Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Curt Yunk
Massage Principles 1
Mrs. Smutko
10/29/2010
Intu-Flow Combines scientific health research of today with the ancient somatic
wisdom of the past (Rmax 2009). Conventional fitness programs fail in that they do not
address the aches and pains which we accumulate daily as well as the fears and the
traumas we store throughout life (Rmax 2009). The Intu-Flow longevity system teaches
the connection between immobility and mental/emotional barriers, and how to liberate
yourself from fixed, limited, and painful movement with healthy, low impact, sustainable
movements that promote moving the joints to there full range of motion (Sonnon 4). I
chose this movement therapy as my modality because of the bad joints and lack of
mobility I had from years of playing football and power lifting. After reading about what
the program is supposed to do, the benefits received from doing it, and how simple and
complex the program design is, I decided to try it and am now in the process of trying to
One benefit is whole body tension release. Based on the principle of biointesegrity, our
fascia is interwoven around our body to balance stability and mobility (Sonnon 110). Our
fascia is like a sweater. When the sweater gets snagged by the hip, you can feel the
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tension or pull in the shoulder. When our body’s fascia overcompensates because of
stress, it forms snags in it. The site or area in pain may or may not be the source of the
injury (Sonnon 111). Simply stated, when the tissue becomes overwhelmed by stress
compensate. As a result the myofascial matrix responds by altering stored tension and
elastic potential of the tissues, pulling in one place and creating strain some where down
the track (Sonnon 110). Over time, myofasica hardens into thick, leathery straps in order
In an imbalanced matrix, some muscles pull to tightly while others are to loose.
compensation pattern, one or more myofascial bands remain in an inhibited state and
need continuous assistance from other myofascial bands in order for the body to continue
functioning. Being that movement in our body is expressed at joints, if we have a global
movement problem because of tension in our fascia, then there is a local movement
problem as well (Sonnon 115). Mobility addresses the source issues of tension in the
myofascial matrix. By chasing issues (through particular exercise selection and sequence)
to the source, we release the sites from the ongoing compensatory strain while eventually
liberating the source tension to allow it to heal through the body’s natural healing
process(Sonnon 115). So, if we experience pain, tightness, weakness, and so on, we can
assume we have a movement problem. This can be detected via the process of mobilizing
an area and thereby discovering uncomfortable tension and breath holding. Regardless of
weather the problem is a symptom or the source issue, the structural dysfunction can be
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addressed through movement and breath work. This will re-educate the body to move
with out pain, and exhaling through the discomfort (Sonnon 116).
concentration and focus and heighten sensory awareness (Rmax 2009). If you break the
word Intu-Flow down you get two words, intuition and flow. Using intuition in training
helps increase concentration and focus and getting into flow helps heighten sensory
Intuitive training allows for a person to have 100% of the benefits from mobility
training develops the ability to differienate form, exertion, and discomfort subjectively
based on a scale of 1-10. The person then uses that knowledge as the determinant factor
in progressive resistance (Sonnon 125). Using your intuition to rate form is making sure
ones mechanical performance, which is making sure your moving technique is right and
your breathing through the movement. Using your intuition to rate exertion is making
sure you are pushing yourself enough to progress but not enough where it turns into a
conditioning exercise. Using your intuition to rate discomfort is making sure your
works. Technique is a bowl, discomfort is a crack in the bowl, and effort is water coming
out of a faucet. If form is high enough (8 or higher), and discomfort is low enough (less
or equal to 3), then a person should be able to hold a effort of 8-10(Sonnon 126). Intuitive
training is hard because people are not used to tapping into the mind/body. Keeping form
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8-10, discomfort 1-3, and effort 8-10 is how Intu-Flow can help increase a persons
concentration and focus and allow a person to get into flow (Sonnon 126).
By doing intuitive training correct, then one can enter the state of flow. This is
because intuition is intertwined with being in flow. Flow in a physical state is being able
to gracefully move through the six degrees of freedom (Sonnon 21). The six degrees of
freedom are moving up/down (heave), front/back (surge), side/side (sway), tilt up/down
(pitch), twisting (yaw), and tilting side/side (roll) (Rmax 2009). Flow in a mental state is
energized focus, full movement, and success in the process of activity (Sonnon 23).
Combining physical and mental flow into an overall state of flow, one can get a feeling of
distorted sense of time, merging of action and awareness, concentration on a limited field
of attention, clear goals, and a sense of personal control over the situation (Sonnon 24).
Some people refer to this state as being in the zone. So if you can move gracefully with
proper form, you can find yourself in a physical state of flow (Sonnon 23). A physical
state of flow can’t be done with out being in a mental state of flow. To get into a mental
state of flow one must use there intuition. If a person can use your intuition to concentrate
and sense your form, exertion, and discomfort; then you will find yourself in a mental
state of flow (Sonnon 24). By getting in a total state of flow, a person will feel a
Another benefit that Intu-Flow longevity system does is enhance joint health and
increase energy (Rmax 2009). As a joint is moved, you decompress the stuck areas,
allowing fluid that provides lubrication and nutrition to reach those areas. If you don’t
move your joints, they are in the process of daily suicide. The only way a joint can get
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nutrition is through mobility, so if you don’t move each joint through its entire range of
motion or try, the tissue is going to starve. By bathing the joint in synovial fluid, the joint
decompresses, gives the connective tissue nutrition, and energizes the person (Sonnon
121).
When a joint lacks mobility, that area loses the ability to move. Basically in a
nutshell, lube it or lose it. The lubrication squeezes out of the area and loses its shock
absorption ability, the joint becomes compressed (Sonnon 128). If each joint is not
mobilized and decompressed, the joints will not receive the nutrition and lubrication
critical for health. They will not be able to ship out toxins. Joint salts can progress to
calcifications. Adhesions can form, restricting range of motion and power. This
degeneration of the connective tissue accelerates the aging process, resulting in dry,
brittle joint surfaces, and significantly increases the risk of sudden, acute injury (Sonnon
123).
When working right, each joint individually and collectively behaves like a shock
absorber (Sonnon 123). The shock wave will cause a slight, temporary compression but
dysfunctional joint compresses as the shock wave hits it but cannot spring back to the
proper spacing (Sonnon 123). This results in extra pressure on the tissues in the joint
decompresses the joint capsule of each joint as well as washes the connective tissue with
ground substance to return its natural resilience, elasticity, and shock absorbent quality
(Sonnon 123).
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freedom releases a person’s energetic currency (Sonnon 71). With greater movement
potential, you have more energy not only physiologically but emotionally and mentally as
well. Thawing degrees of freedom allow the lubrication to flood the joint and bring
energy to that person (Sonnon 71). Each movement carries a specific emotional
component (Sonnon 3). This can be seen in examples in life. For example, when getting
excited about something such as getting a first kiss, a person feels energetic and loose
because there emotionally happy. If someone receives news like they got dumped, they
feel down and don’t want to move. Enhancing joint mobility discharges the emotion-
blocking energy because mood and mobility are linked. Each sophisticated movement is
movement allows synovial fluid to enter the joint and enhances energy and mood (Rmax
2009).
taken through different movements that take the body main joints (jaw, neck, shoulders,
elbows, wrists, mid back, lower back, pelvis, hips, knees, ankles, and fingers) through
limitations were found (Sonnon 152). We don’t feel this loss of complexity in basic
ranges of movement because we use them everyday. We can increase the sophistication
of the basic range of motions by combing different actions together, such as flexion with
rotation (Sonnon 152). By doing this we can experience hidden restriction in our
movement coming in the form of pops, cracks, and snaps in our joints (Sonnon 152). By
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increasing our movement sophistication, we send lubrication and nutrition to the joint and
The program has progressive movement patterns that progress from simple to
complex. The program or the movements has three levels and a total of six motor
sophistications (Sonnon 122). The three levels are recovering, coordinate, and refine in
that order (Sonnon 122). The recover level restores the bodies basic ranges of motion, the
coordinate level creates greater sophistication in mobility, and the refine level creates
The recover level consists of the first two motor sophistications. The first two
motor sophistications are ranges and circles (Sonnon 122). Ranges move the joints in the
body’s basic movements, which are front to rear, or from right to left (Sonnon 153).
Circles move the joints through all the ranges by continuing to move the joint from front
The coordinate level consist of level three and level four motor sophistications
(Sonnon 122). Level three motor sophistication is called infinites and level four motor
sophistication is called diagonal infinities (Sonnon 122). Infinites consist of diving circles
in half (front and rear/right and left). We now can move the joint in figure eight
movements. This can be accomplished by moving left to right and moving front to back
(Sonnon 153). Diagonal infinites consist of dividing the basic circle into four quadrants.
We can now move the joint in figure eight movement’s diagonally across the quadrants.
This can be accomplished by moving front left to rear right and moving front right to
The refine level consists of level five and level six motor sophistications (Sonnon
122). Level five motor sophistication is called clovers and level six motor sophistication
is called waves (Sonnon 122). Clovers allow us to move our joint through each quadrant
right, to left, to rear, and back to front (Sonnon 153). Waves allow us to make movements
between multiple joints fluidly. An example would be lifting the shoulder, then elbows,
then wrists, then fingers, like rolling a wave of the ocean (Sonnon 153).
offered as part of a three part joint health program or individually. Certification takes
place in a three day format where a person must pass a physical requirement test and
written test. Preparation and study material for the certification test comes in the form of
DVD and book that they send to the person taking the certification. The price for
certification cost $2,195. After completion of the physical and written part of the
certification, a one month journal journalizing the person’s intuition ratings is required to
complete the certification test (Flowcoach 2010). If the person passes all three they will
(bigger format).If a person fails the certification tests, they can then take the certification
test again for $900 the next time it is offered (Flowcoach 2010).
movement one can release full body tension, increase concentration and focus, heighten
sensory awareness, enhance joint mobility/health, and increase energy (Rmax 2009).
Some other benefits include decreased accelerated aging of the connective tissue,
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recovery time, increased movement speed, and a feeling of reclaimed independence due
to decreased emotional fear (Rmax 2009). Combining the best from both eastern and
western traditions, Intu-Flow provides pain free movement and healthy longevity,
REFERENCES
http://www.rmaxinternational.com/flowcoach/?page_id=4
3. Sonnon, Scott. (2008). Free to Move with the Intu-Flow Longevity System.