Language and movement
In Feldenkrais we seek to clarify and integrate the use of the senses. Because each of us has different strengths, you might hear a teacher say:
sense how your left leg feels
listen to how your left leg feels
see how your left leg feels
note the sensation in the left leg
feel the left leg
notice how the left leg feels
observe the sensation in the left leg
Find out which ones resonate with you the most. Do you tune out on one and become engaged with another?
Because I care about language, I am always considering how different suggestions evoke different responses.
Pause for a moment and let each of these phrases sink into your mind. Imagine doing them. What is the difference?
put your leg forward
lift your leg forward
heave your leg forward
move your leg forward
push your leg forward
allow your leg to go forward
float your leg forward
bring your leg forward
let your leg go forward
shift your leg so that it goes forward
test how your leg can go forward
notice how your leg goes forward
hoist your leg forward
lever your leg forward
roll your leg forward
swing your leg forward
yield to the movement of your leg
You can imagine how each one of these activates a different sensorimotoric response, as well as an emotional one.
The point of all Awareness Through Movement is to involve yourself in the process, not to accomplish the movement. Your response to different kinds of phrasing can be rich with self-awareness and learning.
One of my teachers comments, "There is no way to evaluate whether a person is good or bad based on whether they have completed a thousand lessons successfully. Real accomplishment, real learning, comes when we are using our attention to explore our experience and not trying to put one over on ourselves.”
Let's face it, we can cheat a little here, lie to ourselves a little there, and go into denial in small, subtle ways every day. We're pros. But this kind of learning strips all that away.
There's a kind of liberation in it because the only thing that matters is the truth of your own experience. No judgment or wishing it were different. It's just you, relating to yourself with honesty.
What a relief.
“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.”