Functional Bodyworks

What is Functional Bodywork?

Funtional Bodywork has been developed by James Earls, blending his understanding of myofascial and functional movement principles with hands-on manipulation of the soft tissue to create a variety of therapeutic effects.

Functional Bodywork combines elements of motor control theory with a neuro-myofascial approach to identify, treat and finally re-educate the client's movement patterns. Blending guided movement with various soft tissue engagement protocols has created a method that addresses the body as a whole and acknowledges the roles of the body's various tissues and their interrelationships. 

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding and applying essential principles - touch, layering, movement.
• How to select positions that work best for your client.
• How to apply movement drivers to create specific reactions and knowing when to use and how to adapt them.
• Know how to enhance movement range and tissue differentiation.
• Be able to combine structural and functional assessments and making sense of how they interact.
• Build on the principles listed above to develop global and local movement strategies and know when to use each based on the combined structural and functional assessments.

Outline:

• Standing Work - this will include positioning, handling, how to use tissue engagement direction correctly.
• Side-lying & 4-Point Kneeling - once again, we cover the safe and effective use of positioning and movement to safely and effectively access spinal and pelvic tissues.
• Throughout the workshops, soft tissue touch skills are explored in movement, creating powerful effects on the myofascial tissues.
• We finish by blending the material together to give a full body treatment, learning to feel the connections through the body in many different positions with a variety of movement ideas.
• Once the principles of Functional Bodywork are learned, they can be easily adapted to almost any client or situation. The application of this work can increase your client's body awareness and understanding of movement as well as resolving or easing many of their tissues.

Who Should Attend:

The workshop is designed for massage therapists, physical therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and those wanting to add an extra dimension to their treatments.