Tag Archives: MaryBeth Smith

#reverb10 – Day 7 – Community

Posted on December 7, 2010 | 2 Comments

Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

The Houston FELDENKRAIS Training

Five years ago, when I began in earnest to develop my Feldenkrais practice, I wondered how there would ever be a “community” of us in Houston.  The Feldenkrais Method is a personal improvement practice (as one practices yoga, swimming, or the piano) with broad applications and “tentacles” in physical therapy and rehabilitation, exercise, sport, and physical well-being, as well as skill development or performance improvement for peak performers in the arts or athletics.  The Method has not yet captured wide public attention, despite a 50-year history of amazing results, so I wondered how to reach a “tipping point” of awareness and financial viability in a city of 4.5 million people. I was one of only three full-time Feldenkrais teachers in Houston,  and the newest graduate.  As I watched one dear colleague move out of state, and the other retire to the next phase of her life, I was the last full-timer standing, so to speak. The need to build community was even more pressing.  I figured, it looks like if I’m going to have colleagues here, I’m going to have to grow them myself. I began to  dream and plan to host a professional training program in Houston, leading to Feldenkrais teacher certification.

In May, 2010, my dream became a reality.  It was a long process: first to find a trusted and compatible training organization to handle the curriculum, instruction, and compliance with international training standards.  I also found a venue that would meet our needs, recruited students, and took care of local arrangements and “customer service” for the new venture.  We are currently finishing the first year of the program (40 training days a year for four years — that’s right, 160 days distributed over four years — it’s BIG), and I feel very proud to see the beginnings of a wonderful community of Feldenkrais enthusiasts and future colleagues.  We are united by common interest and love of the learning process, as well as by humor, food, social activities, and spending lots of time together.  The students are extraordinarily accomplished people, many with doctorates and masters degrees in a variety of fields. We have created a safe and harmonious environment that is also challenging, secure, and supportive — no small achievement. I have fallen in love with these wonderful people from Houston and beyond, and am so fortunate to be able to share in what will be a transformational process for each of them as they study the Feldenkrais Method.

In the past year, I’ve also had wonderful opportunities to participate in local and global communities which have formed with the assistance of social media.  This project, #reverb10, has put me in contact with other writers who are reflecting on the past year and planning — no, actively creating — the year to come.  It’s been exciting to meet people in Houston in real life whom I’ve met on Twitter at the Caroline Collective, TEDxHouston, the Social Media Breakfast, and numerous social events, TweetUps, and fundraisers. I feel great personal satisfaction to be able to put my ideals into action, support my new friends in their projects and endeavors, and nurture  these social relationships into mutually beneficial friendships and business connections.

In 2011, I want to continue to learn more about leveraging the strengths of social media to build and mobilize community. I am passionate about sharing this knowledge with other Feldenkrais teachers around the world, who have successful practices under their noses, if they will connect within their local contacts.  I am also passionate about self-expression,  women’s health, the Houston AIDS Walk, the #SLGT “Support Local, Grow Together” initiative, and the myriad projects through which my friends, clients, and colleagues are making a difference in their own ways.  I want to learn more about community and collaboration to build a better life, and a better world, for everyone.

learn more about #reverb10.

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#reverb10 – Day 6 – Make

Posted on December 6, 2010 | 6 Comments
Some whole quinoa grains.
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December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

The last thing I made was a dish to share at an informal dinner party on Saturday night.

I’m not a chef, but I’m a pretty good cook.  My confidence has grown over the past five years because I live with someone who loves to eat what I cook!  So it’s really fun for me to be at the point where I understand how ingredients go together, how to vary familiar recipes to create something new — and how to have things available in the pantry so that I can do it.  This is a BIG DEAL, because I spent about 15 years avoiding the kitchen whenever I could, and had convinced myself that I really didn’t like to cook.  Now, cooking is a great pleasure for me, when I have time to do it.

From time to time I have shared recipes on this blog, and so I’ll do it now, too.

This is “MaryBeth’s Impromptu No-Recipe Recipe for Quinoa and Garbanzo Salad.” You can tell I have read WAY too many cookbooks in my lifetime — and yes, cooking shows of all kinds are my guilty pleasure.  So Julia, Giada, Rachel, Laura, Paula, Alton: thank you.  And stand back!

Ingredients
shallot (or onion),
finely chopped Garlic, a few cloves, minced
1 Red pepper, finely chopped
Olive oil ( I use extra virgin)
quinoa (This would also be good with couscous, wheat berries, barley)
raisins (you could use any dried fruit – chop into small “raisin-sized” pieces) vegetable broth (could use chicken broth, or water

1 can of garbanzo beans
lemon juice and zest
seasoned rice vinegar
salt and pepper
Fresh cilantro, chopped (a good handful, about 1/4 cup)
Fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped (same amount as cilantro, more or less)

Those are the ingredients, and honestly I just looked at what I had in the pantry and picked up the fresh red pepper and herbs at the store.

Process
In the pan in which you will cook the quinoa, put a couple of swirls of olive oil in the bottom of the pan to coat generously. Saute the shallot, garlic, red pepper until they begin to soften. Add the quinoa and stir gently to coat with oil and incorporate a bit with the vegetables. The quinoa may begin to toast a little bit, that’s fine. Then, add the broth (2:1, Liquid:Grain). Throw in a generous handful of raisins, and cook according to the package directions. Should take about 15 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, rinse the beans well in a large colander, then transfer to a bowl. Give a good drizzle of olive oil over them, zest of one lemon, juice of the lemon, and a splash or two of vinegar. (The olive oil, lemon, and vinegar are a simple vinegrette dressing, so if you are more comfortable making that on the side, to taste, and then adding it to the beans, that’s fine. You could even use a bottled vinegrette that you like — but fresh is better!) A good pinch of salt or two, and fresh ground black pepper. Some crushed red pepper flakes, about 1/4 tsp to start. Add the chopped cilantro and fresh parsley. Stir gently to incorporate the ingredients, then taste to adjust seasonings and texture.)

Back to the quinoa — when all the liquid has been absorbed (about 15 minutes or so), take the pan completely off the heat and let it sit for about five minutes. Then, fluff the grain with a fork, and empty into a large serving bowl. Put the garbanzo mixture on top, and stir all ingredients together. I added a bit more lemon zest, cilantro, parsley, and a few more raisins as garnish, just before serving.

This is a great recipe, because it can be served at room temperature or cold. It is truly a no-recipe recipe.  Made with quinoa, it is gluten-free.  Made with vegetable broth or water, it is also vegan!  I have no idea how many this serves.  Probably 10-12 if served as a side dish.  Maybe 6 if it’s the main course.  People really snarfed it down — and it is a dish to savor, because it is complex, savory, sweet, with a little heat — delightful.  I was most pleased!

What else do I want to make, if I could clear the time for it? I would like to cook more, and I need to create a bit more organization in my life as far as shopping and menu planning — like, in advance and not on the fly —  for that to happen. I’ll be making more order in my environment soon, with my annual year-end weed-out and give-away, so I foresee more creativity in the kitchen on the near horizon!

I’m blogging daily at http://www.houstonfeldenkrais.com/somaquest-blog/ inspired by reverb10.

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One Word

Posted on December 1, 2010 | 4 Comments

reverb10

As part of my rituals for observing the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, I’m participating in an online creativity project called #reverb10.  Bloggers and other creatives will write, photograph, and otherwise create a body of expression around the theme of looking back at 2010 and manifesting “what’s next.”

I had a conversation about this very topic with my friend and colleague Ger Nevin.  Faced with several days of bachelorhood as his wife and daughters took a little “girls-getaway” trip, Ger was cleaning out drawers, closets, and his garage; evaluating what he wanted to hang onto, and what no longer reflected who he is about, now.  And he said, “I am still working with this whole idea that the world I see around me is a reflection of what is going on in my mind>’

That’s what #reverb10 is about.

So, without further ado, here is the prompt for the day, and my response.  Oh, wait, a bit of “ado.”  I’m going to be doing this every day until the end of the month — that is the plan.  So I hope you will join me, as a reader, and perhaps as a creator as well.

Prompt: One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

To sum up 2010 in one word — I choose “cultivation.” It was a year of bringing a big project into existence — a professional teacher training program in the work I do, called the Feldenkrais Method.  After two years of planning and recruiting, the rubber hit the road, and we began the program in May 2010, right on target.  We have continued to attract students to our program, and in one way, the existence of this training is a sort of “coming to fruition.”  But it’s not about the training itself, it’s about the people in the training.  As I learn more about how to be in service to others, how to respect each person’s individual process and way of learning, I see that the year has been one of cultivation, nurturing, maintaining — and a lot of hard work!  All worth it.

What one word would I like to sum up as I look back on 2011, this time next year?  That’s easy – “Abundance.” To look everywhere and be thankful for all the good that has arrived.  Abundance is not just about finances — it’s that joyful sense of “there is plenty” in every aspect of life:  So, yes, financial abundance from my Feldenkrais practice, and from known and unknown sources of supply. An abundance of eager students in our program.  Abundant fun, enjoyment, and wonder in the work itself.  Abundance of love and laughter in relationships, of happiness in work, of vibrant good health to enjoy, and in creative expression.  Looking for abundance to appear in the future makes me all the more conscious that it is everywhere, now.

Curious about #reverb10?  Find out more at reverb10.com

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On Originality

Posted on November 8, 2010 | 1 Comment

When I wonder what it’s like to be Misha Penton, the Founder and Artistic Director of Houston’s Divergence Vocal Theater,  I imagine her waking up each day, making a pot of tea, and thinking, “Let’s make something pretty!”

DVT has been “making something pretty” since their launch in November of 2008.  Their most recent performance, “Selkie, A Sea Tale,” plunged the audience — many of them, first time “swimmers” in the sometimes icy waters of classical music and operatic vocalism — into an other-worldly fantasy/reality journey to uncharted realms of imagination.  ”Selkie” marked a new artistic level for the company, and an achievement of Penton’s driving vision:  to create new work that is completely collaborative and entirely original.   A musical and artistic feast for the senses, there’s much more than just eye and ear candy here. DVT has created deep nourishment for a soul’s appetite for sheer beauty.

I’ve known  Misha Penton for over five years, and I’ve listened and watched as her vision has grown.  In previous DVT productions, Misha created dynamic musical and theatrical — experiences — were they concerts?  Events? Happenings? — by forming a team of artists and collaborators, and then creating a “mashup” of chosen classical works, dance, and multimedia as a mood journey around a selected theme.  Watching her has been a wonderful laboratory course in the creative process.  Here’s what I’ve learned:

  1. Be really, really good at what you do. Play up every advantage you have, and if you find there’s something you need to know, get busy learning all about it.
  2. Have a bunch of really cool friends, where mutual respect and enjoyment of time spent together are paramount.  Figure out ways to spend more time together, where everyone can have a chance to do what they also are really, really good at.
  3. Spend time daydreaming and start lots of sentences with ‘It would be so much fun to . . .”
  4. When an idea becomes clear, compelling, and reaching the point of obsession, map out a path to get there, and to make it happen.  Take at least a small step in that direction every day.
  5. Share your excitement.   Tell others what you are doing in a way that excites them, too.  Welcome their involvement, their resources, their strengths and skills.
  6. Express gratitude to your collaborators, your audience, and to the universe.  Say “Thank You,” and ask for more.  Repeat.

I consider myself to be a “creative,” and I spend a lot of time thinking about creativity, originality, and what Jungians would call “individuation” or self-actualization.  As a teacher of the Feldenkrais Method, part of my job is to facilitate the self-actualization process for others. My long-favorite notion, happily refreshed in light of Misha’s example, is that the best original thought – and action –  comes from pure self-expression.  Her core value — to create something of beauty — is the wellspring for the ideas.  Then, she follows through with actions that are consistent with her purpose.  If you do that, you’re going to find your own voice.  You will be original.

The collaborators are Misha’s dream team and secret weapon.  The work began with poetry she wrote after seeing a sea lion off the rugged coast of British Columbia.  This poetry became the libretto for the work, magnificently set to music by Elliot Cooper Cole.  Scored for piano and cello (beautifully played by Jeremy Wood and Olive Chen, respectively) and two voices (Penton and fellow soprano Natasha Manley), Cole created an expressive soundscape that used impressionistic and Straussian “flavors” along with his signature haunting modal milieu. Cole is a writer of melodies, and there is no shortage of them in this work.  At times the sound was so lush and full, I could hardly believe it was not played by a much larger ensemble. Dancer Meg Brooker provided elemental choreography for the ensemble, then flowed seamlessly into her own gravity-defying, swimmy/floaty presence. Actors Miranda Herbert and Melissa McEver provided ambient sprechstimme effects and the felt presence of witnesses to the tale.  They seemed like they belonged there, rather than an add-on (Actors! We need some actors!).  Sarah Mosher’s costumes, and Serrit Jensen’s fantastical headpieces provided movement, color, shape, and continual interest. The lighting by Megan Reilly was at first whimsical, then provided a heartbreaking ambiance for the inevitable conclusion of love lost — or at least, different than you thought it would be.  In concert with David Brown’s stunning minimalist set installation, consisting of three large metal frames, wrapped in layer upon layer of cling-wrap, the effect was inviting, engaging, and a thing of beauty.

Each element of the production integrated perfectly so that the whole was indeed greater than the sum of the parts.  I think that’s  what Wagner had in mind when he put forth his idealized concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or “total (whole) artwork.”  I, and the rest of the audience, saw, heard, felt, tasted, and sensed. “Selkie” was a 50-minute journey into a completely novel and original experience.  I wonder if OperaAmerica knew that’s what was in store from their featured OperaWeek spotlight company from Houston?

After the opening night performance, Misha said, “I feel like I have set up the base camp for my Everest.”  Divergence Vocal Theater is now poised to be a catalyst for the creation of original collaborative work in this new and emerging performance art category. Whatever pinnacle she has in mind, her sherpas and suppliers are tested and ready for the next expedition.  So put on another pot of tea, Misha.  I can’t wait to see what you create next.

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An Eye-Opener

Posted on August 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

As I think over the recent past, the biggest “eye-opener” was reading the book, “Cradle to Cradle” by William McDonough. The book was a delightful surprise.

I read this book after watching the author’s TED Talk.
You can watch it , too, if you click here.

I had recently started to visit TED.com regularly, and I challenged myself to watch something once a week from someone I had never heard of, and in a subject area I was not familiar with. I like to think of myself as someone who is a thinker, a “creative”, and open-minded in my search for information. It seemed that I should put my time and attention where my mouth was!

For some reason, I decided to take a chance on his talk. He is not flashy or particularly charismatic as a speaker. However, his quiet intensity and his vision for the world drew me in as if by a magnet.

I won’t try to explain or summarize his talk, because some of the tags or buzz-words might cause you to have a stereotypic view of him or his subject — either rejecting it out of hand, or assuming you already know all there is to know about the subject. I WILL say that, after seeing the TED talk, I leaped (yes, leaped!) out of my chair and said, to nobody in particular: “Why doesn’t EVERYBODY know about this?????” I began telling almost everyone I know about the video. Their eyes glazed over. Good thing I am sort of used to that. . .

My partner and I host a book salon in Houston, TX, and shortly after we found the TED Talk, we chose this book as the monthly selection. The book is made to be completely recycleable. That tidbit will make more sense after you watch the video.

Cradle to Cradle opened my eyes to the fact that even though HUGE problems may seem to be looming on the horizon — it is possible that most people are completely unaware of them. Even more importantly, I learned that there are people who have it covered. People who are creative, dedicated, brilliant, and who are working on solutions. We need to let them DO IT.

It also opened my eyes to an obvious realization: if the methods I already know about have not solved a particular problem — they probably won’t. I am increasingly open to the notion that a solution will be in a direction I have not explored. In other words, the solution is most likely something I don’t know about — YET. Unknown, new, never-been-tried-before — What better reason to keep learning?

The biggest outcome from this eye-opening has been the creation of an almost insatiable appetite for new ideas: Ideas that are positive, constructive, active, and solution-based. My best advice? If there is an event like TED in your community (Houston has The UP Experience and TEDxHouston, along with numerous other lecture series), give yourself a gift and go to it! Go to it ESPECIALLY if you think it is outside of your area of expertise. You will meet some wonderful people, you will be inspired, and you will take new and intelligent actions in your own life. Go get ‘em.

MaryBeth D. Smith is the Founder and Director of The Feldenkrais Center of Houston. She is a nationally-recognized expert in the area of natural performance improvement for performing artists and athletes. With over 20 years experience teaching in business, university, and community settings, she now uses the Feldenkrais Method to help people improve their self-image, function, and enjoyment in movement and in life.

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My Prophetic Dream

Posted on August 8, 2010 | 2 Comments

Biltmore House Classic View HDR

Shortly after I began to study the Feldenkrais Method in lessons and classes, I experienced a very interesting “side effect.” Along with the increased body awareness and improved capacities that began to develop, my unconscious “woke up.” I began to dream vividly every night, and to remember my dreams. This was unusual, as I rarely remembered dreams at that time. In fact, I thought it had been at least 10 years since I remembered a single dream. Here is one of the dreams that began an amazing journey!

“I was hosting a party, and the guests were arriving, milling about, and having a good time. I was dressed in a beautiful evening gown, so it was quite a party, with what seemed like celebrities and other luminaries in attendance. I also realized that I was greeting my guests in the entryway of my home — which was the Biltmore mansion!

In my dream, the entryway was spacious and airy. Behind me was the entrance to what seemed to be a vast library. Rich wood-paneled walls and leaded-glass windows adorned the entrance to the library, which was also paneled, richly appointed, with books on shelves from the floor to the very high ceiling, as far as the eye could see. It almost felt as vast as the stacks at the Library of Congress! As I continued to greet my guests, out of the corner of my eye, I looked over my left shoulder and saw what I thought were flames inside the library! I calmly excused myself, and moved swiftly into the library to see what was going on. Indeed, a fire was raging, quickly overtaking the entire room. I realized a person was standing next to me — a butler or something. He/she/it said, “everything is fine. There is nothing to worry about. Take your guests outside.”

I left the library, closing the door behind me. I ushered my guests out of the entryway and out onto the porch, a lush green lawn sprawling ahead of us. The party continued.”

Of course, this dream is full of symbology. It moved and puzzled me deeply. I soon joined a dream interpretation group, led by a Jungian analyst, in order to make sense of this new development. The dreams seemed important in some way, although I didn’t know why — and I wanted to find out.

The prophetic element was that my home in the dream — was bigger and more wonderful — rich, even — than I knew. (Your home is you — “where you live,” who you really are.) The “Biltmore:” — I was beginning to “build more” into my life. The library was all of my stored wisdom, history, culture — information received from outside sources. It was being destroyed. However, fire is also a symbol of cleansing and transformation. My thoughts and ideas, all my ways of doing things, were in for a huge reorganization! And yet, even in the face of this crisis, I knew that everything would be fine. My “guests” continued to have a great time at the party — in fact, I had the sense that things got even better as we got away from the library. And so, the dream put me on notice that I was on the verge of a lot of newness, and “the old” was no longer available — in fact, it was probably dangerous, even life-threatening, to go back into the burning library. I would begin to relate to people in new ways, outside of what I knew at the time.

It took almost a year, but the dream proved to be accurate. My life changed completely and dramatically in 2002. I chose to re-build my life and came to Houston to do it. The dream has remained precious to me, now almost 10 years later, in light of a quotation from Moshe Feldenkrais. He said that the Feldenkrais Method would help people to realize their “vowed and unavowed dreams.” I think about that almost every day, as I help others to “build more” in their lives.

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Obsessed with @CorpzFlowrLois

Posted on July 12, 2010 | 53 Comments
Amorphophallus titanum
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Yes, I am.

Houston’s techno-bio–geeko-twitterati — myself among them — has been glued to their computer screens even more than usual, held in thrall by Lois, the exotic and endangered tropical plant. Lois is a rare and large “Corpse Flower,” so named because of the stench of decomposing flesh that issues from the blossom. Lois is potted in the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences.  Her claim to fame is that there are so few of her species, and they bloom so seldom — only 28 times since 1939, reportedly– that Lois’s imminent flowering is an event.

What is so interesting about a big, stinky plant?  Lois is captivating.  Disturbing.  Every “Attack of the Pod People” and “Aliens” fantasy or joke you can think of, all rolled into one.  She is gradually turning a deep shade of bruise-tone purple, and the stink factor is apparently a big draw.  To add to the fun, Lois has her own Twitter account — the microblogging service that gives real-time updates on everything from terrorist attacks around the world to the status of your friend’s hangover.  Lois has a personality.  Apparently she is PMS-ing, and she’s got a dirty mouth.  She is also camera-shy and reluctant to go ahead and bloom with all eyes watching.  She has informed us that plants don’t really like to be talked to, thank you — and that they, or she, at least, really needs someone to bring her an espresso first thing in the morning.

The museum’s web cam has gotten so many hits that many people have been unable to load the images.  The museum stayed open until midnight last night to accommodate the curious who anticipated a late-Sunday-evening unfurling, and now they will stay open around the clock — that’s right, 24/7 — this is a museum, mind you — until Lois does her thing.

I’m several days into what has become known as “Funkwatch,” and my attention is bordering on the obsessive.  I still see clients and take care of business, but at every break I am checking the twitter feed and reading more about Lois and her kind.  This event is taking up ALL of my “spare attention:”  that is, any extra bandwidth that is not devoted to the bare minimum of daily survival. I’ll be heading back to the museum this evening for another look at Lois — after all, I’ve been talking to her all day!

Lois is providing a lot of humor, entertainment, and education in return for my attention.  That rapt attention, the ability to engage with something for a long period of time, the playfulness all create the conditions for learning, and for change and growth.  I’m not just talking about Lois putting on another four inches of height each day.  I’m talking about how learning, at its best, brings out the best in us.  Sometimes the growth process, or the blossoming, doesn’t happen on schedule, or in some other way you expected.  That can stink.  But it’s worth hanging in there.

IN a too-good-to-be-true twist, Houston’s own Miller Outdoor Theater, right down the street from HMNS, is now performing — wait for it — Little Shop of Horrors.  Gotta love how things work out.

Maybe I’ll see you at the HMNS tonight!  May we all blossom and grow, like Lois.

Follow @hmns and @CorpzFlowrLois on Twitter.

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Less Is More

Posted on June 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

It was Monday evening, Memorial Day Weekend, and I sat at my computer, face to face with my old demons.

I realized, bleary-eyed and making typos by the handful as I typed, that I could no longer think.  I had wasted my holiday weekend — working.

Oh, I slept late each morning.  I also went out to dinner, and watched some TV, and hung out with some friends.  I even played and went shopping.  But I also saw some clients, and worked on pressing projects.  And at the end of the weekend, the projects were still pressing.  In fact, I didn’t feel like I had accomplished much. And I was exhausted.

I’ve been a hard worker, and even a workaholic, my whole life.  I like to work.  I like to help people.  I like to be creative and work on projects that make a big contribution “downstream.”  I  LOVE the rush of energy when I am on a roll, and cranking out the ideas, the deliverables, crossing items off the list.  I easily forget the time I spend spinning my wheels, waiting for an idea, and overcoming my natural intertia. And so, work is a great pleasure for me. My demons were not whining, “You work so hard.  You work when nobody else is working.  Nobody appreciates you.”  No, the demons were far, far worse.  They said, “Everyone appreciates you.  You’re doing so much!  And so well.  You have chosen this.  Want some more?”

The irony was not lost on me, as last Tuesday evening I taught a workshop at Houston’s Jung Center entitled, “The Wisdom of Doing Less.”  OUCH!  I shared my recent experience with the group, and received smiles of recognition and acceptance.  I was indeed one of them — not an authority or expert, and so not someone who would judge them. We’re all just doing the best we can — sometimes, better than the best we can — and we all can benefit from a little moderation now and then.

Moshe Feldenkrais devised his ingenious and eponymous Method during a search for recovery from his own crippling knee injuries.  The story goes that the original injury happened during a simple, after-work, pick-up soccer game.  What made him strive, and risk, and behave foolishly — when it didn’t matter at all?  Thus began his exploration of biomechanics and anatomy, as well as his explorations of ego, anxiety, and the human condition.  The primary question raised might be:  how can you do the things you enjoy doing, at the level of accomplishment that you desire — and live to tell about it, none the worse for wear?

The Feldenkrais Method helps me to streamline my efforts:  to work smarter, not just harder.  I look for creative and simple solutions when previously my love of complexity would have gotten me feeling lost and depressed.  I move with less pain, more grace, and greater confidence — and often, I am able to take the metaphors from movement into other aspects of my life.

One thing that has helped me (when I remember it!) is to acknowledge and work with my own rhythm and pace.  I am much more effective, and do more creative, imaginative, and compassionate work, if I see four or five clients a day for four days — rather than four clients on five days.  That’s the reason that I (usually) don’t see people on Fridays!  I ideally pace my work load so that I am a “people person” four days of the week, have a day of solitary pursuits, and then rest  up to do it all again. I’m not perfect in my execution, but as I come closer to the ideal, my clients are the ones who benefit most.  Perhaps you can find a way to schedule your priority work tasks when you are at the top of your game.  Perhaps there are ways to evaluate the priorities overall.

When I’m in tune with my Feldenkrais practice,  I remember that my choices aren’t limited to “either” and “or.”  I don’t have to succumb to the fear that I’ll never catch up (whatever that means), or that I’ll become a huge slacker if I allow myself an extra breath.  I can make more dynamic choices.  Instead of frittering away my time and attention on things that don’t matter, I can let go of the small stuff, and spend my best efforts on the things that really matter.  I need continuing reminders about how to do this.  Luckily, teaching Awareness Through Movement classes each week helps to keep me in touch.  It’s in those moments of doing too much that I can become aware of it.  I can recalibrate my effort and energies so that intelligence, effectiveness, and pleasure in the doing are my major goals.  You can, too!

For a humorous solution for workaholics, visit the website for the International Institute for Not Doing Much, at www.SlowDownNow.org .

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Make the “Switch”

Posted on May 5, 2010 | 1 Comment

Switch is the title of a new book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, with the subtitle, “How to Change Things When Change is Hard.”    The book is full of real-life stories of how organizations, communities, and even social problems can CHANGE — and the approach they have in common. Since the Feldenkrais Method teaches, in part, how to create conditions so that positive change can occur in and for individuals, I was curious to see what the Heath brothers had to say about change on a personal level. Interestingly, three of their suggestions struck me as being particularly in alignment with the Method.

1.  Find the Bright Spots. When we want to change something, it’s usually because we have identified a problem. It’s a problem because there is a “trend line” that represents the overall state of affairs.  We focus on the trend line because it is strong, and — a trend. However, every trend line also has outliers.  Researchers  will usually remove the outliers, considering them to be statistical anomalies. However, the Heaths believe these outliers have something to teach us.  If you focus on the problem, it gets bigger and more complex.  To focus on a bright spot means to find what is working well, having a positive result, going the right direction.  hen you can feel confident that by emulating their success tactics, you can begin to get a handle on making a change.  The Feldenkrais Method helps to build awareness of your own “bright spots.”

2.  Shrink the change.  In the Feldenkrais Method, we often talk about finding “the smallest difference that will make a difference.”  Systems Theory is known, but not widely applied.  If you change one element within a system, everything else will change, too.  You don’t have to make a drastic change.  Just a small change sets in motion a process throughout the system.

3.  Tweak the environment.  create the conditions.  If you play the guitar but can’t find enough time to practice, do what Shawn Achor did.   He put his guitar into the case and into a closet whenever he finished playing.  He noticed that he rarely took the time to unpack the guitar.  He changed the environment.  When he left the guitar out of the case, and easily accessible in his living room, he found that he played his guitar almost every day for the next month!  He created the conditions so that he could do MORE of what he wanted to be doing.  You can, too.  For example a friend recently  re-arranged her workspace so that the paper is near the printer.   It seems obvious, and yet this simple “tweak” improved her efficiency and her comfort.  The Feldenkrais Method is full of  personal ergonomic improvements, as well as powerful neurological changes to improve the connection and communication between your brain and body.

The biggest “Switch” seems to be to choose to do more of “what works,” and less of what doesn’t.  The wisdom to know the difference is gained through awareness.

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The Next Big Trend

Posted on April 27, 2010 | 2 Comments
Rendering of human brain.
Image via Wikipedia

A new trand is emerging.  Not surprisingly, the Feldenkrais Method is on the leading edge:  by about 50 years!

According to a recent article in Psychiatric News, “Brain Training May Be Next Fitness Craze.”   Sounds great, right?  Read the article here, and then come back to join us.

It’s confusing.  Especially when you read other data, like the study that says “brain games” don’t work. Who is right?

Physical exercise, especially moderate aerobics, has been shown to have a high positive correlation with keeping your marbles.  So do activities that provide you with an experience of “flow:”  those absorbing, engaging moments and hours spent in discovery, action, novelty, and mastery.  Musicians with their instruments, stamp collectors and model makers, writers, athletes, gardeners  – this “flow state” can be experienced by anyone, from any walk of life. Feldenkrais classes and lessons create this experience of “flow,” or “being in the zone,” through gentle movement and attention.  And that is the secret ingredient.

Rather than looking for a remedy or a treatment as your first response, look first to what you enjoy, and what you do well.  There’s no sense in taking a sudoku puzzle like a pill, if you don’t enjoy it.  Even Moshe Feldenkrais said, “These movements are nothing.”  It’s not the WHAT, it’s the HOW.  It’s your own attention that creates the change and makes the improvement.  It’s your attention and consciousness that stimulates your brain’s own neuroplasticity, adaptability, and capacity to learn.  Attention is what indicates that you are here, now.  Isn’t that the primary criteria for mental competence?  It’s a good place to start, anyway.

So — play video games if you enjoy them.  Do puzzles, learn languages if they make you happy and open up your life.  By all means, exercise, move, enjoy your body and all that it can do. Be a life-long learner.  BUT:  Don’t do these things out of fear, or out for some misplaced faith in the latest expert or gadget.

I don’t have data to back this up  – however, my sense is that boredom is the first step on the slippery slope of mental decline.  I frequently see updates on my Facebook wall or Twitter feed from some  acquaintance  who says, “I am so bored,” or a variation on that.  There is a spoken or unspoken demand and expectation that someone else supply a solution, an activity, a rescue for the intractable and unacceptable  state of boredom.

The statement, “I’m bored” brings out the worst in me.  Ooooh!  It is a hot button, pet peeve — wow.  I become my most brittle and judgmental self.  ”Are you completely incapable of finding even one idea for how to entertain yourself?”  I want to scold.  ”Do you know how to read?  Do you know how to walk? Cook?  Clean your house? Go to a movie?  Is there anything you could do on your own to solve your problem in this moment without whining about it?”  Thankfully, I reserve that speech for private rants, take a deep breath, and further develop my theory:  Frequent feelings of boredom indicate a lack of engagement with whatever is happening in the present moment.  As far as I can tell, the present moment is all we have for sure.

The Feldenkrais Method teaches you how to pay attention. NOW.  It uses movement, touch, and a lot of humor to achieve this.  It reduces the noise and distraction that overwhelm and cause you to “tune out” and disconnect  in self-defense.  It teaches you to be curious, to explore, to enjoy, to invent.  It shows you that you are capable in ways that were not immediately obvious to you.   THAT is “brain training” that actually works.

^^^^^^^

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