Movements Afoot’s Blog

Abstract Thoughts? The Body Takes Them Literally New York Times

Lesley Powell

Dancers, athletes, and many movers have always known about the importance of the mind on the body.  How you think, concentrate and your awareness can make huge difference in your body.

Eric Franklin in his workshops does a great exercise about how the mind affects the body. Circle your shoulders.  Now think how much you hate doing this exercise.  See how it changed the movement.  Now imagine your shoulder blades are soap and you are lathering your ribs with soap suds.  How did this change this.

Learning to focus your mind is a skill.  It is great to have teachers who can guide you to think differently.  When I take Amy Matthew’s BodyMind Centering  & Yoga Class, she directs me to think differently about my body in a yoga pose.  What I love about learning how to focus, is also a stress reducer.  Especially with running a business, it is great to take the mind away from this for a moment.