Principles of Body Movement, Kinesics, and Spatial Awareness

The Concept of Relaxation and Decontraction

When discussing relaxation, one immediately thinks of the technique that leads to voluntary psychic and muscular rest, resulting in immobility. However, relaxation can also be part of the flow of a sequence of movements or provide a determined dramatic weight.

In the basic possibilities of working the muscle (contraction - relaxation), there are two types of "loosening":

• Relaxation-Relaxation: Letting gravity act without resistance.
• Controlled Decontraction or Distention: This involves two levels of work:
  • Passive Mechanism: Letting the muscle inertia act (elasticity of muscle tissue).
  • Active Consciousness: Controlling the relaxation.

Both types of relaxation can be an integral part of movement or a path to rest or immobility. The energy of motion can thus be managed consciously with a clear synchronization of active and passive phases, organized according to the expressive function of the movement or sequence.

To fully grasp all these tonic nuances of bodily movement is arduous and slow. We now refer to the relaxation conducive to rest and immobility. This process not only ensures the proper functioning of the physiological mechanisms of the muscular system—undoing localized contractions and softening the joints—but also holds an undeniable psychic value. The relaxation obtained is both physically and mentally. Relaxation can be partial or global.

Understanding Kinesics: The Language of the Body

Kinesics is an attempt to codify the language of the body based on the model of information theory. R.M. Birdwhistell conceived the idea of analyzing every gesture made with the help of linguistics. Just as speech can separate into phonemes, monemes, words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, similar units exist in Kinesics.

The hierarchical units of Kinesics are:

• Kino: The basic unit (analogous to a phoneme in language); a barely noticeable movement.
• Kineme: Formed by several Kinos; these are bigger and more notorious movements that acquire meaning when taken together.
• Kinomorphemes: The combination of Kinemes (analogous to a word).
• Kinomórficas Complex Constructions: Gestures that include several movements.

The object of study in Kinesics is the behavioral patterns of nonverbal communication, specifically significant body movement.

Spatial Awareness in Movement

Total Area: Defining Space Through Trajectories

Total Area refers to the space we can achieve through movement. This concept also encompasses the total physical area of a room, defined by the limits of the walls, which may be empty, occupied by one person or many, with or without objects.

While we structure partial space using abstract images of axes, planes, and directions, for structuring the total space, we focus on the trajectories. We define paths and direction based on the translation of the body in space.

Partial Space: The Immediate Body Boundary

Partial Space is the area immediately surrounding the body. In the physical sense, it is demarcated by the boundary of body motion without locomotion. In the psychic sense, it is the space we feel is ours, extending beyond the limits of the skin.

This space is often defined by imaginary axes: vertical, transverse horizontal, and anteroposterior horizontal.