The CANTIENICA® Mini Glossary (The Basics)
CANTIENICA® body in evolution is a training concept based on experiential anatomy. Initiated 1997 by Benita Cantieni, it is continuously being developed to integrate new insights and experiences. Throughout Europe, approximately 2,000 therapists and body workers are currently working with this concept to correct all kinds of postural problems. The “instructions for self-healing” explain in laymen’s terms how the human body functions, what the skeletal locomotion system needs, and what makes it ill. Understanding these processes sharpens the awareness for them in your own body, for your own posture, and your everyday movements. As you experience, feel, and understand how your body works, you are able to counteract pain in your joints or problems with your sinews, muscles, or fascia through conscious posture adjustments or invisible movement, making the pain disappear right away. Living with the CANTIENICA® Method, you understand pain as your body’s way of telling you: “I don’t like what you’re doing there!” And this means that you can take immediate corrective action and right the wrongs done by an awkward movement or a sloppy posture. Here are the basic principles that will help you understand the logic behind CANTIENICA® exercises.
Pelvis
An anatomically sane and sanely used pelvis is requirement for sane joints of the hips, a sanely straightened spine and the optimally aligned thorax. The mobile and flexible pelvis supports and unburdens all major joints of the lower body, the ankle joints, the knees, the hips, the joints of the Sacrum, the lumbar vertebrae. The human pelvis consists of two identical halves, which can be moved and mobilized individually to the best abilities. Most deformations of the pelvis are based on the fact that this symmetrical motion withered. The perfect human pelvis is V-shaped: wide at the top, narrow at the bottom, like a fennel. This leaves enough room for the organs of the abdomen. Through the years in bad posture and bad motion pattern the pelvis loses this form and widens at the bottom, gets narrower at the top, fennel upside-down, in severe cases old people’s pelvis forms an A instead of a V, thus creating a rat-tail of health problems like hemorrhoids, incontinence, arthrosis of joints, descent of organs, fractures of the thighs et cetera. Cause for these deformations is nearly always the atrophy of the pelvic floor muscle system.
Pelvic Bones
The bones of the pelvis are not one solid piece but three individual parts: the two hip bones form the “side boards”, at the back they are joined by the Sacrum with two adjoining joints. In the front the hipbones are adherent with the so-called symphysis, a colloidal compound enabling the great range of motion of the pelvis.
Sitting bones
The darker tinted bones indicate the sitting bones. The lower rim of the pelvis minor forms two hunches called „sit bones“, as we are supposed to sit on them, situated exactly in the middle of the horizontal skin fold of the buttocks. The CANTIENICA® – Method for Bodyshape and Posture uses this two sit bones as navigation points in order to activate the proper innermost layer of the pelvic floor muscles (see pelvic floor muscle layers). Whenever the instruction states “pull the sit bones together” or “pull the right sit bone towards the Perineum, i.e. the center of the pelvic floor, the biggest and most potential part of the pelvic muscle carpet is being contracted.
Pubic bone
The front part of the pelvis shapes the pubic bone. It’s easy to find and feel as it lies directly under the pubic hair. The pubic bone is the third (of four) vertices to indicate the perfect upright alignment of the human pelvis.
Tailbone
The Tailbone is the rudimentary tail, in the course of evolution and the human gait on two legs, five tiny vertebrae grew together to form the Coccyx. This provides the fourth marker for the aligned and straightened pelvis. Between tailbone and Sacrum is a mobile little joint, which allows motion and stretch between the two bones, small, but enough to make the difference between pain and no-pain.
Sacrum, Joints of the Sacrum
The Sacrum stands between the last lumbar vertebra and the Coccyx, a broad bone built of five grown-together vertebrae. At each side-rim of this bone are 5 openings for nerves feeding hips, joins, legs, feet. Two loose joints (Amphiarthrosis) held only by ligaments connect the Sacrum with the big hipbones. This makes the pelvis a very supple and flexible symmetrical structure. The two halves of this bone structure can be moved deliberately using the pelvic floor muscles accurately.
Pelvic floor
The pelvic floor is trampoline-like muscle carpet. When the human race decided to get up on two legs the wall of the abdomens had to become a sustainable base, floor, holding the weight of the torso. Nature solved this challenge brilliantly, weaving a thumb-thick carpet of at least three layers of muscle. Center of the several layers is the Perineum, on the female body located between vagina and anus, on the male body between the end of the scrotum and the anus.
First layer
The first layer forms a double loop like a figure eight around the orifices, vagina, urethra, anus on women; spermatic duct, urethra, anus on men. The widely spread Kegel-exercises aim on strengthening this layer. Applied in burlesque the Kegels can actually do harm to the pelvic floor and the abdominal organs. In the search for results women tend to pull the perineum into the vagina. Instead of strengthening the spread of muscles the vagina tissue hardens, thus complicating childbirth and making sexual intercourse a painful undertaking. The CANTIENICA® Pelvic Floor Training leaves this layer supple and sensitive, the concentration is on the deepest layers which actually form the floor for the pelvis, not just a loop.
The middle layer
This second layer spreads from one hip joint to the other, from pubic bone to perineum, like a triangular. This layer plays an important role in the gait appropriate to mankind. Reticulating with the hip muscles (Musculi Piriformis, Gemelli Quadratus Femoris) thus enabling the rotation of the pelvis halves, protecting the hip joints from abrasion. Accounts for the Vshape of the pelvis.
Levator ani
The deepest layer is the actual pelvic floor, as it forms a solid bowl holding up the organs and protecting the pelvic joints. This is the main aim of the CANTIENICA®-Power Pelvis Training. The layer spreads fan-like from pubic bone to coccyx, from hip joint to hip joint. At the perineum it connects with the other two layers, making this a power spot. This layer is the most powerful part of the pelvic floor – and the most important in the CANTIENICA® – pelvic floor training system. Every time the description instructs you to pull the sitting bones together or closer to the middle you activate this big and potent membrane. “Like an in-between story in a building”, says Cantieni, “it’s an extra-support, a backup in the human tower block.”
All layers in the pelvis
The levator ani is the strongest part of the pelvic floor – and the most important in the CANTIENICA® training concept. Every time the description instructs you to pull your sit bones together or closer to center, you activate this large and strong internal muscle layer. “Like a mezzanine in a skyscraper,” Cantieni says, “it is the central support in the human skyscraper.
Stretching the Spine
The Power Pelvis is a solid foundation for the stretching and aligning of the spine. This Spine Stretch is a basic in all CANTIENICA® exercises and makes room for the vertebrae, the intervertebral discs, the openings for the nerves and the spinal cord. This Spine-stretch has the power to change and reprogram the whole posture. Beware of the risk: This can make you grow an inch or more, depending on your “old” posture. The Spine-Stretch together with the Power Pelvis is your insurance against posture deformities and joint harms!
Crown up
The Power Pelvis is a solid foundation for the stretching and aligning of the spine. This Spine Stretch is a basic in all CANTIENICA® exercises and makes room for the vertebrae, the intervertebral discs, the openings for the nerves and the spinal cord. This Spine-stretch has the power to change and reprogram the whole posture. Beware of the risk: This can make you grow an inch or more, depending on your “old” posture. The Spine-Stretch together with the Power Pelvis is your insurance against posture deformities and joint harms!
Skeletal interconnections
CANTIENICA® body in evolution interconnects the skeletal muscles to a sensitive, strong, flexible, protective network for bones, fascia, muscles, tendons and ligaments. A major role in this physical universe play the so-called autochthonous muscles, approximately 200 little muscles connecting the vertebrae with one each other and with the more superficial muscles of the spine and the back. This autochthonous musculature usually uncared-for can be trained to function automatically thus protecting the spine in every-day life. This interconnecting of the skeletal muscles offers a cure for Scoliosis, scoliotic pelvis and other popular postural deformities.
Thorax and Sternum
Pelvis and Thorax interact. If the one is tilted, the other will counteract accordingly. A tilt forward in the Pelvis provokes a backward-tilt in the Thorax or Chest, which rounds the back. Contrariwise a tilting back or the Pelvis causes the Chest to tilt forward, resulting in a sway-back. The CANTIENICA® Method teaches the ideal positioning of Pelvis and Thorax: one on top of the other. The architecture of the bones is ensured by the skeletal musculature. A sure sign for anatomically inapt posture is chronic pain in the neck, in the shoulders, chronic headaches and migraines.
Diaphragm
The diaphragm as important as the levator ani: It is the second important interstice in the body. It forms the closure of the rib cage, cushions the pressure when coughing, laughing and sneezing, and thus protects against incontinence. Crucially, the diaphragm expands radially upward and elliptically to all sides like a dome with each inhalation. This pulls in the lowest, flying ribs, increases the interior space for the upper ribs, creates enormous volume by expanding to the sides. The organs above and below the diaphragm receive a “breathing massage” from the tense, stretched torso muscles, which contract and relax slightly with the rhythm of the breath.
Setting Shoulders where they belong
Some exercises invite you to pull the elbows to the side or downward, before you start with the actual strengthening or stretching of the muscles. The purpose of this instruction is the liberation of the shoulder-joint, creating a leeway between the ball of the upper arm and the shoulder roof. This adjustment of posture offers relief of many chronic pains and ailments – Tinnitus, Tennis arm, Frozen Shoulder Syndrome, Carpal tunnel Syndrome etc.
Flex
In order to train the muscles in the ideal proportions according to the bones and their setting the exercises invite you to pay attention to the axis of your legs: feet, knees and hip-joints are always in a anatomically sensible line. The feet are mostly flexed: lower leg to foot in a 90°-angle. In this position the interconnection between feet, heel and Pelvic floor muscles are activated, all muscles of the legs work together, you get the power but not the mass. Toes pointed cuts this connection and puts the emphasis of the training on the front of the thighs, building-up bulky muscles.
