I got in the car and reached for the key in the ignition. Except there was no key. This car, which I’ve had over three years, has a keyless remote. You simply push the bright blue button on the dash and voila! you are engaged.
But my hand had decided to enact an older pattern, probably because I was thinking of something else and the nervous system defaulted to a decades long habit of turning a key.
Research has shown that once a habit is learned, there is no cognitive action required to repeat it. That’s why you can ride a bicycle (even if you haven’t for 20 years) while talking on your phone, not that I recommend it.
And that’s great until your body does something that contradicts your intention. (I’m sure you’ve never poured your coffee grinds right into your cup instead of the pot, or opened the refrigerator to microwave your potato). While these moments of “waking up” can be comical, other habits that we carry are less benign.
It might be a clenching jaw that began back in college during finals, or the protruding neck that’s the result of computing compounded with stress. These habits can also get in the way of realizing our goals, as if some inner gremlin is in charge of how we respond to the world, a neurological puppet master jerking us through life.
Awareness Through Movement® lessons offer an opportunity to attend to these hidden reactions. By becoming aware of our habits, we can learn to cut the strings and become “a real boy or girl” without crash landing.
Want to cut some strings and enjoy landing? Here’s my Holiday gift to you – a track from my program, Fall Softly and Recover Quickly – Surrendering Your Body Parts. Enjoy!
The Boss of Myself
