From: Sharon Levin
[fmssha@ibi.co.za]
Sent: 21 November 2009 02:54 PM
To: 'Sharon Levin'
Subject: MIND-BODY CENTRING - THE
EXPLANATIONS NL/ JAN 2010
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An
Introduction to Body-Mind Centering®
|
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Body-Mind
Centering® (BMCtm) is an ongoing, experiential journey
into the alive and changing territory of the body. The explorer is the
mind—our thoughts, feelings, energy, soul, and spirit. Through this journey
we are led to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through the body
in movement. There is
something in nature that forms patterns. We, as part of nature, also form
patterns. The mind is like the wind and the body is like the sand; if you
want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the sand. Our body
moves as our mind moves. The qualities of any movement are a manifestation of
how mind is expressing through the body at that moment. Changes in movement
qualities indicate that the mind has shifted focus in the body. Conversely,
when we direct the mind or attention to different areas of the body and
initiate movement from those areas, we change the quality of our movement. So
we find that movement can be a way to observe the expressions of the mind
through the body, and it can also be a way to affect changes in the body-mind
relationship. In BMC,
"centering" is a process of balancing, not a place of arrival. This
balancing is based on dialogue, and the dialogue is based on experience. An
important aspect of our journey in Body-Mind Centering® is discovering
the relationship between the smallest level of activity within the body and
the largest movement of the body—aligning the inner cellular movement with
the external expression of movement through space. This involves identifying,
articulating, differentiating, and integrating the various tissues within the
body, discovering the qualities they contribute to one's movement, how they
have evolved in one's developmental process, and the role they play in the
expression of mind. The
finer this alignment, the more efficiently we can function to accomplish our
intentions. However, alignment itself is not a goal. It is a continual
dialogue between awareness and action—becoming aware of the relationships
that exist throughout our body/mind and acting from that awareness. This
alignment creates a state of knowing. There are many ways of working toward
this alignment such as through touch, through movement, visualization,
somatization*, voice, art, music, meditation, through verbal dialogue,
through open awareness, or by any other means.
After
many years of pursuing this path of inquiry with students, clients and
colleagues, I founded The School for Body-Mind Centering® in 1973
as a means to formalize and articulate the ongoing research, and as a vehicle
for the continued exchange of information and discovery. At the School,
techniques, applications, and principles are discovered and used in many
ways. Some people practice the techniques, and then out of their own
experience the principles emerge. Others focus on the principles, and as they
apply the principles in their lives, they develop the techniques. But the
techniques and principles themselves are not the material— it is more the
awareness and understanding of how and when to use them, or how
to invent one's own. The important thing is for each person to learn how it
is that they learn, to trust their own intuition, and to be open to the
unique styles of others. In BMC
we are the material, our bodies and minds the medium of our exploration. The
research is experiential as is the material. We are each the study, the
student, the teacher. Out of this research, we are developing an empirical
science—observing, contrasting, corroborating, and recording our experiences
of embodying all of the body systems and the stages of human development. For this
science to have emerged, it has been essential to have many people involved
in the exploration. Over the past twenty-five years, several thousand people
have participated in the study and development of BMC, some briefly and a few
for twenty-five years. The large number of people who have studied at the
School have given the work its breadth. The approximately forty people who
have consistently collaborated with me over the past ten to twenty years have
been essential in giving the work its depth. Their contribution to this body
of work cannot be overemphasized. Together we have filtered through our
differences toward a common experience which embraces all of our differences.
The BMC principles are drawn from this collective experience. The universal
has emerged out of the specific just as the specific has emerged out of the
universal. This is part of the nature of the work. As we go from cellular
experience to that of the body systems, to personal relationships, to family,
to society, and eventually to culture and world community, we are always
looking at how these principles travel along a continuum. In BMC
we use the maps of Western medicine and science -- anatomy, physiology,
kinesiology, etc.—but Body-Mind Centering® is
being influenced by the philosophies of the East as well. It is a study
coming out of this time of East and West merging, so we are working with the
concepts of dualities blending, rather than sets of opposites conflicting. We
are constantly looking at relationships and are always recognizing how
opposite qualities modulate each other. Though
we use the Western anatomical terminology and mapping, we are adding meaning
to these terms through our experience. When we are talking about blood or
lymph or any physical substances, we are not only talking about substances
but about states of consciousness and processes inherent within them. We are
relating our experiences to these maps, but the maps are not the experience. The
study of BMC includes both the cognitive and experiential learning of the
body systems -- skeleton, ligaments, muscles, fascia, fat, skin, organs,
endocrine glands, nerves, fluids; breathing and vocalization; the senses and
the dynamics of perception; developmental movement (both human infant
development and the evolutionary progression through the animal kingdom); and
psychophysical integration. As a set
of principles and as an approach to movement, touch and learning, BMC is
currently being applied by people involved in many areas of interest, such as
dance and movement arts, bodywork, physical, occupational, movement, dance
and speech therapies, psychotherapy, medicine, child development, education,
voice, music and visual arts, meditation, yoga, athletics, martial arts, and
other body-mind disciplines. While
the basic material of Body-Mind Centering® was
well established by 1982, the principles continue to be elaborated on and
refined, and changes made as new viewpoints arise. As in
any journey, what we perceive is influenced by what we have already
experienced and therefore anticipate. Consequently, the BMC concepts are
outgrowths of the personal histories, education, and experiences of the large
number of individuals who have engaged in this exploration. As we analyze our
experiences, the challenge is to not be confined by what we have already learned
but to continually allow our discoveries to pass into our unconscious and to
approach each moment with trust and innocence. The
following are brief descriptions of tissue territories we have thus far
mapped in twenty-five years of study at The School for Body-Mind Centering® THE BODY
SYSTEMS Our
Cellular Foundation: Each cell in our body has living intelligence. It is capable
of knowing itself, initiating action, and communicating with all other cells.
The individual cell and the community of cells (tissue, organ, body) exist as
separate entities and as one whole at the same moment. Cellular embodiment is
a state in which all cells have equal opportunity for expression,
receptivity, and cooperation.. Attuning
ourselves to our cellular consciousness brings us to a state in which we can
find the ground from which flows the intricate manifestations of our
physical, psychological and spiritual being. When we
embody or perceive from any cell as a unique individual, the feeling or
mind-quality is the same for all cells. There is a one-mindedness. However,
when we perceive from any cell within the context of its community of cells
or specific tissue, the feeling or state of mind is unique to each tissue.
Underlying this oneness or uniqueness are general feelings on continuums
between cellular anxiety and at-easement, rest and activity, inner and outer
focus, and receptivity and expressiveness. Skeletal
System: This system provides us with our basic supporting structure.
It is composed of the bones and the joints. The bones lever us through space
and support our weight in relationship to gravity and the shape of our
movements through space. The spaces within the joints give us the possibility
of movement and provide the axes around which the movement occurs. The
skeletal system gives our body the basic form through which we can locomote
through space, sculpt and create the energy forms in space that we call
movement, and act on the environment, in relationship with the other forms
around us. Through
embodying the skeletal system, the mind becomes structurally organized,
providing the supporting ground for our thoughts, the leverage for our ideas,
and the fulcrums or spaces between our ideas for the articulation and
understanding of their relationships. Ligamentous
System: The ligaments set the boundaries of movement between the
bones by holding the bones together, they guide muscular responses by
directing the path of movement between the bones, and they suspend the organs
within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This
system provides specificity, clarity, and efficiency for the alignment and
movement of the bones and organs. It is through the mind of the ligaments
that we perceive and articulate clarity of focus and concentration to detail. Muscular
System: The muscles establish a tensile three-dimensional grid for
the balanced support and movement of the skeletal structure by providing the
elastic forces that move the bones through space. They provide the dynamic
contents of the outer envelope of flesh encompassing the skeletal structure.
Through this system we embody our vitality, express our power, and engage in
the dialogue of resistance and resolution. Organs
System: The organs carry on the functions of our internal
survival—breathing, nourishment and elimination. They are the contents within
the skeletal-flesh container. Organs
provide us with our sense of volume, full-bodiedness, and organic
authenticity. They are the primary habitats or natural environments of our
emotions, aspirations, and the memories of our inner reactions to our
personal histories. Endocrine
System: The endocrine glands are the major chemical governing system
of the body and are closely aligned to the nervous system. Their secretions
pass directly into the blood stream and their balance or imbalance influences
all of the cells in the body. This is
the system of internal stillness, surges or explosions of chaos/balance and
the crystallization of energy into archetypal experiences. The endocrine
glands underlie intuition and the perceiving and understanding of the
Universal Mind. Nervous
System: The nervous system is the recording system of the body. It
records our perceptions and experiences and stores them. It can then recall
the pattern of an experience and modify it by integrating it with patterns of
other previous experiences. The nervous system is the last to know, but, once
knowing, it becomes a major control center of psychophysical processes. It
can initiate the learning of new experience through intuition, creativity and
play. The nervous system underlies alertness, thought, and precision of
coordination and establishes the perceptual base from which we view and
interact with our internal and external worlds. Fluid
System: The fluids are the transportation system of the body. The
major fluids are cellular and interstitial fluids, blood, lymph, synovial
fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. Fluids are the system of liquidity of
movement and mind. They underlie presence and transformation, and mediate the
dynamics of the flow between rest and activity. Fascial
System: Fascial connective tissue establishes a soft container for
all the other structures of the body. It both divides and integrates all
other tissues and provides them with semi-viscous lubricating surfaces, so
that they have independence of movement within established boundaries of the
body as a whole. It is
through the fascia that the movement of our organs provides internal support
for the movement of our skeleton through space, and the movement of our
skeleton expresses in the outer world the inner movement of our organs.
Through the fascial system we connect our inner feeling with our outer
expression. Fat: Fat is
potential energy stored in the body. It provides heat insulation for the body
and electrical insulation for the nerves. Its synthesis, breakdown, storage,
and mobilization are greatly controlled by the endocrine system. Static
fat is stored as repressed or unacknowledged potential power and creates a
sense of heaviness and lethargy. Fat that is mobilized expresses strong primordial
power and a sense of graceful fluidity. Fat that is embraced offers nurturing
comfort. Skin: Skin is
our outermost layer, covering our body in its entirety and defining us as
individuals by separating us from that which is not us. Through
our skin, we touch and are touched by the outer world. The outer boundary is
our first line of defense and bonding. It sets our general tone of openness
and closedness to being in the world -- through our skin we are both invaded
and protected, and we receive and make contact with others. All
Systems: While each system makes its own separate contribution to the
movement of body-mind, they are all interdependent, together providing a
complete framework of support and expression. Certain systems are perceived
as having natural affinities with others. However, those affinities vary
among individuals, among groups, and among cultures. We discover their voices
by consciously and unconsciously exploring them in different combinations. DEVELOPMENTAL
MOVEMENT Underlying
the forms of our expression through the body systems is the process of our
movement development, both ontogenetic (human infant development) and
phylogenetic (the evolutionary progression through the animal kingdom). Development
is not a linear process but occurs in overlapping waves with each stage
containing elements of all the others. Because each previous stage underlies
and supports each successive stage, any skipping, interrupting, or failing to
complete a stage of development can lead to alignment / movement problems,
imbalances withing the body systems, and problems in perception, sequencing,
organization, memory, and creativity. The
developmental material includes primitive reflexes, righting reactions,
equilibrium responses, and the Basic Neurological Patterns. These are the
automatic movement responses that underlie our volitional movement. The
reflexes, righting reactions, and equilibrium responses are the fundamental
elements, or the alphabet, of our movement. They combine to build the Basic
Neurological Patterns, which are based upon prevertebrate and vertebrate
movement patterns. The first of the four prevertebrate patterns is cellular
breathing (the expanding/contracting process in breathing and movement in
each and every cell of the body) which correlates to the movement of the
one-celled animals. Cellular breathing underlies all other patterns of
movement and postural tone. Naval
radiation (the relating and movement of all parts of the body via the
navel), mouthing (movement of the body initiated by the mouth), and prespinal
movement (soft sequential movements of the spine initiated via the
interface between the spinal cord and the digestive tract) are the other
three prevertebrate patterns. The
twelve vertebrate patterns are based upon: spinal movement (head to
tail movement), which correlates to the movement of fish; homologous
movement (symmetrical movement of two upper and/or two lower limbs
simultaneously), which correlates to the movement of amphibians; homolateral
movement (asymmetrical movement of one upper limb and the lower limb on
the same side), which correlates to the movement of reptiles; and contralateral
movement (diagonal movement of one upper limb with the opposite lower
limb), which correlates to the movement of mammals. Development
of the Basic Neurological patterns establishes our basic movement patterns
and corresponding perceptual relationships -- including spatial orientation
and body image, and the basic elements of learning and communication. In spinal
movements, for example, we develop rolling, establish the horizontal plane,
differentiate the front of our bodies from the back of our bodies, and gain
the ability to attend. In homologous
movements we develop symmetrical movements such as push-ups and jumping with
both feet, establish the sagittal plane, differentiate the upper part of our
bodies from the lower part of our bodies, and gain the ability to act. In homolateral
movements we develop asymmetrical movements such as crawling on our bellies
and hopping on one leg, establish the vertical plane, differentiate the right
side of our bodies from the left, and gain the ability to intend. In contralateral
movements we develop diagonal movements such as creeping on our hands and forelegs,
walking, running, and leaping; establish three-dimensional movement;
differentiate the diagonal quadrants of our bodies; and gain the ability to
integrate our attention, intention, and actions. The
developmental movement-perceptual progression establishes a process-oriented
framework for the dialogue of the body systems, Aligning
inner cellular awareness and movement with outer awareness and movement
through space within the context of the developmental process can facilitate
the evolution of our consciousness and alleviate the body-mind problems at
their root level. As we are more able to experience our consciousness at the
cellular and the tissue level, we are better able to understand ourselves. As
we increase our knowledge of ourselves, we increase in understanding and
compassion for others. As we experience the uniqueness of our cells within
the context of tissue harmony, we learn about individuality within the
context of community. As we gain awareness of our diverse tissues and the
nature of their expression in the outer world, we expand our understanding of
other cultures within the context of the Earth as a whole and the awareness
of our planet within the expanded consciousness of the Universe. THE
DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTION It is
through our senses that we receive information for our internal environment
(ourselves) and the external environment (others and the world). How we
filter, modify, distort, accept, reject, and use that information is part of
the act of perceiving. When we
choose to absorb information, we bond to that aspect of our
environment. When we block out information, we defend against that
aspect. Learning is the process by which we vary our responses to
information based on the context of each situation. In order
to perceive clearly, our attention, concentration, motivation or desire must
actively focus us on what it is we are to perceive. This aspect of perceiving
we have named "active (or presensory motor) focusing". It patterns
our interpretation of sensory information, and without this active focusing
our perception remains poorly organized. Touch
and movement are the first of the senses to develop. They establish the
baseline for future perception through taste, smell, hearing, and vision. The
mouth is the first extremity to grasp, release, measure, reach, and withdraw.
It sets the foundation for the movement of the other extremities (hands,
feet, and tail) and develops in close association with the nose. Movement of
the head initiated from the mouth and nose underlie movement of the head
initiated from the ears and eyes. Auditory tone, body postural tone,
vibration, and movement are registered in the inner ear and are intimately
related. Vision is dependent upon all the previous senses and, in turn, helps
to integrate them into more complex patterns. BREATHING
AND VOCALIZATION Our
ability to embody the structural and physiological processes underlying
breathing and vocal production gives us another important way to establish
our relationship to ourselves and to our environment. Breathing
is automatic. It is influenced by internal physiological and psychological
states and by external environmental factors. The way we breathe also
influences our behavior and physical functioning. Breathing
is internal movement. It underlies movement of the body through external
space. Movement, in turn, alters our breathing. Breathing
is organized in patterns. These patterns are influenced by emotional stimuli.
They also evoke emotional responses. Our first breath, at birth, influences
the pattern of our adult breathing. Breathing
can be consciously known. As the breathing process is sensed and felt,
unconscious blocks can be released. It is
through the expressive qualities of our voice that we communicate to the
outer world who we are. Our voice reflects the functioning of all of our body
systems and the process of our developmental integration. Bringing
kinesthetic and auditory consciousness to our vocal structures opens pathways
of expression between our unconscious and our conscious mind and between
ourselves and others. THE ART
OF TOUCH AND REPATTERNING When we
touch someone, they touch us equally. The subtle interplay between body and
mind can be experienced clearly though touching others. The art of touch and
repatterning is an exploration of communication through touch -- the
transmission and acceptance of the flow of energy within ourselves and
between ourselves and others. In
hands-on work, through touching in different rhythms, through placement of
attention within specific layers of the body, through following existing
lines of force and suggesting new ones, and through changes in the pressure
and quality of our touch, we come into harmony with the different tissues and
their associated qualities of mind. We begin with cellular presence (cellular
breathing) and focus on the resonation and dialogue between client and
practitioner. Each tissue of the client is explored from the corresponding
tissue of the practitioner, i.e., bone from bone, organ from organ, fluid
from fluid, etc. The initiation of intent, based upon what each person is
perceiving, may be shared consciously and/or unconsciously by both people. Acceptance
and curiosity guide the inquiry. Through mutual resonance between client and
practitioner, attention is given to discovering the primary tissues through
which the clients express themselves and those tissues which are usually in
shadow, so that the supporting tissues can be given voice and the
articulating ones be allowed to recuperate. This shifting of energy
expression allows for more choices and expanded consciousness of body-mind
for both the client/student and the practitioner/teacher. APPLICATIONS Body-Mind
Centering® stands independently as an encompassing and creative
educational and therapeutic approach. Deeply grounded in the relationship
between movement, touch, the body and the mind, it can also be applied to
almost any area of human experience. The following descriptions are some
examples of how this work is being applied. Dance
and movement: dance technique; a full, body-systems warm-up; improving
alignment, flexibility, strength and integration; injury prevention and
retraining; creating themes for improvisation; expanding choreographic
possibilities; increasing movement vocabulary; providing a language for
analyzing dance styles historically, contemporarily and cross-culturally. Bodywork
and massage: communicating subtly through touch by differentiating
different layers of tissue; multi-body-systems approach for evaluation and
treatment; creating a bridge between table work and active movement
repatterning, giving clients a way to integrate changes through their
movement in daily life. Physical,
occupational, dance and movement therapy: evaluating and treating
through touch, movement and perception, based on a comprehensive body-systems
approach; a subtle and encompassing approach to developmental movement; ways
of perceiving underlying components of problems, such as fluid quality
imbalances in neurological problems, developmental movement aspects of a knee
problem, and organ imbalance influencing an inability to relate to others;
and approaching psychophysical processes through movement, touch, breath and
voice. Psychotherapy:
accessing the mind by working with the body through movement, touch, breath,
voice and perception; the psychophysical processes underlying emotional and
cognitive problems; tracing pre-verbal experience through movement and touch;
grounding the past and future in one's present awareness and movement. Child
development and education: identifying from early infancy,
movement and perceptual problems that influence learning, and physical,
mental and emotional development; facilitating normal development in a
uniquely individualized way for each child; establishing rapport through
movement, touch and voice; evaluating through a body-systems and
developmental approach. Yoga: finding
the organ, endocrine and developmental basis of the asanas; supporting the
asanas through the balance of the nervous and fluid systems; deepening
awareness and perception; embodying breath and voice. Meditation: the
physical arts of sitting and breathing; coming into the present in the
body-mind; being aware and letting go of being aware. Athletics:
performance enhancement through improved alignment and increased flexibility,
strength and coordination; development of more efficiency by integrating
movement and perception; injury prevention and retraining. Voice:
identifying restrictions and freeing the natural voice; increasing breathing
and range of pitch, intensity and color of the voice; using the whole body to
support breathing and vocalization; analyzing styles historically,
contemporarily and cross-culturally. Music:
improving performance through alignment, flexibility, strength and
integration; a movement-quality base for creating themes for improvisation
and interpretation; injury prevention and retraining. Visual
arts: a body-based and developmental approach to freeing direct
expression through one's art; a language for evaluating styles. |
|
Home | About BMC | Programs | General Schedule | Contact |
|
An Introduction to Body-Mind Centering® |
|
Body-Mind Centering® (BMCtm) is an ongoing, experiential
journey into the alive and changing territory of the body. The explorer is
the mind—our thoughts, feelings, energy, soul, and spirit. Through this
journey we are led to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through
the body in movement. There is something in nature that forms patterns. We, as part
of nature, also form patterns. The mind is like the wind and the body is like
the sand; if you want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the
sand. Our body moves as our mind moves. The qualities of any
movement are a manifestation of how mind is expressing through the body at
that moment. Changes in movement qualities indicate that the mind has shifted
focus in the body. Conversely, when we direct the mind or attention to
different areas of the body and initiate movement from those areas, we change
the quality of our movement. So we find that movement can be a way to observe
the expressions of the mind through the body, and it can also be a way to
affect changes in the body-mind relationship. In BMC, "centering" is a process of balancing, not a
place of arrival. This balancing is based on dialogue, and the dialogue is
based on experience. An important aspect of our journey in Body-Mind Centering® is
discovering the relationship between the smallest level of activity within
the body and the largest movement of the body—aligning the inner cellular
movement with the external expression of movement through space. This involves
identifying, articulating, differentiating, and integrating the various
tissues within the body, discovering the qualities they contribute to one's
movement, how they have evolved in one's developmental process, and the role
they play in the expression of mind. The finer this alignment, the more efficiently we can function
to accomplish our intentions. However, alignment itself is not a goal. It is
a continual dialogue between awareness and action—becoming aware of the
relationships that exist throughout our body/mind and acting from that
awareness. This alignment creates a state of knowing. There are many ways of
working toward this alignment such as through touch, through movement,
visualization, somatization*, voice, art, music, meditation, through verbal
dialogue, through open awareness, or by any other means.
After many years of pursuing this path of inquiry with
students, clients and colleagues, I founded The School for Body-Mind
Centering® in 1973 as a means to formalize and articulate the ongoing
research, and as a vehicle for the continued exchange of information and
discovery. At the School, techniques, applications, and principles are
discovered and used in many ways. Some people practice the techniques, and
then out of their own experience the principles emerge. Others focus on the
principles, and as they apply the principles in their lives, they develop the
techniques. But the techniques and principles themselves are not the
material— it is more the awareness and understanding of how and when to use
them, or how to invent one's own. The important thing is for each person to
learn how it is that they learn, to trust their own intuition, and to be open
to the unique styles of others. In BMC we are the material, our bodies and minds the medium of
our exploration. The research is experiential as is the material. We are each
the study, the student, the teacher. Out of this research, we are developing
an empirical science—observing, contrasting, corroborating, and recording our
experiences of embodying all of the body systems and the stages of human
development. For this science to have emerged, it has been essential to
have many people involved in the exploration. Over the past twenty-five
years, several thousand people have participated in the study and development
of BMC, some briefly and a few for twenty-five years. The large number of
people who have studied at the School have given the work its breadth. The
approximately forty people who have consistently collaborated with me over
the past ten to twenty years have been essential in giving the work its
depth. Their contribution to this body of work cannot be overemphasized.
Together we have filtered through our differences toward a common experience
which embraces all of our differences. The BMC principles are drawn from this
collective experience. The universal has emerged out of the specific just as
the specific has emerged out of the universal. This is part of the nature of
the work. As we go from cellular experience to that of the body systems, to
personal relationships, to family, to society, and eventually to culture and
world community, we are always looking at how these principles travel along a
continuum. In BMC we use the maps of Western medicine and science --
anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, etc.—but Body-Mind Centering® is being
influenced by the philosophies of the East as well. It is a study coming out
of this time of East and West merging, so we are working with the concepts of
dualities blending, rather than sets of opposites conflicting. We are constantly
looking at relationships and are always recognizing how opposite qualities
modulate each other. Though we use the Western anatomical terminology and mapping,
we are adding meaning to these terms through our experience. When we are
talking about blood or lymph or any physical substances, we are not only
talking about substances but about states of consciousness and processes
inherent within them. We are relating our experiences to these maps, but the
maps are not the experience. The study of BMC includes both the cognitive and experiential
learning of the body systems -- skeleton, ligaments, muscles, fascia, fat,
skin, organs, endocrine glands, nerves, fluids; breathing and vocalization;
the senses and the dynamics of perception; developmental movement (both human
infant development and the evolutionary progression through the animal
kingdom); and psychophysical integration. As a set of principles and as an approach to movement, touch
and learning, BMC is currently being applied by people involved in many areas
of interest, such as dance and movement arts, bodywork, physical,
occupational, movement, dance and speech therapies, psychotherapy, medicine,
child development, education, voice, music and visual arts, meditation, yoga,
athletics, martial arts, and other body-mind disciplines. While the basic material of Body-Mind Centering® was well
established by 1982, the principles continue to be elaborated on and refined,
and changes made as new viewpoints arise. As in any journey, what we perceive is influenced by what we
have already experienced and therefore anticipate. Consequently, the BMC
concepts are outgrowths of the personal histories, education, and experiences
of the large number of individuals who have engaged in this exploration. As
we analyze our experiences, the challenge is to not be confined by what we
have already learned but to continually allow our discoveries to pass into
our unconscious and to approach each moment with trust and innocence. The following are brief descriptions of tissue territories we
have thus far mapped in twenty-five years of study at The School for
Body-Mind Centering® THE BODY SYSTEMS Our Cellular Foundation: Each cell in our body has living
intelligence. It is capable of knowing itself, initiating action, and
communicating with all other cells. The individual cell and the community of
cells (tissue, organ, body) exist as separate entities and as one whole at
the same moment. Cellular embodiment is a state in which all cells have equal
opportunity for expression, receptivity, and cooperation.. Attuning ourselves to our cellular consciousness brings us to
a state in which we can find the ground from which flows the intricate
manifestations of our physical, psychological and spiritual being. When we embody or perceive from any cell as a unique
individual, the feeling or mind-quality is the same for all cells. There is a
one-mindedness. However, when we perceive from any cell within the context of
its community of cells or specific tissue, the feeling or state of mind is
unique to each tissue. Underlying this oneness or uniqueness are general
feelings on continuums between cellular anxiety and at-easement, rest and
activity, inner and outer focus, and receptivity and expressiveness. Skeletal System: This system provides us with our basic
supporting structure. It is composed of the bones and the joints. The bones
lever us through space and support our weight in relationship to gravity and
the shape of our movements through space. The spaces within the joints give
us the possibility of movement and provide the axes around which the movement
occurs. The skeletal system gives our body the basic form through
which we can locomote through space, sculpt and create the energy forms in
space that we call movement, and act on the environment, in relationship with
the other forms around us. Through embodying the skeletal system, the mind becomes
structurally organized, providing the supporting ground for our thoughts, the
leverage for our ideas, and the fulcrums or spaces between our ideas for the
articulation and understanding of their relationships. Ligamentous System: The ligaments set the boundaries of
movement between the bones by holding the bones together, they guide muscular
responses by directing the path of movement between the bones, and they
suspend the organs within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This system provides specificity, clarity, and efficiency for
the alignment and movement of the bones and organs. It is through the mind of
the ligaments that we perceive and articulate clarity of focus and
concentration to detail. Muscular System: The muscles establish a tensile
three-dimensional grid for the balanced support and movement of the skeletal
structure by providing the elastic forces that move the bones through space. They
provide the dynamic contents of the outer envelope of flesh encompassing the
skeletal structure. Through this system we embody our vitality, express our
power, and engage in the dialogue of resistance and resolution. Organs System: The organs carry on the functions of our
internal survival—breathing, nourishment and elimination. They are the
contents within the skeletal-flesh container. Organs provide us with our sense of volume, full-bodiedness,
and organic authenticity. They are the primary habitats or natural
environments of our emotions, aspirations, and the memories of our inner
reactions to our personal histories. Endocrine System: The endocrine glands are the major chemical
governing system of the body and are closely aligned to the nervous system.
Their secretions pass directly into the blood stream and their balance or
imbalance influences all of the cells in the body. This is the system of internal stillness, surges or explosions
of chaos/balance and the crystallization of energy into archetypal
experiences. The endocrine glands underlie intuition and the perceiving and
understanding of the Universal Mind. Nervous System: The nervous system is the recording system of
the body. It records our perceptions and experiences and stores them. It can
then recall the pattern of an experience and modify it by integrating it with
patterns of other previous experiences. The nervous system is the last to
know, but, once knowing, it becomes a major control center of psychophysical
processes. It can initiate the learning of new experience through intuition,
creativity and play. The nervous system underlies alertness, thought, and
precision of coordination and establishes the perceptual base from which we
view and interact with our internal and external worlds. Fluid System: The fluids are the transportation system of the
body. The major fluids are cellular and interstitial fluids, blood, lymph,
synovial fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. Fluids are the system of liquidity
of movement and mind. They underlie presence and transformation, and mediate
the dynamics of the flow between rest and activity. Fascial System: Fascial connective tissue establishes a soft
container for all the other structures of the body. It both divides and
integrates all other tissues and provides them with semi-viscous lubricating
surfaces, so that they have independence of movement within established
boundaries of the body as a whole. It is through the fascia that the movement of our organs
provides internal support for the movement of our skeleton through space, and
the movement of our skeleton expresses in the outer world the inner movement
of our organs. Through the fascial system we connect our inner feeling with
our outer expression. Fat: Fat is potential energy stored in the body. It provides
heat insulation for the body and electrical insulation for the nerves. Its
synthesis, breakdown, storage, and mobilization are greatly controlled by the
endocrine system. Static fat is stored as repressed or unacknowledged potential
power and creates a sense of heaviness and lethargy. Fat that is mobilized
expresses strong primordial power and a sense of graceful fluidity. Fat that
is embraced offers nurturing comfort. Skin: Skin is our outermost layer, covering our body in its
entirety and defining us as individuals by separating us from that which is
not us. Through our skin, we touch and are touched by the outer world.
The outer boundary is our first line of defense and bonding. It sets our
general tone of openness and closedness to being in the world -- through our
skin we are both invaded and protected, and we receive and make contact with
others. All Systems: While each system makes its own separate
contribution to the movement of body-mind, they are all interdependent,
together providing a complete framework of support and expression. Certain
systems are perceived as having natural affinities with others. However,
those affinities vary among individuals, among groups, and among cultures. We
discover their voices by consciously and unconsciously exploring them in
different combinations. DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT Underlying the forms of our expression through the body
systems is the process of our movement development, both ontogenetic (human
infant development) and phylogenetic (the evolutionary progression through
the animal kingdom). Development is not a linear process but occurs in overlapping
waves with each stage containing elements of all the others. Because each
previous stage underlies and supports each successive stage, any skipping,
interrupting, or failing to complete a stage of development can lead to
alignment / movement problems, imbalances withing the body systems, and
problems in perception, sequencing, organization, memory, and creativity. The developmental material includes primitive reflexes,
righting reactions, equilibrium responses, and the Basic Neurological
Patterns. These are the automatic movement responses that underlie our
volitional movement. The reflexes, righting reactions, and equilibrium responses
are the fundamental elements, or the alphabet, of our movement. They combine
to build the Basic Neurological Patterns, which are based upon prevertebrate
and vertebrate movement patterns. The first of the four prevertebrate
patterns is cellular breathing (the expanding/contracting process in
breathing and movement in each and every cell of the body) which correlates
to the movement of the one-celled animals. Cellular breathing underlies all
other patterns of movement and postural tone. Naval radiation (the relating and movement of all parts of the
body via the navel), mouthing (movement of the body initiated by the mouth),
and prespinal movement (soft sequential movements of the spine initiated via
the interface between the spinal cord and the digestive tract) are the other
three prevertebrate patterns. The twelve vertebrate patterns are based upon: spinal movement
(head to tail movement), which correlates to the movement of fish; homologous
movement (symmetrical movement of two upper and/or two lower limbs
simultaneously), which correlates to the movement of amphibians; homolateral
movement (asymmetrical movement of one upper limb and the lower limb on the
same side), which correlates to the movement of reptiles; and contralateral
movement (diagonal movement of one upper limb with the opposite lower limb),
which correlates to the movement of mammals. Development of the Basic Neurological patterns establishes our
basic movement patterns and corresponding perceptual relationships --
including spatial orientation and body image, and the basic elements of
learning and communication. In spinal movements, for example, we develop
rolling, establish the horizontal plane, differentiate the front of our
bodies from the back of our bodies, and gain the ability to attend. In homologous movements we develop symmetrical movements such
as push-ups and jumping with both feet, establish the sagittal plane,
differentiate the upper part of our bodies from the lower part of our bodies,
and gain the ability to act. In homolateral movements we develop asymmetrical movements
such as crawling on our bellies and hopping on one leg, establish the
vertical plane, differentiate the right side of our bodies from the left, and
gain the ability to intend. In contralateral movements we develop diagonal movements such
as creeping on our hands and forelegs, walking, running, and leaping;
establish three-dimensional movement; differentiate the diagonal quadrants of
our bodies; and gain the ability to integrate our attention, intention, and
actions. The developmental movement-perceptual progression establishes
a process-oriented framework for the dialogue of the body systems, Aligning inner cellular awareness and movement with outer
awareness and movement through space within the context of the developmental
process can facilitate the evolution of our consciousness and alleviate the
body-mind problems at their root level. As we are more able to experience our
consciousness at the cellular and the tissue level, we are better able to
understand ourselves. As we increase our knowledge of ourselves, we increase
in understanding and compassion for others. As we experience the uniqueness
of our cells within the context of tissue harmony, we learn about
individuality within the context of community. As we gain awareness of our
diverse tissues and the nature of their expression in the outer world, we
expand our understanding of other cultures within the context of the Earth as
a whole and the awareness of our planet within the expanded consciousness of
the Universe. THE DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTION It is through our senses that we receive information for our
internal environment (ourselves) and the external environment (others and the
world). How we filter, modify, distort, accept, reject, and use that
information is part of the act of perceiving. When we choose to absorb information, we bond to that aspect
of our environment. When we block out information, we defend against that
aspect. Learning is the process by which we vary our responses to information
based on the context of each situation. In order to perceive clearly, our attention, concentration,
motivation or desire must actively focus us on what it is we are to perceive.
This aspect of perceiving we have named "active (or presensory motor)
focusing". It patterns our interpretation of sensory information, and
without this active focusing our perception remains poorly organized. Touch and movement are the first of the senses to develop.
They establish the baseline for future perception through taste, smell,
hearing, and vision. The mouth is the first extremity to grasp, release,
measure, reach, and withdraw. It sets the foundation for the movement of the
other extremities (hands, feet, and tail) and develops in close association
with the nose. Movement of the head initiated from the mouth and nose
underlie movement of the head initiated from the ears and eyes. Auditory
tone, body postural tone, vibration, and movement are registered in the inner
ear and are intimately related. Vision is dependent upon all the previous
senses and, in turn, helps to integrate them into more complex patterns. BREATHING AND VOCALIZATION Our ability to embody the structural and physiological
processes underlying breathing and vocal production gives us another
important way to establish our relationship to ourselves and to our
environment. Breathing is automatic. It is influenced by internal
physiological and psychological states and by external environmental factors.
The way we breathe also influences our behavior and physical functioning. Breathing is internal movement. It underlies movement of the
body through external space. Movement, in turn, alters our breathing. Breathing is organized in patterns. These patterns are
influenced by emotional stimuli. They also evoke emotional responses. Our
first breath, at birth, influences the pattern of our adult breathing. Breathing can be consciously known. As the breathing process
is sensed and felt, unconscious blocks can be released. It is through the expressive qualities of our voice that we
communicate to the outer world who we are. Our voice reflects the functioning
of all of our body systems and the process of our developmental integration.
Bringing kinesthetic and auditory consciousness to our vocal structures opens
pathways of expression between our unconscious and our conscious mind and
between ourselves and others. THE ART OF TOUCH AND REPATTERNING When we touch someone, they touch us equally. The subtle
interplay between body and mind can be experienced clearly though touching
others. The art of touch and repatterning is an exploration of communication
through touch -- the transmission and acceptance of the flow of energy within
ourselves and between ourselves and others. In hands-on work, through touching in different rhythms,
through placement of attention within specific layers of the body, through
following existing lines of force and suggesting new ones, and through
changes in the pressure and quality of our touch, we come into harmony with
the different tissues and their associated qualities of mind. We begin with
cellular presence (cellular breathing) and focus on the resonation and
dialogue between client and practitioner. Each tissue of the client is
explored from the corresponding tissue of the practitioner, i.e., bone from
bone, organ from organ, fluid from fluid, etc. The initiation of intent,
based upon what each person is perceiving, may be shared consciously and/or
unconsciously by both people. Acceptance and curiosity guide the inquiry. Through mutual
resonance between client and practitioner, attention is given to discovering
the primary tissues through which the clients express themselves and those
tissues which are usually in shadow, so that the supporting tissues can be
given voice and the articulating ones be allowed to recuperate. This shifting
of energy expression allows for more choices and expanded consciousness of
body-mind for both the client/student and the practitioner/teacher. APPLICATIONS Body-Mind Centering® stands independently as an encompassing
and creative educational and therapeutic approach. Deeply grounded in the
relationship between movement, touch, the body and the mind, it can also be
applied to almost any area of human experience. The following descriptions
are some examples of how this work is being applied. Dance and movement: dance technique; a full, body-systems
warm-up; improving alignment, flexibility, strength and integration; injury
prevention and retraining; creating themes for improvisation; expanding
choreographic possibilities; increasing movement vocabulary; providing a
language for analyzing dance styles historically, contemporarily and
cross-culturally. Bodywork and massage: communicating subtly through touch by
differentiating different layers of tissue; multi-body-systems approach for
evaluation and treatment; creating a bridge between table work and active
movement repatterning, giving clients a way to integrate changes through
their movement in daily life. Physical, occupational, dance and movement therapy: evaluating
and treating through touch, movement and perception, based on a comprehensive
body-systems approach; a subtle and encompassing approach to developmental
movement; ways of perceiving underlying components of problems, such as fluid
quality imbalances in neurological problems, developmental movement aspects
of a knee problem, and organ imbalance influencing an inability to relate to
others; and approaching psychophysical processes through movement, touch,
breath and voice. Psychotherapy: accessing the mind by working with the body
through movement, touch, breath, voice and perception; the psychophysical
processes underlying emotional and cognitive problems; tracing pre-verbal
experience through movement and touch; grounding the past and future in one's
present awareness and movement. Child development and education: identifying from early
infancy, movement and perceptual problems that influence learning, and
physical, mental and emotional development; facilitating normal development
in a uniquely individualized way for each child; establishing rapport through
movement, touch and voice; evaluating through a body-systems and
developmental approach. Yoga: finding the organ, endocrine and developmental basis of
the asanas; supporting the asanas through the balance of the nervous and
fluid systems; deepening awareness and perception; embodying breath and
voice. Meditation: the physical arts of sitting and breathing; coming
into the present in the body-mind; being aware and letting go of being aware. Athletics: performance enhancement through improved alignment
and increased flexibility, strength and coordination; development of more
efficiency by integrating movement and perception; injury prevention and
retraining. Voice: identifying restrictions and freeing the natural voice;
increasing breathing and range of pitch, intensity and color of the voice;
using the whole body to support breathing and vocalization; analyzing styles
historically, contemporarily and cross-culturally. Music: improving performance through alignment, flexibility,
strength and integration; a movement-quality base for creating themes for
improvisation and interpretation; injury prevention and retraining. Visual arts: a body-based and developmental approach to
freeing direct expression through one's art; a language for evaluating
styles. |
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Home | About BMC | Programs | General Schedule | Contact |
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An Introduction to Body-Mind Centering® |
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Body-Mind Centering® (BMCtm) is an ongoing, experiential
journey into the alive and changing territory of the body. The explorer is
the mind—our thoughts, feelings, energy, soul, and spirit. Through this
journey we are led to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through
the body in movement. There is something in nature that forms patterns. We, as part
of nature, also form patterns. The mind is like the wind and the body is like
the sand; if you want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the
sand. Our body moves as our mind moves. The qualities of any
movement are a manifestation of how mind is expressing through the body at
that moment. Changes in movement qualities indicate that the mind has shifted
focus in the body. Conversely, when we direct the mind or attention to
different areas of the body and initiate movement from those areas, we change
the quality of our movement. So we find that movement can be a way to observe
the expressions of the mind through the body, and it can also be a way to
affect changes in the body-mind relationship. In BMC, "centering" is a process of balancing, not a
place of arrival. This balancing is based on dialogue, and the dialogue is
based on experience. An important aspect of our journey in Body-Mind Centering® is
discovering the relationship between the smallest level of activity within
the body and the largest movement of the body—aligning the inner cellular
movement with the external expression of movement through space. This
involves identifying, articulating, differentiating, and integrating the various
tissues within the body, discovering the qualities they contribute to one's
movement, how they have evolved in one's developmental process, and the role
they play in the expression of mind. The finer this alignment, the more efficiently we can function
to accomplish our intentions. However, alignment itself is not a goal. It is
a continual dialogue between awareness and action—becoming aware of the
relationships that exist throughout our body/mind and acting from that
awareness. This alignment creates a state of knowing. There are many ways of
working toward this alignment such as through touch, through movement,
visualization, somatization*, voice, art, music, meditation, through verbal
dialogue, through open awareness, or by any other means.
After many years of pursuing this path of inquiry with students,
clients and colleagues, I founded The School for Body-Mind Centering® in 1973
as a means to formalize and articulate the ongoing research, and as a vehicle
for the continued exchange of information and discovery. At the School,
techniques, applications, and principles are discovered and used in many
ways. Some people practice the techniques, and then out of their own
experience the principles emerge. Others focus on the principles, and as they
apply the principles in their lives, they develop the techniques. But the
techniques and principles themselves are not the material— it is more the
awareness and understanding of how and when to use them, or how to invent
one's own. The important thing is for each person to learn how it is that
they learn, to trust their own intuition, and to be open to the unique styles
of others. In BMC we are the material, our bodies and minds the medium of
our exploration. The research is experiential as is the material. We are each
the study, the student, the teacher. Out of this research, we are developing
an empirical science—observing, contrasting, corroborating, and recording our
experiences of embodying all of the body systems and the stages of human
development. For this science to have emerged, it has been essential to
have many people involved in the exploration. Over the past twenty-five
years, several thousand people have participated in the study and development
of BMC, some briefly and a few for twenty-five years. The large number of
people who have studied at the School have given the work its breadth. The
approximately forty people who have consistently collaborated with me over
the past ten to twenty years have been essential in giving the work its
depth. Their contribution to this body of work cannot be overemphasized.
Together we have filtered through our differences toward a common experience
which embraces all of our differences. The BMC principles are drawn from this
collective experience. The universal has emerged out of the specific just as
the specific has emerged out of the universal. This is part of the nature of
the work. As we go from cellular experience to that of the body systems, to
personal relationships, to family, to society, and eventually to culture and
world community, we are always looking at how these principles travel along a
continuum. In BMC we use the maps of Western medicine and science --
anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, etc.—but Body-Mind Centering® is being
influenced by the philosophies of the East as well. It is a study coming out
of this time of East and West merging, so we are working with the concepts of
dualities blending, rather than sets of opposites conflicting. We are
constantly looking at relationships and are always recognizing how opposite
qualities modulate each other. Though we use the Western anatomical terminology and mapping,
we are adding meaning to these terms through our experience. When we are
talking about blood or lymph or any physical substances, we are not only
talking about substances but about states of consciousness and processes
inherent within them. We are relating our experiences to these maps, but the
maps are not the experience. The study of BMC includes both the cognitive and experiential
learning of the body systems -- skeleton, ligaments, muscles, fascia, fat,
skin, organs, endocrine glands, nerves, fluids; breathing and vocalization;
the senses and the dynamics of perception; developmental movement (both human
infant development and the evolutionary progression through the animal
kingdom); and psychophysical integration. As a set of principles and as an approach to movement, touch
and learning, BMC is currently being applied by people involved in many areas
of interest, such as dance and movement arts, bodywork, physical,
occupational, movement, dance and speech therapies, psychotherapy, medicine,
child development, education, voice, music and visual arts, meditation, yoga,
athletics, martial arts, and other body-mind disciplines. While the basic material of Body-Mind Centering® was well
established by 1982, the principles continue to be elaborated on and refined,
and changes made as new viewpoints arise. As in any journey, what we perceive is influenced by what we
have already experienced and therefore anticipate. Consequently, the BMC
concepts are outgrowths of the personal histories, education, and experiences
of the large number of individuals who have engaged in this exploration. As
we analyze our experiences, the challenge is to not be confined by what we
have already learned but to continually allow our discoveries to pass into
our unconscious and to approach each moment with trust and innocence. The following are brief descriptions of tissue territories we
have thus far mapped in twenty-five years of study at The School for
Body-Mind Centering® THE BODY SYSTEMS Our Cellular Foundation: Each cell in our body has living
intelligence. It is capable of knowing itself, initiating action, and
communicating with all other cells. The individual cell and the community of
cells (tissue, organ, body) exist as separate entities and as one whole at
the same moment. Cellular embodiment is a state in which all cells have equal
opportunity for expression, receptivity, and cooperation.. Attuning ourselves to our cellular consciousness brings us to
a state in which we can find the ground from which flows the intricate
manifestations of our physical, psychological and spiritual being. When we embody or perceive from any cell as a unique
individual, the feeling or mind-quality is the same for all cells. There is a
one-mindedness. However, when we perceive from any cell within the context of
its community of cells or specific tissue, the feeling or state of mind is
unique to each tissue. Underlying this oneness or uniqueness are general
feelings on continuums between cellular anxiety and at-easement, rest and
activity, inner and outer focus, and receptivity and expressiveness. Skeletal System: This system provides us with our basic
supporting structure. It is composed of the bones and the joints. The bones
lever us through space and support our weight in relationship to gravity and
the shape of our movements through space. The spaces within the joints give
us the possibility of movement and provide the axes around which the movement
occurs. The skeletal system gives our body the basic form through
which we can locomote through space, sculpt and create the energy forms in
space that we call movement, and act on the environment, in relationship with
the other forms around us. Through embodying the skeletal system, the mind becomes
structurally organized, providing the supporting ground for our thoughts, the
leverage for our ideas, and the fulcrums or spaces between our ideas for the
articulation and understanding of their relationships. Ligamentous System: The ligaments set the boundaries of
movement between the bones by holding the bones together, they guide muscular
responses by directing the path of movement between the bones, and they
suspend the organs within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This system provides specificity, clarity, and efficiency for
the alignment and movement of the bones and organs. It is through the mind of
the ligaments that we perceive and articulate clarity of focus and
concentration to detail. Muscular System: The muscles establish a tensile three-dimensional
grid for the balanced support and movement of the skeletal structure by
providing the elastic forces that move the bones through space. They provide
the dynamic contents of the outer envelope of flesh encompassing the skeletal
structure. Through this system we embody our vitality, express our power, and
engage in the dialogue of resistance and resolution. Organs System: The organs carry on the functions of our
internal survival—breathing, nourishment and elimination. They are the contents
within the skeletal-flesh container. Organs provide us with our sense of volume, full-bodiedness,
and organic authenticity. They are the primary habitats or natural
environments of our emotions, aspirations, and the memories of our inner
reactions to our personal histories. Endocrine System: The endocrine glands are the major chemical
governing system of the body and are closely aligned to the nervous system.
Their secretions pass directly into the blood stream and their balance or
imbalance influences all of the cells in the body. This is the system of internal stillness, surges or explosions
of chaos/balance and the crystallization of energy into archetypal
experiences. The endocrine glands underlie intuition and the perceiving and
understanding of the Universal Mind. Nervous System: The nervous system is the recording system of
the body. It records our perceptions and experiences and stores them. It can
then recall the pattern of an experience and modify it by integrating it with
patterns of other previous experiences. The nervous system is the last to
know, but, once knowing, it becomes a major control center of psychophysical
processes. It can initiate the learning of new experience through intuition,
creativity and play. The nervous system underlies alertness, thought, and
precision of coordination and establishes the perceptual base from which we
view and interact with our internal and external worlds. Fluid System: The fluids are the transportation system of the
body. The major fluids are cellular and interstitial fluids, blood, lymph,
synovial fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. Fluids are the system of liquidity
of movement and mind. They underlie presence and transformation, and mediate
the dynamics of the flow between rest and activity. Fascial System: Fascial connective tissue establishes a soft
container for all the other structures of the body. It both divides and
integrates all other tissues and provides them with semi-viscous lubricating
surfaces, so that they have independence of movement within established
boundaries of the body as a whole. It is through the fascia that the movement of our organs
provides internal support for the movement of our skeleton through space, and
the movement of our skeleton expresses in the outer world the inner movement
of our organs. Through the fascial system we connect our inner feeling with
our outer expression. Fat: Fat is potential energy stored in the body. It provides
heat insulation for the body and electrical insulation for the nerves. Its
synthesis, breakdown, storage, and mobilization are greatly controlled by the
endocrine system. Static fat is stored as repressed or unacknowledged potential
power and creates a sense of heaviness and lethargy. Fat that is mobilized
expresses strong primordial power and a sense of graceful fluidity. Fat that
is embraced offers nurturing comfort. Skin: Skin is our outermost layer, covering our body in its
entirety and defining us as individuals by separating us from that which is
not us. Through our skin, we touch and are touched by the outer world.
The outer boundary is our first line of defense and bonding. It sets our
general tone of openness and closedness to being in the world -- through our
skin we are both invaded and protected, and we receive and make contact with
others. All Systems: While each system makes its own separate
contribution to the movement of body-mind, they are all interdependent,
together providing a complete framework of support and expression. Certain
systems are perceived as having natural affinities with others. However,
those affinities vary among individuals, among groups, and among cultures. We
discover their voices by consciously and unconsciously exploring them in
different combinations. DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT Underlying the forms of our expression through the body
systems is the process of our movement development, both ontogenetic (human
infant development) and phylogenetic (the evolutionary progression through
the animal kingdom). Development is not a linear process but occurs in overlapping
waves with each stage containing elements of all the others. Because each
previous stage underlies and supports each successive stage, any skipping,
interrupting, or failing to complete a stage of development can lead to
alignment / movement problems, imbalances withing the body systems, and
problems in perception, sequencing, organization, memory, and creativity. The developmental material includes primitive reflexes,
righting reactions, equilibrium responses, and the Basic Neurological
Patterns. These are the automatic movement responses that underlie our
volitional movement. The reflexes, righting reactions, and equilibrium responses
are the fundamental elements, or the alphabet, of our movement. They combine
to build the Basic Neurological Patterns, which are based upon prevertebrate
and vertebrate movement patterns. The first of the four prevertebrate
patterns is cellular breathing (the expanding/contracting process in
breathing and movement in each and every cell of the body) which correlates
to the movement of the one-celled animals. Cellular breathing underlies all
other patterns of movement and postural tone. Naval radiation (the relating and movement of all parts of the
body via the navel), mouthing (movement of the body initiated by the mouth),
and prespinal movement (soft sequential movements of the spine initiated via
the interface between the spinal cord and the digestive tract) are the other
three prevertebrate patterns. The twelve vertebrate patterns are based upon: spinal movement
(head to tail movement), which correlates to the movement of fish; homologous
movement (symmetrical movement of two upper and/or two lower limbs
simultaneously), which correlates to the movement of amphibians; homolateral
movement (asymmetrical movement of one upper limb and the lower limb on the
same side), which correlates to the movement of reptiles; and contralateral
movement (diagonal movement of one upper limb with the opposite lower limb),
which correlates to the movement of mammals. Development of the Basic Neurological patterns establishes our
basic movement patterns and corresponding perceptual relationships --
including spatial orientation and body image, and the basic elements of
learning and communication. In spinal movements, for example, we develop rolling,
establish the horizontal plane, differentiate the front of our bodies from
the back of our bodies, and gain the ability to attend. In homologous movements we develop symmetrical movements such
as push-ups and jumping with both feet, establish the sagittal plane,
differentiate the upper part of our bodies from the lower part of our bodies,
and gain the ability to act. In homolateral movements we develop asymmetrical movements
such as crawling on our bellies and hopping on one leg, establish the
vertical plane, differentiate the right side of our bodies from the left, and
gain the ability to intend. In contralateral movements we develop diagonal movements such
as creeping on our hands and forelegs, walking, running, and leaping;
establish three-dimensional movement; differentiate the diagonal quadrants of
our bodies; and gain the ability to integrate our attention, intention, and
actions. The developmental movement-perceptual progression establishes
a process-oriented framework for the dialogue of the body systems, Aligning inner cellular awareness and movement with outer
awareness and movement through space within the context of the developmental
process can facilitate the evolution of our consciousness and alleviate the
body-mind problems at their root level. As we are more able to experience our
consciousness at the cellular and the tissue level, we are better able to
understand ourselves. As we increase our knowledge of ourselves, we increase
in understanding and compassion for others. As we experience the uniqueness
of our cells within the context of tissue harmony, we learn about
individuality within the context of community. As we gain awareness of our
diverse tissues and the nature of their expression in the outer world, we
expand our understanding of other cultures within the context of the Earth as
a whole and the awareness of our planet within the expanded consciousness of
the Universe. THE DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTION It is through our senses that we receive information for our
internal environment (ourselves) and the external environment (others and the
world). How we filter, modify, distort, accept, reject, and use that
information is part of the act of perceiving. When we choose to absorb information, we bond to that aspect
of our environment. When we block out information, we defend against that
aspect. Learning is the process by which we vary our responses to information
based on the context of each situation. In order to perceive clearly, our attention, concentration, motivation
or desire must actively focus us on what it is we are to perceive. This
aspect of perceiving we have named "active (or presensory motor)
focusing". It patterns our interpretation of sensory information, and
without this active focusing our perception remains poorly organized. Touch and movement are the first of the senses to develop.
They establish the baseline for future perception through taste, smell,
hearing, and vision. The mouth is the first extremity to grasp, release,
measure, reach, and withdraw. It sets the foundation for the movement of the
other extremities (hands, feet, and tail) and develops in close association
with the nose. Movement of the head initiated from the mouth and nose
underlie movement of the head initiated from the ears and eyes. Auditory
tone, body postural tone, vibration, and movement are registered in the inner
ear and are intimately related. Vision is dependent upon all the previous
senses and, in turn, helps to integrate them into more complex patterns. BREATHING AND VOCALIZATION Our ability to embody the structural and physiological
processes underlying breathing and vocal production gives us another
important way to establish our relationship to ourselves and to our
environment. Breathing is automatic. It is influenced by internal
physiological and psychological states and by external environmental factors.
The way we breathe also influences our behavior and physical functioning. Breathing is internal movement. It underlies movement of the
body through external space. Movement, in turn, alters our breathing. Breathing is organized in patterns. These patterns are
influenced by emotional stimuli. They also evoke emotional responses. Our
first breath, at birth, influences the pattern of our adult breathing. Breathing can be consciously known. As the breathing process
is sensed and felt, unconscious blocks can be released. It is through the expressive qualities of our voice that we
communicate to the outer world who we are. Our voice reflects the functioning
of all of our body systems and the process of our developmental integration.
Bringing kinesthetic and auditory consciousness to our vocal structures opens
pathways of expression between our unconscious and our conscious mind and
between ourselves and others. THE ART OF TOUCH AND REPATTERNING When we touch someone, they touch us equally. The subtle
interplay between body and mind can be experienced clearly though touching
others. The art of touch and repatterning is an exploration of communication
through touch -- the transmission and acceptance of the flow of energy within
ourselves and between ourselves and others. In hands-on work, through touching in different rhythms,
through placement of attention within specific layers of the body, through
following existing lines of force and suggesting new ones, and through
changes in the pressure and quality of our touch, we come into harmony with
the different tissues and their associated qualities of mind. We begin with
cellular presence (cellular breathing) and focus on the resonation and
dialogue between client and practitioner. Each tissue of the client is
explored from the corresponding tissue of the practitioner, i.e., bone from
bone, organ from organ, fluid from fluid, etc. The initiation of intent,
based upon what each person is perceiving, may be shared consciously and/or
unconsciously by both people. Acceptance and curiosity guide the inquiry. Through mutual
resonance between client and practitioner, attention is given to discovering
the primary tissues through which the clients express themselves and those
tissues which are usually in shadow, so that the supporting tissues can be
given voice and the articulating ones be allowed to recuperate. This shifting
of energy expression allows for more choices and expanded consciousness of
body-mind for both the client/student and the practitioner/teacher. APPLICATIONS Body-Mind Centering® stands independently as an encompassing
and creative educational and therapeutic approach. Deeply grounded in the
relationship between movement, touch, the body and the mind, it can also be
applied to almost any area of human experience. The following descriptions
are some examples of how this work is being applied. Dance and movement: dance technique; a full, body-systems
warm-up; improving alignment, flexibility, strength and integration; injury
prevention and retraining; creating themes for improvisation; expanding
choreographic possibilities; increasing movement vocabulary; providing a
language for analyzing dance styles historically, contemporarily and
cross-culturally. Bodywork and massage: communicating subtly through touch by
differentiating different layers of tissue; multi-body-systems approach for
evaluation and treatment; creating a bridge between table work and active
movement repatterning, giving clients a way to integrate changes through
their movement in daily life. Physical, occupational, dance and movement therapy: evaluating
and treating through touch, movement and perception, based on a comprehensive
body-systems approach; a subtle and encompassing approach to developmental
movement; ways of perceiving underlying components of problems, such as fluid
quality imbalances in neurological problems, developmental movement aspects
of a knee problem, and organ imbalance influencing an inability to relate to
others; and approaching psychophysical processes through movement, touch,
breath and voice. Psychotherapy: accessing the mind by working with the body
through movement, touch, breath, voice and perception; the psychophysical
processes underlying emotional and cognitive problems; tracing pre-verbal
experience through movement and touch; grounding the past and future in one's
present awareness and movement. Child development and education: identifying from early
infancy, movement and perceptual problems that influence learning, and
physical, mental and emotional development; facilitating normal development
in a uniquely individualized way for each child; establishing rapport through
movement, touch and voice; evaluating through a body-systems and
developmental approach. Yoga: finding the organ, endocrine and developmental basis of
the asanas; supporting the asanas through the balance of the nervous and
fluid systems; deepening awareness and perception; embodying breath and
voice. Meditation: the physical arts of sitting and breathing; coming
into the present in the body-mind; being aware and letting go of being aware. Athletics: performance enhancement through improved alignment
and increased flexibility, strength and coordination; development of more
efficiency by integrating movement and perception; injury prevention and
retraining. Voice: identifying restrictions and freeing the natural voice;
increasing breathing and range of pitch, intensity and color of the voice;
using the whole body to support breathing and vocalization; analyzing styles
historically, contemporarily and cross-culturally. Music: improving performance through alignment, flexibility,
strength and integration; a movement-quality base for creating themes for
improvisation and interpretation; injury prevention and retraining. Visual arts: a body-based and developmental approach to
freeing direct expression through one's art; a language for evaluating
styles. |
|
Home | About BMC | Programs | General Schedule | Contact |
|
An Introduction to Body-Mind Centering® |
|
Body-Mind Centering® (BMCtm) is an ongoing, experiential
journey into the alive and changing territory of the body. The explorer is
the mind—our thoughts, feelings, energy, soul, and spirit. Through this
journey we are led to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through
the body in movement. There is something in nature that forms patterns. We, as part
of nature, also form patterns. The mind is like the wind and the body is like
the sand; if you want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the
sand. Our body moves as our mind moves. The qualities of any
movement are a manifestation of how mind is expressing through the body at
that moment. Changes in movement qualities indicate that the mind has shifted
focus in the body. Conversely, when we direct the mind or attention to
different areas of the body and initiate movement from those areas, we change
the quality of our movement. So we find that movement can be a way to observe
the expressions of the mind through the body, and it can also be a way to
affect changes in the body-mind relationship. In BMC, "centering" is a process of balancing, not a
place of arrival. This balancing is based on dialogue, and the dialogue is
based on experience. An important aspect of our journey in Body-Mind Centering® is
discovering the relationship between the smallest level of activity within
the body and the largest movement of the body—aligning the inner cellular
movement with the external expression of movement through space. This
involves identifying, articulating, differentiating, and integrating the various
tissues within the body, discovering the qualities they contribute to one's
movement, how they have evolved in one's developmental process, and the role
they play in the expression of mind. The finer this alignment, the more efficiently we can function
to accomplish our intentions. However, alignment itself is not a goal. It is
a continual dialogue between awareness and action—becoming aware of the
relationships that exist throughout our body/mind and acting from that
awareness. This alignment creates a state of knowing. There are many ways of
working toward this alignment such as through touch, through movement,
visualization, somatization*, voice, art, music, meditation, through verbal
dialogue, through open awareness, or by any other means.
After many years of pursuing this path of inquiry with students,
clients and colleagues, I founded The School for Body-Mind Centering® in 1973
as a means to formalize and articulate the ongoing research, and as a vehicle
for the continued exchange of information and discovery. At the School,
techniques, applications, and principles are discovered and used in many
ways. Some people practice the techniques, and then out of their own
experience the principles emerge. Others focus on the principles, and as they
apply the principles in their lives, they develop the techniques. But the
techniques and principles themselves are not the material— it is more the
awareness and understanding of how and when to use them, or how to invent
one's own. The important thing is for each person to learn how it is that
they learn, to trust their own intuition, and to be open to the unique styles
of others. In BMC we are the material, our bodies and minds the medium of
our exploration. The research is experiential as is the material. We are each
the study, the student, the teacher. Out of this research, we are developing
an empirical science—observing, contrasting, corroborating, and recording our
experiences of embodying all of the body systems and the stages of human
development. For this science to have emerged, it has been essential to have
many people involved in the exploration. Over the past twenty-five years,
several thousand people have participated in the study and development of
BMC, some briefly and a few for twenty-five years. The large number of people
who have studied at the School have given the work its breadth. The
approximately forty people who have consistently collaborated with me over
the past ten to twenty years have been essential in giving the work its
depth. Their contribution to this body of work cannot be overemphasized.
Together we have filtered through our differences toward a common experience
which embraces all of our differences. The BMC principles are drawn from this
collective experience. The universal has emerged out of the specific just as
the specific has emerged out of the universal. This is part of the nature of
the work. As we go from cellular experience to that of the body systems, to
personal relationships, to family, to society, and eventually to culture and
world community, we are always looking at how these principles travel along a
continuum. In BMC we use the maps of Western medicine and science --
anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, etc.—but Body-Mind Centering® is being
influenced by the philosophies of the East as well. It is a study coming out
of this time of East and West merging, so we are working with the concepts of
dualities blending, rather than sets of opposites conflicting. We are
constantly looking at relationships and are always recognizing how opposite
qualities modulate each other. Though we use the Western anatomical terminology and mapping,
we are adding meaning to these terms through our experience. When we are
talking about blood or lymph or any physical substances, we are not only
talking about substances but about states of consciousness and processes
inherent within them. We are relating our experiences to these maps, but the
maps are not the experience. The study of BMC includes both the cognitive and experiential
learning of the body systems -- skeleton, ligaments, muscles, fascia, fat,
skin, organs, endocrine glands, nerves, fluids; breathing and vocalization;
the senses and the dynamics of perception; developmental movement (both human
infant development and the evolutionary progression through the animal
kingdom); and psychophysical integration. As a set of principles and as an approach to movement, touch
and learning, BMC is currently being applied by people involved in many areas
of interest, such as dance and movement arts, bodywork, physical,
occupational, movement, dance and speech therapies, psychotherapy, medicine,
child development, education, voice, music and visual arts, meditation, yoga,
athletics, martial arts, and other body-mind disciplines. While the basic material of Body-Mind Centering® was well
established by 1982, the principles continue to be elaborated on and refined,
and changes made as new viewpoints arise. As in any journey, what we perceive is influenced by what we
have already experienced and therefore anticipate. Consequently, the BMC
concepts are outgrowths of the personal histories, education, and experiences
of the large number of individuals who have engaged in this exploration. As
we analyze our experiences, the challenge is to not be confined by what we
have already learned but to continually allow our discoveries to pass into
our unconscious and to approach each moment with trust and innocence. The following are brief descriptions of tissue territories we
have thus far mapped in twenty-five years of study at The School for
Body-Mind Centering® THE BODY SYSTEMS Our Cellular Foundation: Each cell in our body has living
intelligence. It is capable of knowing itself, initiating action, and
communicating with all other cells. The individual cell and the community of
cells (tissue, organ, body) exist as separate entities and as one whole at
the same moment. Cellular embodiment is a state in which all cells have equal
opportunity for expression, receptivity, and cooperation.. Attuning ourselves to our cellular consciousness brings us to
a state in which we can find the ground from which flows the intricate
manifestations of our physical, psychological and spiritual being. When we embody or perceive from any cell as a unique
individual, the feeling or mind-quality is the same for all cells. There is a
one-mindedness. However, when we perceive from any cell within the context of
its community of cells or specific tissue, the feeling or state of mind is
unique to each tissue. Underlying this oneness or uniqueness are general
feelings on continuums between cellular anxiety and at-easement, rest and
activity, inner and outer focus, and receptivity and expressiveness. Skeletal System: This system provides us with our basic
supporting structure. It is composed of the bones and the joints. The bones
lever us through space and support our weight in relationship to gravity and
the shape of our movements through space. The spaces within the joints give
us the possibility of movement and provide the axes around which the movement
occurs. The skeletal system gives our body the basic form through
which we can locomote through space, sculpt and create the energy forms in
space that we call movement, and act on the environment, in relationship with
the other forms around us. Through embodying the skeletal system, the mind becomes
structurally organized, providing the supporting ground for our thoughts, the
leverage for our ideas, and the fulcrums or spaces between our ideas for the
articulation and understanding of their relationships. Ligamentous System: The ligaments set the boundaries of
movement between the bones by holding the bones together, they guide muscular
responses by directing the path of movement between the bones, and they
suspend the organs within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This system provides specificity, clarity, and efficiency for
the alignment and movement of the bones and organs. It is through the mind of
the ligaments that we perceive and articulate clarity of focus and
concentration to detail. Muscular System: The muscles establish a tensile three-dimensional
grid for the balanced support and movement of the skeletal structure by
providing the elastic forces that move the bones through space. They provide
the dynamic contents of the outer envelope of flesh encompassing the skeletal
structure. Through this system we embody our vitality, express our power, and
engage in the dialogue of resistance and resolution. Organs System: The organs carry on the functions of our
internal survival—breathing, nourishment and elimination. They are the contents
within the skeletal-flesh container. Organs provide us with our sense of volume, full-bodiedness,
and organic authenticity. They are the primary habitats or natural
environments of our emotions, aspirations, and the memories of our inner
reactions to our personal histories. Endocrine System: The endocrine glands are the major chemical
governing system of the body and are closely aligned to the nervous system.
Their secretions pass directly into the blood stream and their balance or
imbalance influences all of the cells in the body. This is the system of internal stillness, surges or explosions
of chaos/balance and the crystallization of energy into archetypal
experiences. The endocrine glands underlie intuition and the perceiving and
understanding of the Universal Mind. Nervous System: The nervous system is the recording system of
the body. It records our perceptions and experiences and stores them. It can
then recall the pattern of an experience and modify it by integrating it with
patterns of other previous experiences. The nervous system is the last to
know, but, once knowing, it becomes a major control center of psychophysical
processes. It can initiate the learning of new experience through intuition,
creativity and play. The nervous system underlies alertness, thought, and
precision of coordination and establishes the perceptual base from which we
view and interact with our internal and external worlds. Fluid System: The fluids are the transportation system of the
body. The major fluids are cellular and interstitial fluids, blood, lymph,
synovial fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. Fluids are the system of liquidity
of movement and mind. They underlie presence and transformation, and mediate
the dynamics of the flow between rest and activity. Fascial System: Fascial connective tissue establishes a soft
container for all the other structures of the body. It both divides and
integrates all other tissues and provides them with semi-viscous lubricating
surfaces, so that they have independence of movement within established
boundaries of the body as a whole. It is through the fascia that the movement of our organs
provides internal support for the movement of our skeleton through space, and
the movement of our skeleton expresses in the outer world the inner movement
of our organs. Through the fascial system we connect our inner feeling with
our outer expression. Fat: Fat is potential energy stored in the body. It provides
heat insulation for the body and electrical insulation for the nerves. Its
synthesis, breakdown, storage, and mobilization are greatly controlled by the
endocrine system. Static fat is stored as repressed or unacknowledged potential
power and creates a sense of heaviness and lethargy. Fat that is mobilized
expresses strong primordial power and a sense of graceful fluidity. Fat that
is embraced offers nurturing comfort. Skin: Skin is our outermost layer, covering our body in its
entirety and defining us as individuals by separating us from that which is
not us. Through our skin, we touch and are touched by the outer world.
The outer boundary is our first line of defense and bonding. It sets our
general tone of openness and closedness to being in the world -- through our
skin we are both invaded and protected, and we receive and make contact with
others. All Systems: While each system makes its own separate
contribution to the movement of body-mind, they are all interdependent,
together providing a complete framework of support and expression. Certain
systems are perceived as having natural affinities with others. However,
those affinities vary among individuals, among groups, and among cultures. We
discover their voices by consciously and unconsciously exploring them in
different combinations. DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT Underlying the forms of our expression through the body
systems is the process of our movement development, both ontogenetic (human
infant development) and phylogenetic (the evolutionary progression through
the animal kingdom). Development is not a linear process but occurs in overlapping
waves with each stage containing elements of all the others. Because each
previous stage underlies and supports each successive stage, any skipping,
interrupting, or failing to complete a stage of development can lead to
alignment / movement problems, imbalances withing the body systems, and
problems in perception, sequencing, organization, memory, and creativity. The developmental material includes primitive reflexes,
righting reactions, equilibrium responses, and the Basic Neurological
Patterns. These are the automatic movement responses that underlie our
volitional movement. The reflexes, righting reactions, and equilibrium responses
are the fundamental elements, or the alphabet, of our movement. They combine
to build the Basic Neurological Patterns, which are based upon prevertebrate
and vertebrate movement patterns. The first of the four prevertebrate
patterns is cellular breathing (the expanding/contracting process in
breathing and movement in each and every cell of the body) which correlates
to the movement of the one-celled animals. Cellular breathing underlies all
other patterns of movement and postural tone. Naval radiation (the relating and movement of all parts of the
body via the navel), mouthing (movement of the body initiated by the mouth),
and prespinal movement (soft sequential movements of the spine initiated via
the interface between the spinal cord and the digestive tract) are the other
three prevertebrate patterns. The twelve vertebrate patterns are based upon: spinal movement
(head to tail movement), which correlates to the movement of fish; homologous
movement (symmetrical movement of two upper and/or two lower limbs
simultaneously), which correlates to the movement of amphibians; homolateral
movement (asymmetrical movement of one upper limb and the lower limb on the
same side), which correlates to the movement of reptiles; and contralateral
movement (diagonal movement of one upper limb with the opposite lower limb),
which correlates to the movement of mammals. Development of the Basic Neurological patterns establishes our
basic movement patterns and corresponding perceptual relationships --
including spatial orientation and body image, and the basic elements of
learning and communication. In spinal movements, for example, we develop rolling,
establish the horizontal plane, differentiate the front of our bodies from
the back of our bodies, and gain the ability to attend. In homologous movements we develop symmetrical movements such
as push-ups and jumping with both feet, establish the sagittal plane,
differentiate the upper part of our bodies from the lower part of our bodies,
and gain the ability to act. In homolateral movements we develop asymmetrical movements
such as crawling on our bellies and hopping on one leg, establish the
vertical plane, differentiate the right side of our bodies from the left, and
gain the ability to intend. In contralateral movements we develop diagonal movements such
as creeping on our hands and forelegs, walking, running, and leaping;
establish three-dimensional movement; differentiate the diagonal quadrants of
our bodies; and gain the ability to integrate our attention, intention, and
actions. The developmental movement-perceptual progression establishes
a process-oriented framework for the dialogue of the body systems, Aligning inner cellular awareness and movement with outer
awareness and movement through space within the context of the developmental
process can facilitate the evolution of our consciousness and alleviate the
body-mind problems at their root level. As we are more able to experience our
consciousness at the cellular and the tissue level, we are better able to
understand ourselves. As we increase our knowledge of ourselves, we increase
in understanding and compassion for others. As we experience the uniqueness
of our cells within the context of tissue harmony, we learn about
individuality within the context of community. As we gain awareness of our
diverse tissues and the nature of their expression in the outer world, we
expand our understanding of other cultures within the context of the Earth as
a whole and the awareness of our planet within the expanded consciousness of
the Universe. THE DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTION It is through our senses that we receive information for our
internal environment (ourselves) and the external environment (others and the
world). How we filter, modify, distort, accept, reject, and use that
information is part of the act of perceiving. When we choose to absorb information, we bond to that aspect
of our environment. When we block out information, we defend against that
aspect. Learning is the process by which we vary our responses to information
based on the context of each situation. In order to perceive clearly, our attention, concentration, motivation
or desire must actively focus us on what it is we are to perceive. This
aspect of perceiving we have named "active (or presensory motor)
focusing". It patterns our interpretation of sensory information, and
without this active focusing our perception remains poorly organized. Touch and movement are the first of the senses to develop.
They establish the baseline for future perception through taste, smell,
hearing, and vision. The mouth is the first extremity to grasp, release,
measure, reach, and withdraw. It sets the foundation for the movement of the
other extremities (hands, feet, and tail) and develops in close association
with the nose. Movement of the head initiated from the mouth and nose
underlie movement of the head initiated from the ears and eyes. Auditory
tone, body postural tone, vibration, and movement are registered in the inner
ear and are intimately related. Vision is dependent upon all the previous
senses and, in turn, helps to integrate them into more complex patterns. BREATHING AND VOCALIZATION Our ability to embody the structural and physiological
processes underlying breathing and vocal production gives us another
important way to establish our relationship to ourselves and to our
environment. Breathing is automatic. It is influenced by internal
physiological and psychological states and by external environmental factors.
The way we breathe also influences our behavior and physical functioning. Breathing is internal movement. It underlies movement of the
body through external space. Movement, in turn, alters our breathing. Breathing is organized in patterns. These patterns are
influenced by emotional stimuli. They also evoke emotional responses. Our
first breath, at birth, influences the pattern of our adult breathing. Breathing can be consciously known. As the breathing process
is sensed and felt, unconscious blocks can be released. It is through the expressive qualities of our voice that we
communicate to the outer world who we are. Our voice reflects the functioning
of all of our body systems and the process of our developmental integration.
Bringing kinesthetic and auditory consciousness to our vocal structures opens
pathways of expression between our unconscious and our conscious mind and
between ourselves and others. THE ART OF TOUCH AND REPATTERNING When we touch someone, they touch us equally. The subtle
interplay between body and mind can be experienced clearly though touching
others. The art of touch and repatterning is an exploration of communication
through touch -- the transmission and acceptance of the flow of energy within
ourselves and between ourselves and others. In hands-on work, through touching in different rhythms,
through placement of attention within specific layers of the body, through
following existing lines of force and suggesting new ones, and through
changes in the pressure and quality of our touch, we come into harmony with
the different tissues and their associated qualities of mind. We begin with
cellular presence (cellular breathing) and focus on the resonation and
dialogue between client and practitioner. Each tissue of the client is
explored from the corresponding tissue of the practitioner, i.e., bone from
bone, organ from organ, fluid from fluid, etc. The initiation of intent,
based upon what each person is perceiving, may be shared consciously and/or
unconsciously by both people. Acceptance and curiosity guide the inquiry. Through mutual
resonance between client and practitioner, attention is given to discovering
the primary tissues through which the clients express themselves and those
tissues which are usually in shadow, so that the supporting tissues can be
given voice and the articulating ones be allowed to recuperate. This shifting
of energy expression allows for more choices and expanded consciousness of
body-mind for both the client/student and the practitioner/teacher. APPLICATIONS Body-Mind Centering® stands independently as an encompassing
and creative educational and therapeutic approach. Deeply grounded in the
relationship between movement, touch, the body and the mind, it can also be
applied to almost any area of human experience. The following descriptions
are some examples of how this work is being applied. Dance and movement: dance technique; a full, body-systems
warm-up; improving alignment, flexibility, strength and integration; injury
prevention and retraining; creating themes for improvisation; expanding
choreographic possibilities; increasing movement vocabulary; providing a
language for analyzing dance styles historically, contemporarily and
cross-culturally. Bodywork and massage: communicating subtly through touch by
differentiating different layers of tissue; multi-body-systems approach for
evaluation and treatment; creating a bridge between table work and active
movement repatterning, giving clients a way to integrate changes through
their movement in daily life. Physical, occupational, dance and movement therapy: evaluating
and treating through touch, movement and perception, based on a comprehensive
body-systems approach; a subtle and encompassing approach to developmental
movement; ways of perceiving underlying components of problems, such as fluid
quality imbalances in neurological problems, developmental movement aspects
of a knee problem, and organ imbalance influencing an inability to relate to
others; and approaching psychophysical processes through movement, touch,
breath and voice. Psychotherapy: accessing the mind by working with the body
through movement, touch, breath, voice and perception; the psychophysical
processes underlying emotional and cognitive problems; tracing pre-verbal
experience through movement and touch; grounding the past and future in one's
present awareness and movement. Child development and education: identifying from early
infancy, movement and perceptual problems that influence learning, and
physical, mental and emotional development; facilitating normal development
in a uniquely individualized way for each child; establishing rapport through
movement, touch and voice; evaluating through a body-systems and
developmental approach. Yoga: finding the organ, endocrine and developmental basis of
the asanas; supporting the asanas through the balance of the nervous and
fluid systems; deepening awareness and perception; embodying breath and
voice. Meditation: the physical arts of sitting and breathing; coming
into the present in the body-mind; being aware and letting go of being aware. Athletics: performance enhancement through improved alignment
and increased flexibility, strength and coordination; development of more
efficiency by integrating movement and perception; injury prevention and
retraining. Voice: identifying restrictions and freeing the natural voice;
increasing breathing and range of pitch, intensity and color of the voice;
using the whole body to support breathing and vocalization; analyzing styles
historically, contemporarily and cross-culturally. Music: improving performance through alignment, flexibility,
strength and integration; a movement-quality base for creating themes for
improvisation and interpretation; injury prevention and retraining. Visual arts: a body-based and developmental approach to
freeing direct expression through one's art; a language for evaluating
styles. |
|
Home | About BMC | Programs | General Schedule | Contact |
|
An Introduction to Body-Mind Centering® |
|
Body-Mind Centering® (BMCtm) is an ongoing, experiential
journey into the alive and changing territory of the body. The explorer is
the mind—our thoughts, feelings, energy, soul, and spirit. Through this
journey we are led to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through
the body in movement. There is something in nature that forms patterns. We, as part
of nature, also form patterns. The mind is like the wind and the body is like
the sand; if you want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the
sand. Our body moves as our mind moves. The qualities of any
movement are a manifestation of how mind is expressing through the body at
that moment. Changes in movement qualities indicate that the mind has shifted
focus in the body. Conversely, when we direct the mind or attention to
different areas of the body and initiate movement from those areas, we change
the quality of our movement. So we find that movement can be a way to observe
the expressions of the mind through the body, and it can also be a way to
affect changes in the body-mind relationship. In BMC, "centering" is a process of balancing, not a
place of arrival. This balancing is based on dialogue, and the dialogue is
based on experience. An important aspect of our journey in Body-Mind Centering® is
discovering the relationship between the smallest level of activity within
the body and the largest movement of the body—aligning the inner cellular
movement with the external expression of movement through space. This involves
identifying, articulating, differentiating, and integrating the various
tissues within the body, discovering the qualities they contribute to one's
movement, how they have evolved in one's developmental process, and the role
they play in the expression of mind. The finer this alignment, the more efficiently we can function
to accomplish our intentions. However, alignment itself is not a goal. It is
a continual dialogue between awareness and action—becoming aware of the
relationships that exist throughout our body/mind and acting from that
awareness. This alignment creates a state of knowing. There are many ways of
working toward this alignment such as through touch, through movement,
visualization, somatization*, voice, art, music, meditation, through verbal
dialogue, through open awareness, or by any other means.
After many years of pursuing this path of inquiry with
students, clients and colleagues, I founded The School for Body-Mind
Centering® in 1973 as a means to formalize and articulate the ongoing
research, and as a vehicle for the continued exchange of information and
discovery. At the School, techniques, applications, and principles are
discovered and used in many ways. Some people practice the techniques, and
then out of their own experience the principles emerge. Others focus on the
principles, and as they apply the principles in their lives, they develop the
techniques. But the techniques and principles themselves are not the
material— it is more the awareness and understanding of how and when to use
them, or how to invent one's own. The important thing is for each person to
learn how it is that they learn, to trust their own intuition, and to be open
to the unique styles of others. In BMC we are the material, our bodies and minds the medium of
our exploration. The research is experiential as is the material. We are each
the study, the student, the teacher. Out of this research, we are developing
an empirical science—observing, contrasting, corroborating, and recording our
experiences of embodying all of the body systems and the stages of human
development. For this science to have emerged, it has been essential to
have many people involved in the exploration. Over the past twenty-five
years, several thousand people have participated in the study and development
of BMC, some briefly and a few for twenty-five years. The large number of
people who have studied at the School have given the work its breadth. The
approximately forty people who have consistently collaborated with me over
the past ten to twenty years have been essential in giving the work its
depth. Their contribution to this body of work cannot be overemphasized.
Together we have filtered through our differences toward a common experience
which embraces all of our differences. The BMC principles are drawn from this
collective experience. The universal has emerged out of the specific just as
the specific has emerged out of the universal. This is part of the nature of
the work. As we go from cellular experience to that of the body systems, to
personal relationships, to family, to society, and eventually to culture and
world community, we are always looking at how these principles travel along a
continuum. In BMC we use the maps of Western medicine and science --
anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, etc.—but Body-Mind Centering® is being
influenced by the philosophies of the East as well. It is a study coming out
of this time of East and West merging, so we are working with the concepts of
dualities blending, rather than sets of opposites conflicting. We are constantly
looking at relationships and are always recognizing how opposite qualities
modulate each other. Though we use the Western anatomical terminology and mapping,
we are adding meaning to these terms through our experience. When we are
talking about blood or lymph or any physical substances, we are not only
talking about substances but about states of consciousness and processes
inherent within them. We are relating our experiences to these maps, but the
maps are not the experience. The study of BMC includes both the cognitive and experiential
learning of the body systems -- skeleton, ligaments, muscles, fascia, fat,
skin, organs, endocrine glands, nerves, fluids; breathing and vocalization;
the senses and the dynamics of perception; developmental movement (both human
infant development and the evolutionary progression through the animal
kingdom); and psychophysical integration. As a set of principles and as an approach to movement, touch
and learning, BMC is currently being applied by people involved in many areas
of interest, such as dance and movement arts, bodywork, physical,
occupational, movement, dance and speech therapies, psychotherapy, medicine,
child development, education, voice, music and visual arts, meditation, yoga,
athletics, martial arts, and other body-mind disciplines. While the basic material of Body-Mind Centering® was well
established by 1982, the principles continue to be elaborated on and refined,
and changes made as new viewpoints arise. As in any journey, what we perceive is influenced by what we
have already experienced and therefore anticipate. Consequently, the BMC
concepts are outgrowths of the personal histories, education, and experiences
of the large number of individuals who have engaged in this exploration. As
we analyze our experiences, the challenge is to not be confined by what we
have already learned but to continually allow our discoveries to pass into
our unconscious and to approach each moment with trust and innocence. The following are brief descriptions of tissue territories we
have thus far mapped in twenty-five years of study at The School for
Body-Mind Centering® THE BODY SYSTEMS Our Cellular Foundation: Each cell in our body has living
intelligence. It is capable of knowing itself, initiating action, and
communicating with all other cells. The individual cell and the community of
cells (tissue, organ, body) exist as separate entities and as one whole at
the same moment. Cellular embodiment is a state in which all cells have equal
opportunity for expression, receptivity, and cooperation.. Attuning ourselves to our cellular consciousness brings us to
a state in which we can find the ground from which flows the intricate
manifestations of our physical, psychological and spiritual being. When we embody or perceive from any cell as a unique
individual, the feeling or mind-quality is the same for all cells. There is a
one-mindedness. However, when we perceive from any cell within the context of
its community of cells or specific tissue, the feeling or state of mind is
unique to each tissue. Underlying this oneness or uniqueness are general
feelings on continuums between cellular anxiety and at-easement, rest and
activity, inner and outer focus, and receptivity and expressiveness. Skeletal System: This system provides us with our basic
supporting structure. It is composed of the bones and the joints. The bones
lever us through space and support our weight in relationship to gravity and
the shape of our movements through space. The spaces within the joints give
us the possibility of movement and provide the axes around which the movement
occurs. The skeletal system gives our body the basic form through
which we can locomote through space, sculpt and create the energy forms in
space that we call movement, and act on the environment, in relationship with
the other forms around us. Through embodying the skeletal system, the mind becomes
structurally organized, providing the supporting ground for our thoughts, the
leverage for our ideas, and the fulcrums or spaces between our ideas for the
articulation and understanding of their relationships. Ligamentous System: The ligaments set the boundaries of
movement between the bones by holding the bones together, they guide muscular
responses by directing the path of movement between the bones, and they
suspend the organs within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This system provides specificity, clarity, and efficiency for
the alignment and movement of the bones and organs. It is through the mind of
the ligaments that we perceive and articulate clarity of focus and
concentration to detail. Muscular System: The muscles establish a tensile
three-dimensional grid for the balanced support and movement of the skeletal
structure by providing the elastic forces that move the bones through space.
They provide the dynamic contents of the outer envelope of flesh encompassing
the skeletal structure. Through this system we embody our vitality, express
our power, and engage in the dialogue of resistance and resolution. Organs System: The organs carry on the functions of our
internal survival—breathing, nourishment and elimination. They are the
contents within the skeletal-flesh container. Organs provide us with our sense of volume, full-bodiedness,
and organic authenticity. They are the primary habitats or natural
environments of our emotions, aspirations, and the memories of our inner
reactions to our personal histories. Endocrine System: The endocrine glands are the major chemical
governing system of the body and are closely aligned to the nervous system.
Their secretions pass directly into the blood stream and their balance or
imbalance influences all of the cells in the body. This is the system of internal stillness, surges or explosions
of chaos/balance and the crystallization of energy into archetypal
experiences. The endocrine glands underlie intuition and the perceiving and
understanding of the Universal Mind. Nervous System: The nervous system is the recording system of
the body. It records our perceptions and experiences and stores them. It can
then recall the pattern of an experience and modify it by integrating it with
patterns of other previous experiences. The nervous system is the last to
know, but, once knowing, it becomes a major control center of psychophysical
processes. It can initiate the learning of new experience through intuition,
creativity and play. The nervous system underlies alertness, thought, and
precision of coordination and establishes the perceptual base from which we
view and interact with our internal and external worlds. Fluid System: The fluids are the transportation system of the
body. The major fluids are cellular and interstitial fluids, blood, lymph,
synovial fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid. Fluids are the system of liquidity
of movement and mind. They underlie presence and transformation, and mediate
the dynamics of the flow between rest and activity. Fascial System: Fascial connective tissue establishes a soft
container for all the other structures of the body. It both divides and integrates
all other tissues and provides them with semi-viscous lubricating surfaces,
so that they have independence of movement within established boundaries of
the body as a whole. It is through the fascia that the movement of our organs
provides internal support for the movement of our skeleton through space, and
the movement of our skeleton expresses in the outer world the inner movement
of our organs. Through the fascial system we connect our inner feeling with
our outer expression. Fat: Fat is potential energy stored in the body. It provides
heat insulation for the body and electrical insulation for the nerves. Its
synthesis, breakdown, storage, and mobilization are greatly controlled by the
endocrine system. Static fat is stored as repressed or unacknowledged potential
power and creates a sense of heaviness and lethargy. Fat that is mobilized
expresses strong primordial power and a sense of graceful fluidity. Fat that
is embraced offers nurturing comfort. Skin: Skin is our outermost layer, covering our body in its
entirety and defining us as individuals by separating us from that which is
not us. Through our skin, we touch and are touched by the outer world.
The outer boundary is our first line of defense and bonding. It sets our
general tone of openness and closedness to being in the world -- through our
skin we are both invaded and protected, and we receive and make contact with
others. All Systems: While each system makes its own separate
contribution to the movement of body-mind, they are all interdependent,
together providing a complete framework of support and expression. Certain
systems are perceived as having natural affinities with others. However,
those affinities vary among individuals, among groups, and among cultures. We
discover their voices by consciously and unconsciously exploring them in
different combinations. DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT Underlying the forms of our expression through the body
systems is the process of our movement development, both ontogenetic (human
infant development) and phylogenetic (the evolutionary progression through
the animal kingdom). Development is not a linear process but occurs in overlapping
waves with each stage containing elements of all the others. Because each
previous stage underlies and supports each successive stage, any skipping,
interrupting, or failing to complete a stage of development can lead to
alignment / movement problems, imbalances withing the body systems, and
problems in perception, sequencing, organization, memory, and creativity. The developmental material includes primitive reflexes,
righting reactions, equilibrium responses, and the Basic Neurological
Patterns. These are the automatic movement responses that underlie our
volitional movement. The reflexes, righting reactions, and equilibrium responses
are the fundamental elements, or the alphabet, of our movement. They combine
to build the Basic Neurological Patterns, which are based upon prevertebrate
and vertebrate movement patterns. The first of the four prevertebrate
patterns is cellular breathing (the expanding/contracting process in
breathing and movement in each and every cell of the body) which correlates
to the movement of the one-celled animals. Cellular breathing underlies all
other patterns of movement and postural tone. Naval radiation (the relating and movement of all parts of the
body via the navel), mouthing (movement of the body initiated by the mouth),
and prespinal movement (soft sequential movements of the spine initiated via
the interface between the spinal cord and the digestive tract) are the other
three prevertebrate patterns. The twelve vertebrate patterns are based upon: spinal movement
(head to tail movement), which correlates to the movement of fish; homologous
movement (symmetrical movement of two upper and/or two lower limbs
simultaneously), which correlates to the movement of amphibians; homolateral
movement (asymmetrical movement of one upper limb and the lower limb on the
same side), which correlates to the movement of reptiles; and contralateral
movement (diagonal movement of one upper limb with the opposite lower limb),
which correlates to the movement of mammals. Development of the Basic Neurological patterns establishes our
basic movement patterns and corresponding perceptual relationships --
including spatial orientation and body image, and the basic elements of
learning and communication. In spinal movements, for example, we develop
rolling, establish the horizontal plane, differentiate the front of our
bodies from the back of our bodies, and gain the ability to attend. In homologous movements we develop symmetrical movements such
as push-ups and jumping with both feet, establish the sagittal plane,
differentiate the upper part of our bodies from the lower part of our bodies,
and gain the ability to act. In homolateral movements we develop asymmetrical movements
such as crawling on our bellies and hopping on one leg, establish the
vertical plane, differentiate the right side of our bodies from the left, and
gain the ability to intend. In contralateral movements we develop diagonal movements such
as creeping on our hands and forelegs, walking, running, and leaping;
establish three-dimensional movement; differentiate the diagonal quadrants of
our bodies; and gain the ability to integrate our attention, intention, and actions. The developmental movement-perceptual progression establishes
a process-oriented framework for the dialogue of the body systems, Aligning inner cellular awareness and movement with outer
awareness and movement through space within the context of the developmental
process can facilitate the evolution of our consciousness and alleviate the
body-mind problems at their root level. As we are more able to experience our
consciousness at the cellular and the tissue level, we are better able to
understand ourselves. As we increase our knowledge of ourselves, we increase
in understanding and compassion for others. As we experience the uniqueness
of our cells within the context of tissue harmony, we learn about
individuality within the context of community. As we gain awareness of our
diverse tissues and the nature of their expression in the outer world, we
expand our understanding of other cultures within the context of the Earth as
a whole and the awareness of our planet within the expanded consciousness of
the Universe. THE DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTION It is through our senses that we receive information for our
internal environment (ourselves) and the external environment (others and the
world). How we filter, modify, distort, accept, reject, and use that information
is part of the act of perceiving. When we choose to absorb information, we bond to that aspect
of our environment. When we block out information, we defend against that
aspect. Learning is the process by which we vary our responses to information
based on the context of each situation. In order to perceive clearly, our attention, concentration,
motivation or desire must actively focus us on what it is we are to perceive.
This aspect of perceiving we have named "active (or presensory motor)
focusing". It patterns our interpretation of sensory information, and
without this active focusing our perception remains poorly organized. Touch and movement are the first of the senses to develop.
They establish the baseline for future perception through taste, smell,
hearing, and vision. The mouth is the first extremity to grasp, release,
measure, reach, and withdraw. It sets the foundation for the movement of the
other extremities (hands, feet, and tail) and develops in close association
with the nose. Movement of the head initiated from the mouth and nose
underlie movement of the head initiated from the ears and eyes. Auditory
tone, body postural tone, vibration, and movement are registered in the inner
ear and are intimately related. Vision is dependent upon all the previous
senses and, in turn, helps to integrate them into more complex patterns. BREATHING AND VOCALIZATION Our ability to embody the structural and physiological
processes underlying breathing and vocal production gives us another
important way to establish our relationship to ourselves and to our
environment. Breathing is automatic. It is influenced by internal
physiological and psychological states and by external environmental factors.
The way we breathe also influences our behavior and physical functioning. Breathing is internal movement. It underlies movement of the
body through external space. Movement, in turn, alters our breathing. Breathing is organized in patterns. These patterns are
influenced by emotional stimuli. They also evoke emotional responses. Our
first breath, at birth, influences the pattern of our adult breathing. Breathing can be consciously known. As the breathing process
is sensed and felt, unconscious blocks can be released. It is through the expressive qualities of our voice that we
communicate to the outer world who we are. Our voice reflects the functioning
of all of our body systems and the process of our developmental integration.
Bringing kinesthetic and auditory consciousness to our vocal structures opens
pathways of expression between our unconscious and our conscious mind and
between ourselves and others. THE ART OF TOUCH AND REPATTERNING When we touch someone, they touch us equally. The subtle
interplay between body and mind can be experienced clearly though touching others.
The art of touch and repatterning is an exploration of communication through
touch -- the transmission and acceptance of the flow of energy within
ourselves and between ourselves and others. In hands-on work, through touching in different rhythms, through
placement of attention within specific layers of the body, through following
existing lines of force and suggesting new ones, and through changes in the
pressure and quality of our touch, we come into harmony with the different
tissues and their associated qualities of mind. We begin with cellular
presence (cellular breathing) and focus on the resonation and dialogue
between client and practitioner. Each tissue of the client is explored from
the corresponding tissue of the practitioner, i.e., bone from bone, organ
from organ, fluid from fluid, etc. The initiation of intent, based upon what
each person is perceiving, may be shared consciously and/or unconsciously by
both people. Acceptance and curiosity guide the inquiry. Through mutual
resonance between client and practitioner, attention is given to discovering
the primary tissues through which the clients express themselves and those
tissues which are usually in shadow, so that the supporting tissues can be
given voice and the articulating ones be allowed to recuperate. This shifting
of energy expression allows for more choices and expanded consciousness of
body-mind for both the client/student and the practitioner/teacher. APPLICATIONS Body-Mind Centering® stands independently as an encompassing
and creative educational and therapeutic approach. Deeply grounded in the
relationship between movement, touch, the body and the mind, it can also be
applied to almost any area of human experience. The following descriptions
are some examples of how this work is being applied. Dance and movement: dance technique; a full, body-systems
warm-up; improving alignment, flexibility, strength and integration; injury
prevention and retraining; creating themes for improvisation; expanding
choreographic possibilities; increasing movement vocabulary; providing a
language for analyzing dance styles historically, contemporarily and
cross-culturally. Bodywork and massage: communicating subtly through touch by
differentiating different layers of tissue; multi-body-systems approach for
evaluation and treatment; creating a bridge between table work and active
movement repatterning, giving clients a way to integrate changes through
their movement in daily life. Physical, occupational, dance and movement therapy: evaluating
and treating through touch, movement and perception, based on a comprehensive
body-systems approach; a subtle and encompassing approach to developmental
movement; ways of perceiving underlying components of problems, such as fluid
quality imbalances in neurological problems, developmental movement aspects
of a knee problem, and organ imbalance influencing an inability to relate to
others; and approaching psychophysical processes through movement, touch,
breath and voice. Psychotherapy: accessing the mind by working with the body
through movement, touch, breath, voice and perception; the psychophysical
processes underlying emotional and cognitive problems; tracing pre-verbal
experience through movement and touch; grounding the past and future in one's
present awareness and movement. Child development and education: identifying from early
infancy, movement and perceptual problems that influence learning, and
physical, mental and emotional development; facilitating normal development
in a uniquely individualized way for each child; establishing rapport through
movement, touch and voice; evaluating through a body-systems and
developmental approach. Yoga: finding the organ, endocrine and developmental basis of
the asanas; supporting the asanas through the balance of the nervous and
fluid systems; deepening awareness and perception; embodying breath and
voice. Meditation: the physical arts of sitting and breathing; coming
into the present in the body-mind; being aware and letting go of being aware. Athletics: performance enhancement through improved alignment
and increased flexibility, strength and coordination; development of more
efficiency by integrating movement and perception; injury prevention and
retraining. Voice: identifying restrictions and freeing the natural voice;
increasing breathing and range of pitch, intensity and color of the voice;
using the whole body to support breathing and vocalization; analyzing styles
historically, contemporarily and cross-culturally. Music: improving performance through alignment, flexibility,
strength and integration; a movement-quality base for creating themes for
improvisation and interpretation; injury prevention and retraining. Visual arts: a body-based and developmental approach to
freeing direct expression through one's art; a language for evaluating
styles. |