Embodying the Movement Practice of Stability and Change

I am sharing and commenting on this excerpt from one of my favorite daily books of contemplation and inspiration because it speaks to something that is very important to my own perspective about movement, not just yoga but all the movement of living life..

The quote begins:

I teach a flowing style of yoga in which one posture flows into the next. The transition between postures are postures in their own right. The breath and the meditation are unbroken. This is not true in all styles of yoga, nor is such a flow necessary in order for a form of yoga to be effective. The lesson remains, however, that it is our tendency to pay attention to the postures themselves, not to the spaces in between. So it is in life. We leave one relationship or job and set out sights on the next. We cross one item off the to-do list and dive into the next chore. The illusion is that the posture ends.

The reality is that the posture never ends, it just shifts from one form to the next, one lesson to the next, one opportunity to the next. We remain life's student whether we are inhaling or exhaling, in a relationship or out of one, saving the world or looking for a temp job. The posture never ends.

-Rolf Gates, "Meditations from the Mat"

I wholeheartedly agree!

As a species (or perhaps just as a culture) it seems we tend to pay attention to the static moments and the "tasks" of living, and ignore the spaces of movement, the periods of transition in between.

Because of this propensity, we miss out on so many opportunities to notice, observe and learn about our many habits and patterns. We focus on the destination or final product and overlook the options and choices we unconsciously ignored as we moved toward this (temporary) destination!

Because of this habit of focusing on product without recognizing the complexity and process that is involved in all movement, we miss out on the opportunities to explore the choices that are available to us, if we could but see them. We miss out on so many opportunities to expand our resiliency.

In Laban Movement Analysis we use the concept of the “phrase” to expand our focus from the single point in time. We recognize that every single movement and movement sequence can be described within the concept of a “phrase” which recognizes that all movement has a beginning From which we move Through (space, time, an emotion, a body system) that results in our arrival To another place or state (that can and will itself be part of the Through or To of other phrases!

Movement is always moving from-through-to! Every breath, every action, every thought, every relationship, every movement has these three “states” - and this applies to the practice of yoga as well.

This habit of focusing almost solely on the “To” part of the process (the product) is something I observe repeatedly in those clients who seek my support to deepen their yoga practice (as well as those who seek my support for other challenges!). Most clients come to our work together focused on some act of "doing" that they find challenging: they want to "fix" whatever is wrong and then hold on tight to the “right” way of “doing”. They are usually very surprised when I invite them to slow down, shift their focus and join me in exploring the experience of being with the process. Together, over time, we will move From and Through the more foundational developmental patterns that will, with practice, expand their capacity to discover ways to arrive To the place/posture/moment that they desire that is more fully enlivened and more easily created - in their yoga practice and in their life. A place/posture/moment that is, itself, a new place to move From!

This is my approach because I do not teach yoga. My approach as an RSME/T is one of somatic movement repatterning which can deepen ALL movement practices, such as body practices like yoga as well as the actions of simply moving through one’s life.

When a client comes to me to help them with a challenge, I use my extensive understanding of all aspects of What, Where, When, Why and How of movement, including the foundational developmental patterns of human movement, to help them expand their capacity to move (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) with more ease. I support them not to DO a specific thing, but to cultivate their ability to explore the possibilities of movement while they also learn to observe themselves. I support them to observe their experience and notice the choices available to them. I support them to be more consciously embodied as they move from, through and to these desired "postures"...of yoga, and of life.

As Rolf Gates says, the posture never ends and this is because yoga (like life) is made up of an ongoing complex series of movements! Being more able to Be present within this complexity opens up so many opportunities to Live Life More Fully!

for more information, check out my website: http://www.embodimentllc.com/individual-sessions

About the Size of It

It is me, lying on the floor, my body large enough to almost fill the space of the room I am. It is me, a mere dot of a concept on a planet rotating in its orbit in a universe of movement. I am so full, the breath so large it pushes against every edge of its confines. I am too big for this limited body. I am just one small person with so many ideas. I am almost non-existent as I walk through the woods, a mere human, so minuscule within all this Nature. My presence as Human is so large it invades and affects every inch of this planet Earth. This is about the size of it.

i think it is really important to scrub at our perceptions on a regular basis, give them a good shake up and dust off. Our point of view can so easily become stale, patterned, so much a part of the background of our being that we forget that it is there. We take things for granted - which can be very helpful because consider how overwhelming it would be to have to constantly have to consider every aspect of all the things we take for granted - yet it is also important to take some time to notice, to observe, to ponder the ways our perceptions have become patterned and to seek out ways that they can grow and change.

I think it is important to consciously choose perspective palate cleansers, like the lemon water between courses of a meal, intended to give us space on our tongue and in our experience to truly enjoy each dish for its own merit, The movement form of Express Yourself that I offer is designed to be that sort of thing, an opportunity give some space in your life so that you can access more enjoyment, more flavor of the every day.

The concept we will be exploring in the next Express Yourself is the perspective of size and how we take up space. The journal entry I shared above is one way I’ve explored this concept. I will share other ways to explore when we meet on Tuesday. During this event we will have the opportunity to be creative, to play with taking up space, to move ourselves, to share our stories with other equally curious folks in movement and words. And that, my friends, That’s About the Size of It. Look forward to moving with you soon.

Harmony and the Hoberman Sphere: Living Life More Fully with Space Harmony!

If you are interested in health, whether it is attaining it or keeping it, whether it is of the mental or physical type, and whether it applies to you as an individual or more widely organizational, I invite you to watch this video with a curious mind and then to read my response below.  I would LOVE for you to comment as well!

Here is the link to the video

What is interesting for me as a Certified Laban Movement Analyst (CMA) about what he says in this brief video about Systems Analysis is made so because I know that the Hoberman's Sphere is the result of the intersection of a Cube and an Octahedron.  This relationship of these geometric forms is important to me on several levels.

In Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) the Cube is the Platonic Solid that we use as our movement template for exploring CONSTANT CHANGE because the movement scales created from this geometric shape are always moving on a 3D Diagonal, which never includes a straight Vertical orientation. This is a challenge for humans, as we are very attached to our Vertical posture!

The Octahedron, on the other hand, is the movement template for exploring Stability because the movement scales created from this geometric form always assume the Vertical as one of the three orientations.

When we explore Space Harmony like we do in my Movement Fundamentals workshop that I call Moving Sacred Geometry we are inviting ourselves to move our bodies, A PHYSICAL STRUCTURE THAT CHANGES SHAPE AND FORM, in accessible ways that also gently nurture escapes from standardized modes of behavior.

Standardized modes of behavior are the movement patterns that we rarely consider or question until something goes awry.  These are also sometimes known as the basic activities of daily living.

When we EXPAND our awareness of our own movement capabilities through a practice like the scales offered in Laban's exploration of Space Harmony, we transform our perspective, expand our consciousness of what it means to be a fully alive human and deepen our resiliency and ability to respond to CHANGE!

This approach to life enrichment is one of the reasons why I resist when people try to call what I do dance because it simply is not just dance. Dance, in its many forms, is one aspect and one way of exploring the deep wisdom and complexity of what I have to offer as a CMA; however, LMA is an overall framework and approach to explore and expand one's abilities related to ALL movement, whether mental, emotional, spiritual, intuitive or physical, not only the act of dancing.

Space Harmon is specifically explored in the Movement Fundamentals workshop Moving Sacred Geometry; however, it is also present in some way as an inspirational and organizing principle in all of my offers, whether it is explicitly stated or not.  This is because living life more fully is not just a tag-line for me.  Supporting others to safely expand their awareness and ability to move themselves with more diversity in a wide-range of experiences IS what my work is all about.   Consciously actively exploring Laban's Space Harmony theory as a personal practice is one way I do this!

I do hope you will join me soon in some way for your own part of the exploration!