Modern science has identified a “God” portion of the brain. This purportedly offers us our near death experience of the white light, angels, celestial music and other things we associate with the afterlife and mystical experience. So how does the body participate in the experience of something higher, greater, or spiritual? Recent studies confirm ancient beliefs that movement, postures and attitudes must have some influence on the state of the brain and our inner experience. A recent TED talk even suggested that taking postures of courage “fake it till you make it”, actually influences our self image. Fifty years ago, Moshe Feldenkrais, founder of the Feldenkrais Method said the body and mind are one and the same. So is it possible that certain attitudes and postures can actually trigger a spiritual response in the brain?
Felicitas Goodman was an anthropologist who gathered postures from ancient societies and indigenous cultures to try to understand their meaning. Statues, carvings and even cave paintings provided a physiological door into altered states. In the book Ecstatic Postures, she said, “The exact forms of these postures have been part of human religious observances from times immemorial.” She conducted myriad experiments where participants took postures from these ancient sources and experienced a wide variety of mystical journeys, documented in the book, Ecstatic Postures, by her assistant Belinda Gore
When people do Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons, they often express that they experienced themselves in new and surprising ways, physical, mental and emotional. I am continually amazed at the connections I see between various Feldenkrais lessons and the vocabulary of sacred movement. That’s why I designed an entire workshop exploring the subject.
Here is a mini-version of a Feldenkrais lesson, excerpted from my book What Are You Afraid Of? that explores posture and prayer. Notice what occurs in your thoughts and emotions as you move.
Sit comfortably in a chair and slowly bring your palms together in front of your chest. Barely touch them and then separate them slowly a few times. Feel how sensitive your fingers become. Now bring them together so that everything has a solid contact. Begin raising your hands, still palm to palm, toward the ceiling and back down in front of your chest. Notice your breath. Where do your eyes go? Your head? Repeat this several times, taking in whatever information comes up. Then rest.
Once again bring your palms together. This time as you raise your hands and arms, raise your head and eyes. As your hands return, bring your head and eyes to neutral. Does this feel any different? Is this what you were doing before? What do you feel in your face? In your belly? Rest.
After resting, try the same thing, but this time, each time you raise your hands up, lower your head and eyes. Feel what happens to your back. Are there any images that come up for you? Rest again.
If you wish, you can repeat this, alternating the direction of your head. Allow yourself to exhale each time you raise your arms. Feel how this movement of the arms is connected to your back and chest. Any time you wish, take a moment to pause with your hands in front of your chest.
When you are about to go into a meeting, need to make that call, are afraid you will be inadequate, take a moment. Place your hands together and do a few of these movements, sensing your breath. You can do it full out, or use very tiny movements – it’s not the size of the movement, but the attention paid to the movement that counts.