The FAMO Method

Resource-oriented is about recognising and intentionally using the abilities, strengths, and potentials of the body-mind without denying challenges or dismissing weaknesses. With consistent practice, this approach fosters a lasting sense of capability and resourcefulness that will cultivate somatic trust, the experience-based confidence in our bodies. The feeling of agency acquired along the way is invaluable, particularly when navigating the imminent challenges of the human experience.

The resource-oriented approach can be seen as the counterpart to more widely practiced pathology or disorder-focused strategies. Whether we are health professionals, therapists, doctors, coaches, or simply self-aware individuals, many of us are moving in the same direction and striving for the same goal: wholeness or integrity. Moving forward on the path of integrity encompasses experiencing greater physical vitality, mental clarity, emotional ease, relational belonging, and a sense of purpose. Because of this shared aspiration, the approach we take is not an either-or situation. We don’t need to confine ourselves to being purely resource-oriented or strictly disorder-focused. Instead, we can choose to follow one path while appreciating and learning from the other – or integrate them both into our skillsets.

Integrative refers to bringing together different elements, systems, or aspects into a unified whole. In the concept described in this book, an integrative approach leads to experiencing greater body-mind unity, movement freedom, and inner peace. When we consciously engage in integrative practices our bodies function better, infusing us with vitality and a sense of aliveness. Our minds become clearer, more distinguished, focused, and receptive. We perceive and approach our inner world and the outer world with new levels of acceptance and appreciation. Feeling is not merely an abstract concept but a lived experience in which physical sensations are truthfully interpreted by the mind, free from denial, conflict, or dispute. In turn, the body faithfully embraces the felt reality these trustworthy thoughts create.

In the context at hand, ‘integrative’ holds a second meaning: unlike exclusive methods that resist different ideas or reject collaborating with other systems, Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement is inclusive. New ideas, thought-provoking questions, content expansions, and a weaving together of the skills and talents that the person on the mat brings to the work are not only accepted but warmly welcomed.

Movement is life! This is by no means an overstatement because, at a fundamental level, all physiological processes involve movement ranging from macro to micro, from entire systems to their cellular and even molecular components. According to neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert, movement, or more specifically the capacity to produce adaptable and complex movements, is also the number one reason why evolution equipped us with a brain. 

In a Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement practice exercises and sequences are deliberately chosen and nuanced in their execution. Yet, they invite adaptation and creativity so that they serve the uniqueness of each body-mind in the most effective and enjoyable manner.

An experience-based approach emphasises that the concept is rooted in practical application, that it has developed, and continually evolves through conscious embodiment. At the time of publication, this book encapsulates sixteen years of collective experience, drawing from the valuable observations of an international team of educators, certified teachers, and their clients, and my own insights. While the information presented is derived from empirical practice, we can’t claim that it will universally work for everyone, always, or in the same way. If it doesn’t initially have the desired effect, tweak it until it works for you.

Being science-informed involves considering, valuing, and integrating findings from various fields of research, including fascia, medicine, psychology, social sciences, and neuroscience. Researchers essentially build and organise knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions. While not everything is measurable, science-minded practitioners can gain a tremendous amount of valuable insight from empirical evidence gathered through systematic observation and experimentation. Just as important as learning from data is adopting the mindset of a researcher. To get into this mindset, we do not need to put on a lab coat, but we do need to be actively open-minded because where science and practical application meet, an extra dose of curiosity is required; experience, after all, is subjective. What we can learn from accomplished researchers goes beyond facts and figures; it is a mental mode of inquiry.

The resource-oriented nature of this concept has been discussed in the previous section. What is important to take away in the context of the guiding principles is that ‘resource-oriented’ is an attitude within each of us, not just a quality in a conceptual framework. Recognising and utilising the physical, mental, and emotional resources within ourselves and others is a practice. While seeing ability, strength, and potential comes naturally to some, for many, it doesn’t… or it doesn’t anymore. In therapy, medicine, and even professional fields of movement, we are rigorously trained to zoom into dysfunctions, symptoms, and illnesses. Do you remember the effect attention has on the mind? Attention illuminates what we are focusing on, making it more prominent and important in our perception, while dimming everything else. Therefore, when I am narrowly focused on what is wrong, I can’t see what is right, because it is literally in the dark. I believe that deliberately turning on a mental spotlight to notice the body-mind resources that are available is a necessary practice for all of us. This ensures we are not just putting on a veneer of positivity but truly become resource-oriented individuals and professionals, inside and out.

Being curiosity-driven goes beyond being interested. When we are interested in something, we have existing knowledge of it, yet we recognise a gap in our understanding that we want to fill. Curiosity, as researcher Brené Brown teaches us, includes the same components with one crucial addition: emotional investment. When we are curious about something, we value ‘getting it right’ over ‘being right’. We engage in learning easily, with joy, and even outright passion. Instead of holding on to what we know (or believe we know) we are aware of the limits of our understanding and keep asking questions. We update our views and, with it, our feelings based on new information. The inner scientist is wide awake. The vulnerability that comes with exposing our lack of knowledge in some (or many) areas and admitting that we were wrong about some (or many) things is part of this process. Curiosity-driven people take it in their stride, make it a part of the learning. Being curious is more than seeking knowledge; it is a way of engaging in life that facilitates true understanding, inner growth, and connection.

To be diversity-embracing means recognising and appreciating that all body-minds are different. While humans share anatomical features, physiological and movement functions, and behaviour responses, the way these commonalities shape, express, and influence each other is unique. Each person’s blend of physical patterns, thoughts, feelings, experiences, memories, and anticipations is distinct. Because no one person is the same as another, it is wise to swap the ‘I know’ for ‘I am getting to know’ another person by paying attention, staying curious, and being empathetic. In practical terms, this means that we are adapting a Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement practice (as needed or wanted) to embrace body-mind diversity.

Being ignorance-conscious, at best, encompasses what psychologist Adam Grant calls “confident humility”. It signifies a state in which we have “faith in our capability while appreciating that we may not have the right solution or even be addressing the right problem”. In that sense, an ignorance-conscious person is secure in their skills, while remaining open to the possibility of being wrong about what they believe to be right. This mindset expands our cognitive horizons, revealing new ideas and explanations in unexpected places. Humility – an internalised quality involving genuine recognition of one's own limitations, imperfections, and vulnerabilities – may seem daunting to embrace, ignorance carries a provocative undertone. Openly declaring oneself as ignorant is certainly not for beginners – yet here is the thing; the willingness, vigour, and even delight with which we step out of our illusory comfort zones of certainty serve as indicators of advancing confident humility. Unwavering certainty is the end of learning and in the realm of fascia, we have abundant learning ahead of us.

The main attribute of postural ease is an effortless inner lift that maintains itself – it is the body making gravity its friend.

From this perspective, an upright posture and an easeful posture aren’t necessarily the same thing. A person’s alignment can be upright, and their spine matching textbook norms beautifully, yet their body is held, muscles are tight, fascia is rigid, and the vital space for the internal organs is compromised. There is no sense of ease, with gravity as something to work against, not to befriend. The kind of upright posture we aim for allows us to stand, sit, and move efficiently and in a relaxed manner. It has an uplifting and sustainable feel, rather than being laborious. Instead of being measured by external criteria, it is the dynamic balance of internal structures that determines the relationship between individual body parts.

Movement freedom is characterised by the capacity to engage in wanted and necessary activities with easeful efficiency.

Moving freely is sometimes equated – or confused – with flexibility. While sufficient muscular flexibility is an important functional feature, it isn’t synonymous with movement freedom. On the contrary, when the degree of limberness is disproportionate to the dynamic stability and functional strength of the system, it robs the body of ease. To be able to move freely, we need a healthy equilibrium of dynamic stability, limberness, and functional strength. Let me explain what I mean with these terms:

• Dynamic stability requires endurance strength in posture-oriented local muscles, and tensile strength in associated fascia.
• Limberness refers to the balanced coupling of joint mobility, muscle flexibility, and fascial adaptability.
• Functional strength includes multidimensional power and relaxation in movement-oriented global muscles, as well as tensile strength in associated fascia.

The desire to move and keep the body-mind agile and vitalised through regular activity best expresses the concept of movement love.

In direct contrast to this is ‘movement obligation’. While love is an intrinsic motivator, obligation is a mental commitment or something we regard as a duty – to ourselves, maybe to our instructor or therapist, or perhaps to the people we have informed about our resolution to train regularly. Being motivated by love is energising. Upholding obligations requires energy. Of course, in reality, it isn’t black and white; positive feelings and a strong mental attitude exist on a continuum. Some of us are oriented towards being active, while others lean towards being restful. Regardless of where you are on the continuum, getting onto the mat regularly requires a dose of dedication and discipline. What often changes with Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement is the ratio, with the slider gradually shifting in the direction of movement for love.

The benefits of this shift extend far beyond the mat; they manifest where it matters most – in real life. Individuals who derive real pleasure from moving their bodies take the stairs instead of the lift, walk when they can, and engage in physical tasks not just because it is sensible but because it feels good. I know people who even approach mundane activities like cleaning the house with the zest and vigour of an athlete! Why is this important? Because an active lifestyle makes movement – not exercise – the most effective medicine on the planet with the least side effects.

Within the framework of mindful fascia-focused movement, pre-silience is the ability to remain mentally calm and clear, emotionally limber, and physically responsive amid demanding circumstances.

The concept of ‘pre-silience’ comes courtesy of neuroscientist Amishi Jha. In the context of mindfulness practice, which is at the centre of her scientific research, pre-silience describes the trainable ability to rise to moments of challenge with skill and even ease.

Although related, pre-silience is different to the much more widely known concept of resilience. While resilience describes the capacity to adapt and bounce back from adversity, pre-silience means that we remain our most competent self when experiencing difficult times. Pre-silience also lifts our threshold of stress perception. Meaning, we have the embodied confidence to face potentially stressful situations with the composure and inner steadiness of an unruffled self-observer, thereby retaining equanimity and avoiding escalation.

Many of us invest a considerable amount of strategic energy into avoiding or circumventing pitfalls, conflicts, and stressful situations, only to be disillusioned by our good friend, life. While chronic stress depletes us and warrants addressing and resolving its root causes, many stressors are unavoidable or part of our journey to fulfilment and success. Things worth doing are demanding. Deliberately training our pre-silience on the mat, equips us to be our most somatically resourced selves during periods of high demand off the mat.

Being at home in the body is about experiencing that each part of our physicality belongs to us, and embracing the full spectrum of bodily feelings, functions, and appearances – at best, appreciating them. It is a vital component of psycho-emotional health. 

Visualise the body as a spacious home for all your sensations, emotions, and thoughts. When we are born, they are bustling into every room exploring every corner with curiosity, opening closed doors, playing with the furniture, and redecorating the house with creativity.

As we grow older, we start to internalise the norms, values, behaviours, and expectations of surrounding family members and societal cultures, dimming the lights in some places while floodlighting others because they seem to matter more. We learn that exploring certain spaces is inappropriate, so we close these doors. To compensate, we decorate what we can still access, sometimes to the point of discomfort. Traumatic experiences might have us flee a room or a whole part of the house. We lock these doors and for safety, throw away the keys. The darkened and uninhabited rooms are still there but they are no longer filled with life. They collect dust and cobwebs, the air becomes stuffy, the floorboards loose, and the walls mouldy. The body isn’t in integrity; feelings are stifled or painful, and self-awareness is limited.

Fascia is the physical body-mind matrix; it is the connective tissue of this home. With deliberate practice, we can gradually open doors to neglected, forgotten, and hidden rooms, letting in light and fresh air, cleaning up, and infusing them with life. To our own surprise, some of these spaces might become our favourite places to relax and play again. We are in the process of restoring integrity in the only material home that truly belongs to us – the body.

Being aware is a practice that involves consciously participating in the moments that comprise our lives. It involves recognising our feelings, thoughts, perceptions, and behaviours to understand how they collectively shape our realities. When we are (self-)aware, we can fully engage with, delight in, or distance ourselves from an experience.
Awareness isn’t something that we possess or lack; it is a trainable skill that we can cultivate. Like when exercising muscles and fascia, awareness becomes stronger, more limber, and defined with practice. Dedication to the task eventually turns it into second nature.

Learning something new, like playing tennis, requires energy. In our initial attempts, movements are clumsy, and we often miss more balls than we hit it. Even when we manage to connect the racket to the ball, a good number of balls end up in the net rather than crossing to the other side. As the activity becomes ingrained in our brain maps and physicality, a shift occurs. We begin to find joy in the game, and our energy focuses on the way we skilfully hit the ball, rather than being scattered in the mere attempt to catch and return it.

Similarly, cultivating awareness initially demands energy. We find ourselves missing more balls than we hit, often being more absent-minded than fully present. We return balls poorly, emotionally reacting or over-reacting rather than mindfully responding to people and situations. At times, we might blame our metaphorical opponent, racket, or court conditions for our shortcomings, resisting ownership of what we are experiencing. Even when the referee that is reality suggests otherwise, we may cling to the need ‘to be right’ rather than exhibiting the mental response-ability required to ‘get it right’.

Persisting in the practice, albeit sometimes with significant inner resistance, is a game-changer. Like a seasoned tennis player who expertly returns a serve with a precise swing, internalised awareness allows us to respond to each moment in an appropriate, productive, and successful manner. Because we no longer need to concentrate on fundamentals, we have the capacity to pay attention to ourselves, notice subtle shifts in the other person, and feel in touch with the immediate environment. We are aware and fully present for the richness of the experience.
Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement is the ideal court in which to practice (self-)awareness through movement.

Resourcefulness is a skill that enables us to recognise and utilise our physical, mental, and emotional capacities to optimise our potential to adapt and thrive in various and ever-changing circumstances. While a fascia-focused practice resources the body-mind in numerous ways, resourcefulness is less about quantity and more about how creatively and productively we employ our currently resources.

Within the framework of Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement, this means deepening our understanding of the body-mind connection, so we can use it to our advantage. By exploring diverse movement patterns and techniques, we can discover the most efficient and pleasurable ways to move and achieve our goals. This evolving self-awareness and adaptability strengthen our pre-silience and radiant vitality, enabling us to handle the demands of everyday life with greater ease while enjoying a longer healthspan.

Moreover, resourcefulness is intertwined with creativity and innovation. It inspires us to think outside the box and find unique solutions for body-mind challenges. Whether it is using props in novel ways or modifying exercises to suit individual needs, resourcefulness ensures that every session is tailored to enhance wellbeing from the inside out.

Agency is the belief in the ability to influence the trajectory of one’s own life positively. With embodied agency, we can choose and take coherent actions to care for our bodies, emotionally self-regulate, and navigate life's events without harbouring a false sense of omnipotence or dominion over external circumstances. “Agency means having some choice around who and how we ‘be’ in life, what parts of ourselves we identify with and act from,” explains addiction expert Gabor Maté. As stewards of our own lives, we demonstrate response-ability and exhibit emotional limberness, qualities that can be compromised during periods of high demand or chronic stress.

By making intentional and meaningful choices and taking coherent actions during our movement practice, we train our capacity and confidence to take charge of our wellbeing. The process involves getting to know the body and its true needs, understanding how different exercises or props affect the body-mind, and being able to adjust the practice to align with personal goals and preferences. This sense of control and ownership over one’s time on the mat creates deeper engagement and commitment, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

Furthermore, agency is about empowerment through knowledge. Professionals with a robust educational foundation in integral and functional anatomy, relevant science, and psychological aspects, as well as coherent movement principles, are equipped to make well-informed choices and guide their clients without overpowering or disempowering them. Instead, teachers and therapists pass on sufficient knowledge to support their clients in strengthening their own sense of agency.

In essence, embodied agency instils a feeling of independence and self-determination without isolating ourselves. We learn to listen to the body, draw meaning from our experiences, trust in what resonates with us, experiment with different approaches, and thereby take an active role in shaping our movement journey in class and in life.

Response-ability is a play on words that emphasises the capacity to respond to varying circumstances in a constructive manner while being fully accountable for how we respond. This underscores the importance of being receptive and self-aware, rather than reactive and blaming.

When the body is unstable, weak, or rigid, immediate responsiveness to external demands is challenging, to say the least. Physical response-ability requires a healthy degree and balance of dynamic stability, multidimensional strength, and flexibility – the same three somatic components that foster movement freedom. By embodying this triad, which necessitates refined movement orchestration (proprioception), we can navigate the challenge zones on and off the mat with greater agility and grace.

The pathway to improved mental response-ability within the framework of movement is through training our sense of agency.

Response-ability is also deeply connected to emotional literacy: the ability to experience, recognise, understand, label, regulate, and communicate feelings. In practice, when we emphasise the felt sense (interoception) and mindfulness in motion, we make significant contributions to our emotional literacy. This helps us stay emotionally limber and responsive both when life feels too good to be true and when the going gets tough.

Grounded confidence is a powerful experience where embodied humility and trust in one's own resourcefulness, skills, and capacity to succeed merge. It isn’t a heady kind of self-assurance, though. Instead, metaphorically speaking, our feet are firmly planted on the earth, the heart is open, and the mind is receptive, clear, decisive, yet interested in learning.

Humility stems from the Latin word ‘humilitas’, which derives from ‘humilis’ and relates to ‘humus’. ‘Humilis’ means ‘grounded’ and ‘humus’ refers to ‘ground’ or ‘earth’. From researcher Brené Brown, we learn that “Humility is openness to new learning combined with a balanced and accurate assessment of our contributions, including our strengths, imperfections, and opportunities for growth”. Humility doesn’t equate to being modest or meek; instead, it is about “understanding our contributions in context, in relation to both the contributions of others and our own place in the universe”.

Grounded confidence isn’t a state we achieve, but a continued practice we engage in. On the mat, we cultivate this by fostering curiosity, strengthening our sense of agency – thereby willingly facing and embracing movement challenges rather than avoiding them – and by exercising our response-ability in moments of failure or success.
Nuanced and stable, grounded confidence is both personal and relational. Feeling well-rooted, trusting in our own abilities, and being trustworthy to others evokes an unmatched experience of inner ease and equanimity. The Essential Self emerges, enabling us to engage with other people authentically.

Being well, feeling well, and healing well in body, mind, and heart are hallmarks for radiant vitality, which is a dynamic process occurring in the present, with a history and a future trajectory. 

With fascia-focused movement we can strengthen radiant vitality by emphasizing the invigorating qualities of the fascial system and its relationships with the muscular system, autonomic nervous system, and immune system. The part of the practice that targets muscle collaboration harnesses the powerful contribution of muscles to energy production, organ and mental health, hormonal equilibrium, weight regulation, self-healing, and structural youthfulness. By keeping fascia holistically and mindfully in motion, we support the dynamic balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. Our energy is well-regulated. We are awake, attentive, motivated, productive, and helpful to others when times call for it, and with the same competence, we can simply be, relax, and appreciate the moment. This practice also creates optimal fluid conditions for immune responses to take place in the tissues, allowing the immune system to do what it does best: sustain health.

And there is more. Radiant vitality brings and keeps Eros alive in us. Eros represents not only sensuality and sexual energy but life force and creativity, along with the desire for connection, intimacy, and to form meaningful relationships.

As you can see, radiant vitality is both exuberant and quiet, personal and relational. The aliveness and equanimity we experience radiates inwards and outwards, keeping us in alignment with ourselves, while bringing us into resonance with other living beings.

Positivity resonance captures the beautiful exchange of positive emotions between individuals; it is where one person’s gratitude and joy seamlessly become communal. 

How can positivity resonance improve with a practice in which there is no direct social interaction? As so often, it begins with love and self-acceptance. Love and belonging are irreducible human needs. “We have to belong to ourselves as much as we need to belong to others,” says researcher Brené Brown. She continues; “Because we can feel belonging only if we have the courage to share our most authentic selves with people, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance”.

Self-acceptance is a trainable mental capacity for which Resource-Oriented Integrative Movement can serve as a powerful tool. Through practice, we learn to recognise and accept the body, embracing its current looks, feels, capabilities, and challenges. Furthermore, over time, our resource-oriented approach deliberately cultivates appreciation for what is, even the challenges. Practicing appreciation improves every dimension of life. It boosts our immune system, promotes sleep quality, and it can bring about frequent moments of joy and a more optimistic outlook on life, which enables us to engage with the world with embodied positivity.

When we accept and appreciate ourselves, we naturally connect with other people, and communication becomes unifying rather than a source of division. We trust more deeply, relationships flourish, and what psychologist Barbara Fredrickson calls “micro-moments of positivity resonance” come easily.