NOTE from the webmaster: As I began working with Dorothy and her organization in
putting together this internet presentation, I asked her to personally
give me the inside story behind the program. What follows is her
response. It is great information for anyone interested in her
program and explains her motivation in founding BODY RECALL. Her
openness and honesty reveal a sincere dedication to the health and
well-being of others. The power of her words prompted my
publishing it here unedited.
"In response to your request to learn something of my personal
theories,
beliefs and philosophies that have made BODY RECALL the successful
program that it is, I have focused on a few areas of interest I am
sharing with you with thanks for your willingness to learn more than
reading the text that I wrote about the program."
"I 'stubbed my toe' on BODY RECALL. Responding to the Dean
of Berea
College to offer an exercise class to “Senior Citizens” sent me to
the
library to see what was written. Although my education at the
University of Oregon was thorough and broad in the field of physical
education and health, the concept of adults exercising after “school
was
out” was almost foreign, even as late as the 70’s.
Information was
scarce and very depressing if adult fitness had ever been addressed by
anyone. I knew the work of that semester rested wholly on me.
I simply
felt my way along, keeping my lesson plans, and analyzing the type of
exercise these adult students would accept. I did not evaluate
the
health of the students, take measurements, ask for doctor’s
permission,
take a pulse, check roll, give them a grade or put them through the
popular stress test. I did not overwhelm them with fast, quick,
tiring,
repetitious exercises. This cautious approach to students who
were
re-entering the arena of organized exercise needed to be accommodated
so
they would sense the physical well-being forthcoming through regular
attendance. As a senior citizen myself, and an athlete, I
monitored my
own level of comfort and performance as a result of the change in
program delivery. By the second day of class I was already being
told
how much better their outlook and daily comfort were. I believed what
I heard from them and wanted to nourish their enthusiasm with lessons
they would accept. You might say, they taught me a sensible and
effective way to enjoy exercise and be willing to return for class
after
class. The experience, which was meant to be a single semester
session,
3 times a week, turned into a lifetime commitment for me and most of my
students."
"Beginning level classes increased to intermediate challenges and
eventually, advanced classes for those who elected to travel with me
as
I went out to do workshops. Being before the public inspires
students
and encourages them to put forth their best effort. Therefore, they
reap deeper physical benefits while strengthening their determination
to
prepare for such ministry. I encourage all teachers of
BODY RECALL to
'show and tell' every time they are invited to go, and to open
their own
doors for this opportunity."
"It is one thing to attend an exercise class, enjoy the group you
are
enrolled with, admire the teacher and try to follow directions, but to
be motivated to continue simple exercises for life, whether with a
group
or not, is a test for any program that will help alter a lifestyle
that
embraces daily fitness planning and living."
"BODY RECALL developed into a possible, motivating, pain-free,
risk-free
exercise program that men and women find pleasant, encouraging,
refreshing for the body and mind, as well as sensibly challenging.
Today, all ages enjoy the program.
Adults need their own brand of exercise to help them meet their
specific
needs of living longer in a successful way. They like to learn,
to know
what is happening as they exercise, to study and broaden their own
grasp
of their physical expectations for now and in the future, and to
experience new things, to be challenged in a safe way, and always feel
successful in their efforts. BODY RECALL changed the way exercise
looks
and the way it feels, the “twins” that keep people from wanting
it. The
program is rich with incentives and musically accompanied exercise
sequences that beckon the student along until positive physical
changes
shortly become noticeable. I named the program BODY RECALL
because that
is what I observed in the students. (Detroit was recalling
automobiles
for the first time the year I began this program.) The name fit
right
in with the times. I designed a T-shirt with the words, “This
body has
been recalled”, which served to let people know we were achieving
fitness. Our little Appalachian town of Berea, Kentucky was a
front-runner in the move of adult fitness."
"The word fitness began to change in my physically well-trained
mind and
body. While I had always been an athlete, and am still pursuing
physical interests of my own, aside from BODY RECALL classes, I know
the
reason for my continued ability to do so is through the sensible
foundation to exercise that BODY RECALL is: slow, deeply penetrating
movement that tugs at the bones of the body and massages the blood
vessels exceptionally well wherever movement takes place. This
was a
fresh break-through for me and one that has encouraged me to search
out
ways for these by-products to function in all physically active
endeavors people might do."
"BODY RECALL exercises are not new. They are simply natural
motion
performed thoughtfully and specifically controlled to maximize
potential
range of motion, strength, coordination, balance and agility, all of
which
influence body maneuverability and freedom throughout the day.
How we
do an exercise is more significant than what we do. Internal
fringe
benefits come from this different management of muscle action.
Research
indicates that chemical changes occur even through movement
(exercise),
and these benefits will take place whether the exerciser is seated in
a
chair, lying down, standing, kneeling, while stationary or while
ambulating. To get a glimpse that it is not necessary to force
the body
to produce its best daily function and safety is very liberating and
gratifying."
"BODY RECALL is an education program----a brain-controlled,
movement
concept. Teachers of BODY RECALL are trained to
inform, not force or
tire the student. Good teaching in this program aims for the
will, as
well as the muscle. The ultimate goal is to provide the tools
that will
assist persons to be responsible for their own physical well-being
through a body they choose to control. As simple as this may
sound, it
is important to recognize that our natural movement is characterized
by
quick starts, jerks, dumps, jabs, fast, thoughtless actions to
accomplish tasks throughout the day. Most of the movement we
engineer
was never taught us, but we “caught on” through trial and error,
actually, before we could talk. We could all have “trained”
bodies if
leadership is well informed, and the techniques of breaking through
resistance to change to re-building familiar patterns can be
acceptable.
BODY RECALL training seeks to provide these leadership skills during
the
week-long sessions at our Headquarters. The charm and joy of the
incentive materials that are part of every lesson serve to apply new
movement patterns that offer more beneficial gains for the time
spent.
These changes take place in the head (brain) and serve to link all
action to a more physically profitable management throughout the day.
While I know I have been “type cast” for producing this program, I
recognize that my physical education background taught me well how
significant gravity is as a component and aid to fitness. I have
found
that few people factor this reality into self-management and thereby
expose themselves to preventable accident and injury. BODY
RECALL
provides the movement education so lacking in many exercise
programs.
As adults from all educational backgrounds and professional skills
come
for a week of training to equip themselves to lead others into
lifetime
fitness, they are challenged by their own lack of movement education,
and the different emphasis on gravitational influences that alter body
management. As an education program, the textbook,
BODY
RECALL: A PROGRAM OF PHYSICAL FITNESS FOR THE ADULT
by Dorothy
Chrisman, now appearing in its 9th edition,
is a strong aid in picturing and describing how
safe,
fitness-producing exercises can be accessible to all people.
The
philosophical discussions in the text serve as good reminders and
provide opportunities for readers to re-think and apply more positive
choices in movement that will influence their lives and those
around them."
"The tragedy of the health care crisis we are experiencing in our
culture
serves as a reminder that all civilization is at risk of becoming
helpless without outside intervention (i.e., drug therapy) unless we seek and find
economical and practical solutions to premature rust-out and collapse.
The
powerful influence of regular exercise is only recently being
recognized
as an alternative worth addressing seriously. BODY RECALL
teachers have
the privilege of participating in a straight forward solution.
We need
more teachers and more access with the BODY RECALL message.
'The
harvest is ready, but the workers are few'.”
Dorothy Chrisman Biography
| HISTORY
the Body Recall Organization |
the
Headquarters Project
TEACHER
TRAINING FORMS & INFO
the
TEXTBOOK | Photo
Album | Berea,
KY
Consult the national BODY RECALL TEACHER DIRECTORY for
the official listing of the Certified Teachers close to you.
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