Essence of Biodynamics #1

I recently had a conversation with a student who finished the Listening Hands introductory Module 1 and remarked, “it’s all about Inclusive Attention. Right?”

I replied, “Absolutely! Unless you practice Inclusive Attention (IA) and Presence, you won’t be able to perceive, synchronize with, and augment the more subtle and profound expressions of WHOLENESS present in the fascia, the fluid body, or the tidal body. I added, “And there is one more essential. Always “listen for” and synchronize with EASE.” 

Inclusive Attention, Listening, and Always Synchronizing with Ease underpin everything introduced in the LHS curriculum. Through out the 6 module training, we explore how to apply these fundamentals to all of the body and its fields.

IA is practicing the felt sense of Presence. We create a “sphere of perception” around us within which there is an experience of grounding, whole body sensations, expansive perception, a neutral frame of mind and client contact. The sense of this can be one of “grounded buoyancy”.

Listening requires that we have no agenda, we are neutral. 

Listening is very valuable to practice and it is harder to integrate into our practice. The “not doing” of “listening” is difficult at first because our clients are paying us “to do something” so we want to do something.  We also haven’t had enough experience of the benefits of “listening” to feel confident of its dramatic effect.

The essence of Biodynamics is exploring Wholeness as a therapeutic tool. Wholeness doesn’t have divisions. Unlike our physical reality, there are no polarities in Wholeness. If we want to perceive Wholeness in our clients, then we have to come from an experience of wholeness in ourselves – embodied Wholeness. We include in our attention our physical body, our chattering mind, a sense of heaviness (earth) and spaciousness (heavens), and our ability to be with our client and ourself at the same time. Can we be in a state of balance within all of this? When we are in a state of balance (neutral) we are not being pulled this way and that way by our thoughts or externalities. 

From the mindfulness of IA, we can  synchronize with ease within our clients at whatever level we are perceiving (physical body, fluid body, tidal body). Ease is a state of balance. It feels spacious, fluid, and flowing. Synchronizing with ease in the fascia is learning to find a state of balance within the reciprocal tensions of that ubiquitous network. 

A state of balance is a place of rest or stillness. 

These states of stillness are doorways for the Health to enter into the therapeutic process. As we become more proficient at finding / allowing states of balance to arise, their therapeutic effect becomes more global within the body at more refined levels. 

“Listening skills” are important to find states of balance in the fascia. With practice, these skills become refined and lead to perceiving the Fluid Body and Wholeness as expressed by Primary Respiration and Inherent motion. Listening is a proven pathway requiring patience,  the continual practicing Presence, and synchronizing with ease. (Remember that Presence isn’t just for your treatment room but can be practiced in the grocery store.)  

If you do nothing else in your sessions, practice Inclusive Attention and always synchronize with ease.