Body-Mind Centering: Exploring transitional fluid in whole-body movement
1. Standing or in any position, quietly be in stillness. Allow the fluids to flow into the cells, filling and supporting them (extracellular to cellular). Stillness is cellular awareness: a sense of timeless comfort, presence, rest, home base.
2. Release the spontaneously through the transitional fluid when you are ready. Flow (cellular to extracellular) into movement. Did your state of consciousness change?
3. Continue moving
4. Pause and suspend the movement. Bring attention to the cell membrane. Notice areas of the body where you are holding in the cell membrane. What does it feel like to soften the membrane, allowing flow in and out? Notice where you are lax in your membranes. What does it feel like to tonify your membrane? To feel their support? Be aware of their choices making, what to let in, what to let out.
5. Explore this dialogue: spontaneous release of the transitional fluids into the movement (toward gravity or space) and flowing into stillness (self) through awakened fluids and aware membranes.
6. Notice your constitutional preference for fluidity (fluids) or the form (membrane). Explore both.
Exploration and Reflection
Fluids are pouring into cells: organs and cells start to feel heavy. I can sense the mass of my body weight into the structure of my bones.
Fluids are pouring out of cells: The sensation of feeling of fluids moving outwards and the weight starts to shift outwards from the skin.
Stillness: I can sense the shifting of my weight in my feet and my upper torso. The fluids in my body shift and gradually come to a neutral, central position.
Release the transitional fluids: I become more mindful of my body and my environment that I am present in. There is a softening and releasing of the tension of my tissues and my muscles.
Release into space and stillness: I travel and move gently, swaying to the sensations of where the fluids in my body in taking me. My mind listens to where my body wants to go and follows. When I come into stillness, my mind is integrated with my body as it returns to stability and centeredness. My body prefers to movement where it is influenced by the fluids pouring into the cells. It has a release quality that can be strong, gentle, sharp and fluid.
Explore collapse and yielding
1. Lying on the floor, explore the sensation of collapse. Let go of your membrane so you feel flow in only one direction, toward gravity.
2. Explore yielding, feeling release into gravity with rebound.
3. Change spontaneously move in space, yielding toward heaven
4. Flow into stillness.
5. Change again, release and move into space. Keep the moment of change spontaneous, faster in whatever direction.
6. Flow again into stillness. Never lose connection to the earth or to yourself, be comfortable as you explore.
7. Alternate between spontaneous transition into movement: yielding toward earth (gravity), yielding toward heave (space) and flowing into stillness (self), feel the relationship and rebound.
8. While moving, transitioning, or being still, notice the fleeting moment of surrender that precedes change-of consciousness, movement, or presence. Enjoy the surprise of transition, the possibilities of change.
9. Now forget it all and release your spirit into the dance.
Exploration and Reflection
Lying on the floor: Sense the weight of the body sinking into the floor. Body is free of tension and there is some tension is the neck, and legs.
Yielding with rebound: Release of tension during yielding and holding of weight in the body during rebound.
Move sponteousnesly: Body feels light and engage with the mind. My body executed fluid movement with the limbs and the hands.
Flow into stillness: Body becomes centered with the mind. My weight shifts and I find balance in stillness.
Move into space: Body moves faster in different directions. Movements occur from the inside of the body to the outside.
Flow into stillness: Body becomes centered with the mind. My weight shifts and I find balance in stillness.
Spontaneous transition: There is a change in the movement quality and emotion brought together with moving the body.
Yielding towards earth: Body is contracts and becomes heavy as the weight sinks downwards into the earth.
Yielding towards heaven: I feel happier, lighter and the movements are bigger and expand outwards.
Flowing into stillness: I become more integrated and my weight shifts more easily to centre and balance myself in whatever position.
I enjoy yielding towards the heaven stationery and travelling into the space with moments of stillness. The action of rebound allows the dancer to explore other elements of yielding to the earth and it can affect the level, speed, direction and dynamics of the movement exploration.
Reference:
Cohen, B (2009) Dancing through the transitional fluid. Contact Quarterly 34 (2) 15-16. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=ca1648a1-32bc-4985-8ed6-4c340e5c0b05%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4101. [Accessed 10 March 2015].
1. Standing or in any position, quietly be in stillness. Allow the fluids to flow into the cells, filling and supporting them (extracellular to cellular). Stillness is cellular awareness: a sense of timeless comfort, presence, rest, home base.
2. Release the spontaneously through the transitional fluid when you are ready. Flow (cellular to extracellular) into movement. Did your state of consciousness change?
3. Continue moving
4. Pause and suspend the movement. Bring attention to the cell membrane. Notice areas of the body where you are holding in the cell membrane. What does it feel like to soften the membrane, allowing flow in and out? Notice where you are lax in your membranes. What does it feel like to tonify your membrane? To feel their support? Be aware of their choices making, what to let in, what to let out.
5. Explore this dialogue: spontaneous release of the transitional fluids into the movement (toward gravity or space) and flowing into stillness (self) through awakened fluids and aware membranes.
6. Notice your constitutional preference for fluidity (fluids) or the form (membrane). Explore both.
Exploration and Reflection
Fluids are pouring into cells: organs and cells start to feel heavy. I can sense the mass of my body weight into the structure of my bones.
Fluids are pouring out of cells: The sensation of feeling of fluids moving outwards and the weight starts to shift outwards from the skin.
Stillness: I can sense the shifting of my weight in my feet and my upper torso. The fluids in my body shift and gradually come to a neutral, central position.
Release the transitional fluids: I become more mindful of my body and my environment that I am present in. There is a softening and releasing of the tension of my tissues and my muscles.
Release into space and stillness: I travel and move gently, swaying to the sensations of where the fluids in my body in taking me. My mind listens to where my body wants to go and follows. When I come into stillness, my mind is integrated with my body as it returns to stability and centeredness. My body prefers to movement where it is influenced by the fluids pouring into the cells. It has a release quality that can be strong, gentle, sharp and fluid.
Explore collapse and yielding
1. Lying on the floor, explore the sensation of collapse. Let go of your membrane so you feel flow in only one direction, toward gravity.
2. Explore yielding, feeling release into gravity with rebound.
3. Change spontaneously move in space, yielding toward heaven
4. Flow into stillness.
5. Change again, release and move into space. Keep the moment of change spontaneous, faster in whatever direction.
6. Flow again into stillness. Never lose connection to the earth or to yourself, be comfortable as you explore.
7. Alternate between spontaneous transition into movement: yielding toward earth (gravity), yielding toward heave (space) and flowing into stillness (self), feel the relationship and rebound.
8. While moving, transitioning, or being still, notice the fleeting moment of surrender that precedes change-of consciousness, movement, or presence. Enjoy the surprise of transition, the possibilities of change.
9. Now forget it all and release your spirit into the dance.
Exploration and Reflection
Lying on the floor: Sense the weight of the body sinking into the floor. Body is free of tension and there is some tension is the neck, and legs.
Yielding with rebound: Release of tension during yielding and holding of weight in the body during rebound.
Move sponteousnesly: Body feels light and engage with the mind. My body executed fluid movement with the limbs and the hands.
Flow into stillness: Body becomes centered with the mind. My weight shifts and I find balance in stillness.
Move into space: Body moves faster in different directions. Movements occur from the inside of the body to the outside.
Flow into stillness: Body becomes centered with the mind. My weight shifts and I find balance in stillness.
Spontaneous transition: There is a change in the movement quality and emotion brought together with moving the body.
Yielding towards earth: Body is contracts and becomes heavy as the weight sinks downwards into the earth.
Yielding towards heaven: I feel happier, lighter and the movements are bigger and expand outwards.
Flowing into stillness: I become more integrated and my weight shifts more easily to centre and balance myself in whatever position.
I enjoy yielding towards the heaven stationery and travelling into the space with moments of stillness. The action of rebound allows the dancer to explore other elements of yielding to the earth and it can affect the level, speed, direction and dynamics of the movement exploration.
Reference:
Cohen, B (2009) Dancing through the transitional fluid. Contact Quarterly 34 (2) 15-16. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=ca1648a1-32bc-4985-8ed6-4c340e5c0b05%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4101. [Accessed 10 March 2015].