Gravity & Movement

GRAVITY & MOVEMENT SENSES EXERCISES
 Basic Body Imaging How you establish the idea of an axis to the body in your mind will depend on the nature of your own imagination and your other knowledge. If you have a vivid understanding of the wheel for instance, you may use this as an image analogy. Seeing your axis like the axis in the hump of a wheel or as an axle. Study of the skeleton is also invaluable. And establishing an internal picture of your own skeleton.

Start off any imaging session with relaxation and a general sensory focus. Sense what is there now in your body. Accept things as they are (technical term: Proprioception).

Allow your weight to hang from your spinal column. And then through the dead centre of this experience of your mass, allow a centre line to form (in you own way) and rise up through the torso and head. Finish this centre line way above your head. The line could be imagined as made of light, string, steel rod, or as an abstract - anything that feels light.

Once you have achieved this imaginative feat immobile - take it into slow movement. Gradually incorporate the imaging session into your everyday life.

Finding your centre line is of fundamental importance to all movement and posture including breathing. For further images see Activity section.
 * Note Example of movement with Image. With the centre line image established in a standing position - swing the arms around the axis. Turning from the waist. So the hips do not move. Swing back and for in an easy manner. The slower the movements can be done in image work the more useful information you are likely to be able to pick up; Another useful movement is a plie (knees bend). Let the sacrum drop just a few inches. Then slide up the long centre line.

 Tendon and Muscle Stretch Receptors S-T-R-E-T-C-H your body in all directions. Make all stretches very gentle. Do not force limbs into painful positions. Use only the weight of the body itself relaxing muscles as much as is possible.

 Balances A good balance means that the bones must be aligned so that 'weight is transferred down through the centres of your joints, relying as little as possible on the support of ligaments and muscles.

a) Find ten positions in which you can balance for one whole minute on one leg. Five on the right, five on the left. Ten minutes total. Continue forten days with rest. How is your wobble?

b) Stand. Move up onto tip toe. Keep balanced, lower slowly through stand to crouch and on (if possible) to sitting on your haunches. Then up again. Arms may be held in different positions each time. Out to front, to side etc. This is a difficult exercise and to do ten up and down without toppling may take you months of daily practice. Perservere.

c) Fix a beam close to the floor. A piece of timber 4"x 4" and about 10' long lying on the floor and fixed to a wall at one end will be sufficient. Walk along it forwards without looking. Walk backwards. Balance on one leg. Become confident on this 'line'. Advanced skills might be turns, hops and skips.

 Centre of Gravity With a light stretch to the whole body find the place that your body balances over this supportive 'pivot'. Then begin to move arms and legs and notice how the centre of gravity changes position depending on the shape you are making. Try and pin point this place in your body and notice how it shifts in relation to changes in body form. Don't worry about it - just play around with it in an aware frame of mind. You will gradually internalise an awareness of centre of gravity.

At first large movements are OK. Then as you get the hang of it reduce the size and speed of movements until movements are very slow and small. The most important information will be found on this microscopic level of perception.

 Experiencing Gravity We experience gravity in two ways, through the receptor in the inner ear, and by the weight it gives our limbs and body.

a) Falling Most of us are so used to having our heads upright all the time it can be disorientating to feel gravity in a different direction. Stand relaxed on a carpeted floor. Close eyes. Bend knees and slowly lower yourself as low as possible (onto your haunches if possible), When you can do this confidently. without falling over, repeat process with head tilted forwards or to the side (keep eyes closed). As you begin to go down you will probably fall- roll softly - give into the floor. Keeping eyes closed roll around, gently, deliberately, disorientating the head in different directions. Before opening your eyes get up to standing. Take care that there are no hard objects to fall onto. Repeat for ten days, with rest.

b) Rolling Lay on a warm floor in any comfortable way. Become aware of the weight of each part of your body as it presses against the floor. Imagine that your weight is gathered in the part of your body nearest the floor. Whilst the upper part of your body is light and airy. If you want a more exotic image think of your body as hollow containing an amount of mercury that evenly covers the lower surfaces of your body shell like a silver lake. Then, very, very gradually, begin to roll onto your side. Imagine the sensation of weight changing to the new area of floor contact. The upper surfaces are light and porous. Continue to roll, very slowly, from side to front to side to back; keeping relaxed with the sensation of flowing weight.

 Labyrinthine Receptors These sense acceleration and change of direction of the head or whole body.

a) Spin slowly and evenly around. Gently get faster then slower again. Repeat this exercise daily for up to five minutes. Do not allow yourself to become dizzy. At first you may only turn very slowly. That's fine. The aim is to experience spinning, acceleration and small changes of direction, not whirling. (Whirling is an ecstatic mode you may get into later)

b) Standing or sitting upright - allow the head to fall forward, and hang loosely. Feel its weight Then, very slowly and carefully, without pulling it up, roll it around to the side. Rest again and feel its weight Then to back and on to the other side, finally completing a full circle. This is a neck stretch, but become more aware mainly of the movement and position of your head. Daily.

c) With head hanging forward, swing the torso from side to side, using the weight of the head as a sort of pendulum, allow this weight to spin you off into a turn. Using the free swinging weight of the head as a momentum engage in a short movement improvisation. Concentrating your attention on the acceleration and change of direction experienced in faster movement.

 Learning New Movements

a) The first thing to realise is that learning a new movement sequence is a mental process.If the idea of the movement is well formed in the mind then the actual practice will follow relatively easily.

b) However, to create the movement in the mind or transfer it from the visual sense (having seen a demonstration) is an advanced skill. The sequence must normally be marked out several times. This means that you go through the movements slowly, or piece by piece, and become familiar with the vocabulary of flexures, turns and changes involved.

c) Whilst 'marking out', go over it in your mind. It is best to be able to 'do' the sequence in detail in your mind if you are going to remember it. When you have marked it out several times go over the whole thing in your mind.

d) This is only possible if you are fluent with the movement vocabulary used. If elements of the sequence are new, you may have to spend hours or more, learning them. However, a sequence may nearly always be simplified so it may be expressed within the vocabulary of everyday movements.

Details to be added later & gradually as experience accumulates.