Sometimes going small has a big impact. That is indeed what happened in Chicago this past weekend. The in-person Cranial Resolution course that was hosted, so graciously, by Pilates Central may have only had 11 attendees but the learning that occurred was phenomenal. About a third had never taken Cranial before, about a third had taken it once and the remainder had taken it multiple times. As an instructor this blend initially intimidated me since I didn’t know to whom or how to target the material. I ultimately decided to start out with a clean slate, laying down a solid foundation to make sure everyone understood and was on equal footing with regards to the basic anatomy of the predominantly paired structures that are involved in Cranial Resolution (including their position, their functions, their movement, their linkages, and the flow of air, fluid and/or brain waves through or around them) and by introducing the model of tensegrity that is involved with the cyclical integration of our autonomic and central nervous systems.
Once this foundation was laid, the dynamics of the group worked in such a magical manner. I felt more like of a facilitator at times, allowing the knowledge and experience of those present to be exchanged in a way that was beneficial for all of us. Dan (Houglum) occasionally stood to give his concise explanations of biomechanical realities, Neal (Hallinan) offered and even demonstrated his insights into auditory influences, Loc allowed us to all witness how much further addressing the autonomics can take someone on their (already extensive) PRI journey, and everyone got to experience how fast the modulation of airflow can make someone feel unstable, dizzy, and/or lost in space.
Because of the way the material unfolded, the didactic meat and potatoes of the course was completed by lunchtime on Day 2 so we had a full 4 hours to focus exclusively on clinical application; getting a chance to progress through the algorithms, use and discuss the ‘whens and whys’ of all the props that this course is known for (cotton balls, hemi-billed caps and hyperboloids) – and we even had time to go through the cranial manual techniques!
By having the eye of tropical storm Debby pass directly over the scheduled time and path of my flights out of eastern NC, nature made my getting to Chicago more than a tad difficult. Foreseeing this, I left a day earlier than planned. However, the pre-storm rain bands and tornado threats still ended up delaying or cancelling nearly 5000 flights through Charlotte during my time of transit. Suffice to say I spent an extended amount of time dozing in airports and/or in planes that were under “ground stops.” Luckily though, once I got there, the course attendees made it worth my while. It turned out to be one of the best PRI learning/teaching experiences I’ve ever had. Thanks to everyone involved, especially Donna Parise Byrne, who I know had to pull strings to get this small of a course to happen and who provided a great space, incredible good snacks and a great tour of Evanston in her Mini convertible. I also must thank those attendees who were new to Cranial Resolution (Shelley, Heather, and Jess), for helping to keep us all grounded. And although Alex, David, Kasia and Jill may have taken this course before, they all continually inspired me with their questions, enthusiasm and visible ‘ah hah’ moments. The live stream courses are convenient and offer recordings, but in my opinion, nothing could have beat this in-person experience!
-Jennifer Smart
