The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No, no they can’t take that away from me
George and Ira Gershwin
Moshe Feldenkrais once said that you could recognize someone from 100 kilometers away (with the right binoculars :-)) simply by the way they walk. Certainly there are aspects to our movement based on size and bone density. But almost everything else about our movement is learned and eventually, a distinctive habit.
A recent NY Times article describes the research of a team of Dutch and Italian researchers who have found that the way you move your phone to your ear while answering a call is as distinct as a fingerprint. You take it up at a speed and angle that’s almost impossible for others to replicate. They are developing a way to recognize your unique body language as your password into your devices, for example, the way you shift in your chair, could replace passwords on your computer.
When you experience a Feldenkrais lesson, whether it’s one on one or in a group Awareness Through Movement lesson, you are learning not how to be “correct”, or how to make the proper moves. You are learning in your own style, at your own pace, how to be your unique self….in spades. No one tells you how you should move, feel or think. At the end of a session, you may feel taller, more grounded, lighter, freer, more stable, or any number of delightful experiences. But no one will take away your individual movement password.