Practicing Aston Kinetics
A place for collaboration and community
Whether you have just finished your first foundation course or you are a seasoned Aston-Patterning Practitioner, we are providing you with tools to help you describe the work to your clients and peers.
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Aston Kinetics
Aston® Kinetics, an educational system of movement and bodywork that aims to treat each person’s body as unique and customizes the work to match. Rather than enforcing physical symmetry, Aston Kinetics seeks to recognize which asymmetries are natural to a person’s body and how to maximize their use.
The Aston Paradigm
The Aston Paradigm was developed from a series of discoveries made by Judith Aston. These one at a time discoveries revealed a trend. This trend created a theory that, when working with thousands of people, confirmed her empirical findings. By the late 70's, it became clear that the work and its forms had developed into a unique paradigm from standard theories about posture and the moving body.
The Aston Paradigm offers a unique interpretation of mathematical application for the body in motion. The specific use of these five general theories applied to movement, bodywork, rehabilitation, fitness, ADLs and countless other forms, have been life changing for so many.
The Aston Paradigm maintains these five specific theories:
- The Aston Paradigm is made up of specific mechanical ratios of motion with certain amplitudes and force that match the math that define each individual's current abilities, limitations and their goals.
- Our assessment system helps teachers and therapists determine what work is needed, where, when, how and how much. Aston Assessment uses visual observation and palpation to chart which patterns are more controlling and which are more compensatory. This allows the practitioner to problem-solve and design a specific sequence of work.
- Aston Practitioners use the assessment system to identify what forms of Aston bodywork, movement, fitness, ergonomics, and other applications are needed. Patterns and other influences from history, injury, trauma, scar tissue, habit and repetitive motion are considered. With this knowledge, the creation of a unique series of change work is shaped for each individual client/student.
- The Aston Paradigm is how you do what you do, as applied to every motion. For example, stretching in a straight line will make change. However, a stretch according to the desired depth of the layer, in the direction of the grain of the fibers, respecting the need for the fluid, the pressure and time needed for specific change to occur will create more accurate and longer lasting change.
- The Aston Paradigm is deeply rooted in pedagogy, education practitioners by providing the skill sets necessary to focus on honoring an individual's unique and ever-changing body pattern. In addition, The Aston Paradigm employs a heuristic learning style that emphasizes teaching on the "yes" as opposed to the "no, that's wrong."