Class and Insights: Day Two

We were asked to read a talk by Sara Lee Gibb called Our Mortal Body--A Sacred Gift, so we could discuss it in further detail once we got to class.

This talk really rang true for me. I highly recommend this talk for any and every person.

We talked a lot about how the body is a vehicle for the spirit, and how it's so important to nourish the body so that our spirit has a well-fed place to reside. What we do with our bodies affects our spirits more than one would think. One of the things that I really thought was fascinating in this talk was when she mentioned the story about when Christ cast the evil spirits out from the bodies of mortals, how they asked to go into the bodies of swine. Even those evil spirits realize the incredible privilege of having a body—so much so, that they were willing to be even in the body of swine, just for the sake of having a body.

Then Sister Wadsworth introduced us to the Alexander technique. We learned some of the vocabulary, and then we did some tactile work with a partner. We were focusing on the head, neck, and back. We did this exercise where our partner would place their thumb and middle finger on our mastoid processes (right behind the ear....you can Google it if you want specifics), and just held it for a minute to help us gain a stronger awareness of where we were in the space. Then they moved our heads from side to side, then all around. From there, they walked us around, guiding us by those processes. It was an incredible, floating feeling, and it made walking such a pleasant experience. Then they did a forward and up sort of motion, by helping our necks feel elongated, and moving their hands along our neck, shoulders, and trapezius areas to help us release some tension.

I thought it felt incredible. After we finished, we sat down and discussed what we experienced, and it turns out it was actually really uncomfortable for some people. This has to do with where each individual holds their tension, and what bad habits they've carried with them. I have the benefit of having taken this Somatics course just last semester, so I've learned how to enjoy correct movement, regardless of my tension or bad habits.

By the end of the class, I was breathing much easier, and I felt much more open--both physically and mentally. Breathing is one of the things I struggle with the most...both due to bad habits, and also because of physical and emotional struggles. Because of this, I will likely refer to my breathing patterns throughout this process.

Edit: I know the Title says Day Two....and I don't have a Day One. That's just because on day one we mostly just went over the syllabus.