get familiar

We move succinctly through another hour session,
With ease,
Filled by an array of exercises,
Directly addressing current need,
And yet as always,
Being opportunistic in the approach.

Isaac,
So versed on taking direction now,
So attuned to his practitioner,
The flow is seamless,
And productivity high.

From the moment he arrives,
Everything he does is to become familiar,
With his body,
Connect to more of himself,
Discover what it’s capable of doing,
And how to respond to any given orientation,
Or recognise what’s required of the body,
In order to perform any given task.

Sweeping from side to side,
Shows how one side can lengthen,
While the other shortens,
As well as how to lead from the top of the body.

By sitting to lie,
Isaac can get the idea his arms can remain free at a diagonal.

Alternating knee to opposite hand,
Using a bolster to prevent tightening of his tummy.
While the left leg has a very clear trajectory,
The right does not,
And tends to pull the left leg up with it,
As this leg is less familiar with this action,
And therefore requires more awakening.

Time over the bolsters allows Isaac to transition from all fours into sitting on his knees,
Without pulling the head back,
Or throwing his knees out from under him,
But rather see him push weight through his arms,
Freeing the shoulder girdle and chest.

And even the seemingly simplest of things,
Like interlocking fingers,
With palm to palm contact,
Elbows touching,
Needs to specifically be explored,
As it is not familiar,
But with practise the pathways to recognition can be formed,
And immediately the sensation is evidently thrilling to Isaac,
Who as always is so delighted to be able to find more of himself.

As every little thing pays off,
Every connection,
Every orientation,
Every sensation,
Leads him to more,
And by the sessions end,
He’s pulling himself into cross legged sitting,
With no more than the suggestion of back support behind him.

And I feel as though we have danced our way,
Gracefully,
Through another important milestone,
Without even knowing the specific goal,
Because it all matters.

And the gesture of many movements,
As a learning tool to get familiar,
Becomes more evident than ever.

Thank Feldenkrais!