Starting Small

In each of my classes students start by lying down on their backs in shavasana where I guide the group through a gentle meditation that helps bring the senses back inside the frame of the body. Once the room has settled in, and the general pace of the room has slowed, we begin practice with very small movements that require very little effort.

The goal of these first few movements is to narrow the frame of our attention, and consolidate our awareness in order to lure the mind into the sensations of the body. It is by reducing the stimulus of our movement - the size, shape, and complexity of it - that we create the necessary environment for the nervous system to stabilize and recognize where unnecessary tension is being held and where unnecessary effort is being exerted. This allows us to become more sensitive to the quality of our movement.

Moshe Feldenkrais, one of the great inspirations of my practice, noted that differentiation (i.e. discriminating among similar yet distinct motor actions) is easiest to achieve when the action being taken is smallest. Meaning, the smaller the movement, the simpler it is to control, refine, and reorganize for greater comfort and ease. When the movement is too large, too intense, and too quick it overwhelms the nervous system, and hinders our ability to determine the most effective means to take action. The result ends up being strain, tension and wasted effort that stems from using force or “willpower.” As Feldenkrais notes: “force that is not converted into movement does not simply disappear, it dissipates into the joints and muscles as damage.” 

In contrast, subtle and small movements create the appropriate conditions for the brain (i.e. Central Nervous System) to engage with the rest of the body (i.e. Peripheral Nervous System) while the action is occurring. This makes sensory differentiation possible and allows us to choose how we move. It is this very discernment that is the foundation of mindful movement, which is the heart and soul of this practice.