The Right Combination

Recently I had the opportunity to revisit an interview of Moshe Feldenkrais on the subject of actor training and the benefits for actors in the Feldenkrais Method. And it got me to thinking -- how people of wide varieties of interests can benefit from these insights directed at actors. With the supremacy of specialization, we are highly likely to become trapped in the echo chamber of ideas that are virtually identical to our own. When I find something useful from another field, it brings a breath of fresh air to my own. (A link to the interview appears at the end of this post.)

And so -- one aspect that Dr. Feldenkrais and the interviewers discussed was the idea of relaxation. You may be familiar with the notion from athletics, acting, or music that the performer must "stay loose" or relaxed. We all know that we probably need to stress less, and well-meaning advice comes from all quarters to "relax." Yet, we know less and less how to do that!

We also view relaxation and stress as a binary, all-or-nothing function. We picture the caffeine-crazed, hair-standing-on-end, wide-eyed, wound-up, in-pain version of ourselves. The only alternative we can imagine is the semi-conscious puddle of goo, the wet noodle, the about-to-fall-asleep self. Feldenkrais draws some useful distinctions.

As Feldenkrais observes in the interview, the state of total relaxation is not very useful -- unless you are trying to fall asleep! If you were "totally relaxed," you wouldn't have enough get-up-and-go to accomplish anything. The Feldenkrais Method helps people to discover something he called "eutony:" the capacity to sense, with comfortable precision, the appropriate amount of muscular effort needed to accomplish a desired action. The undesirable choice between "Burn Out" or "Rust Out" is expanded into a much more practical and diverse spectrum of virtually limitless options.

Eutony, then, is something you recognize when you experience it. It actually feels -- GOOD. You might need some practice to find new choices for yourself, other than StressGirl or NoodleBoy. That's what our classes and lessons in the Feldenkrais Method are for. You'll find your own right combination of action, attention, and ease that makes all aspects of your life more enjoyable and sustainable.

Read the article, "Image, Movement and Actor: Restoration of Potentiality," a discussion of the Feldenkrais Method and Acting, Self-Expression and the Theater here.

Attention SURPLUS Disorder

Image via Wikipedia

Sounds funny, doesn't it? With all the emphasis on Attention DEFICIT Disorder, the idea of an attention surplus catches us off guard, makes us laugh, perhaps even elicits an "I wish!" response.

I think your experience of a deficit in attention is the response to so many demands on your attention. After all, how many blogs, emails, social media sites, children, tasks, friends, conversations, causes, projects, and events can someone REALLY pay attention to? Too many payments of attention can result in not enough attention to go around -- a deficit.

Another way of describing attention is with the infinitive form, "to attend." When you attend school, or an event, or a meeting, you show up. Attention is the state of having mentally shown up. We can look further at the word, and find "tend," as in, to tend a garden, or to tend bar. To tend in this way implies cultivation over a sustained period of time, and taking action toward what is needed. Things you have tended to, with your attention, have a tendency to grow.

Perhaps those who are labeled with attention deficit disorder are actually attempting to tend to too much, rather than too little. So many bright shiny objects and ideas out there are truly fascinating. The choices, the possibilities, the expectations, the load seems enormous. The rapt concentration of total absorption in an interesting project is derailed by another demand.

There are several possible solutions to this dilemma. Typical strategies involve elaborate devices or techniques to block out the "distractions." This approach pre-supposes that you are clear about what you want to be paying attention to in the first place. That's probably another topic. Other strategies employ the philosophy that you have to "stretch" your brain by loading as much into it as possible. Increase the capacity so you can get more in. In my experience, this is a short road. Trying to cram more through the "bottleneck" of neurological processing (as discussed in The Overflowing Brain by Torkel Klingberg) just leads to more frustration and overwhelm. Multi-tasking is no solution. (Take a short and impressive test here.) Yet, you can find several million Google entries from people and organizations who want to help you to improve your multi-tasking ability! (Computer processors should multi-task, not people.) If attention is the new currency of modern society, then your attention will have more and more demands placed upon it.

The ability to pay attention is the foundation of your ability to learn, to adapt, to relate, and to survive. If you want to get control of 1) the input stream, and 2) your response to it, then the Feldenkrais Method is your "refresher course." The Method uses simple, gentle, novel movements to engage your attention, then directs that attention in specific ways. Over time, you develop the ability to turn down the volume on all of the "outer noise," and discover your own guidance system. Along with lowered stress levels and improved attention, people also report improvements in their posture, balance, breathing, coordination, and comfort.

As your ability to pay attention improves, you'll notice improvements is many other aspects of your life. Best of all, attention will start to pay YOU.