is not as easy as it sounds. Most people take their health for granted. Life can be so demanding that finding the time to take care of oneself can seem like a burden so when things are OK, why worry? But when things are not OK and we are unprepared. If only we took the time to do simple things like re-framing the way we deal with tension life would be better. In fact, if each of us practiced reducing tension as if it were a way of life, instead of a way to […]
Move and Maintain Your Square
Move your square. What square? Your torso. The portion of your body between your shoulders and hips. When moving your square its a good idea to maintain posture. Think of stature. Stand tall and keep your head balanced. Your ears should be over your shoulders (your head should not be in front or behind the rest of your body), shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles (they all should be in alignment). But moving your square also applies to your psychological and spiritual square. The psychological square is what causes you fear. Your spiritual square […]
Systema Health For Parkinson’s Disease
Recently there has been excitement regarding the use of three dimensional exercise to improve health in Parkinson’s Disease. And there should be. Three Dimensional Exercise is the Key At Piedmontpmr.com we have promoted three dimensional exercise programs including Systema Health and Brain Highways for sometime now. In each instance, exercises are employed that are intended to help grow new brain stem neural highways. With Brain Highways the focus is on enabling full development through childhood brain stem reflexes so as to free the brain from having to struggle to do something it was never intended to do. In Systema, a […]
