Stillness Within Movement

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In my email inbox I just found the following workshop title and description for an upcoming Feldenkrais training event for practitioners in Taos, NM. It so eloquently elaborated on principles I introduced to a new session of ATM class this morning that I wanted to pass it along. Enjoy! From Prisca Winslow, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner and Assistant Trainer:

Stillness Within Movement

~How Inhibition Contributes to Freedom~

When we are truly listening, there is not only an inhibition of speaking, there is an inhibition of thinking about and preparing a response. The word “listen” in its classic sense, is “to attend closely for the purpose of hearing; to wait attentively for a sound”. Awareness Through Movement provides an exquisite opportunity to listen quietly to one’s movement without preparing a response. Over time the process serves to develop our skill of being able to listen well to others.

If, however, our invaluable “understanding” of movement gained from years of study and exploration over-directs, we may slip into preparing a response, correcting ourselves and our students before listening to what is. We are improving movement a bit, but are we kindly getting to know ourselves better? There are so many methods available to improve movement. The brilliance of ATM is we become aware of our compulsions and learn to continuously refine our ability for more choice in all of living: moving, thinking, feeling and relating. The more experience we have inhibiting unnecessary effort in thought and muscular action, the more fluid, comfortable and spontaneous we become.

Come experience lessons that demand your attention in such a way that analytical thinking is more easily quieted, and the mystery of self-organization and self-correction arise.

“Without learning to know ourselves as intimately as we possibly can, we limit our choices. Life is not very sweet without freedom of choice.”

Moshe Feldenkrais, The Elusive Obvious