We tend to think in terms of binaries, but when we think of our movement in terms of up or down, side to side, front and back, how much potential movement are we leaving behind? How much of ourselves are we leaving behind? Pulling up in the front or straightening up in the back may produce shortening along the planes we aren’t thinking of lengthening. When we think of spiraling up, we include a built-in reminder to stay expansive and not narrow along any one plane.
There are no straight lines in the human form. Your bones are wrapped in bundles of intertwined, interconnected muscle. You are made up of spirals. Even your bones have curves.
Giving ourselves direction in binary terms often means thinking simply of the two things that we’re naming. We forget about the shades that exist in between. Sometimes we need a little up and a little down. When we include a spiral in our directions, we’re picking up both - or maybe all - of the directions.
Being more dimensional in how we think of ourselves and our movement allows for more balance, integration, and wholeness. We are supported by our natural, spiraled organization. It helps to connect our parts.
Moving from a place of more wholeness and integration provides support for smaller movements. Sometimes support looks like staying connected but staying out of the way. For example, you don’t have to turn your whole body in order to turn your head, but you also don’t have to hold the rest of yourself rigid to avoid turning your whole body. You can remain available to adjust and allow the shades of movement between turning and not turning.
Inviting your whole self to participate doesn’t mean every part doing the same thing. It simply means extending an invitation to what is there.
Alexandra & Kateri
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