The client seemed to have drifted off. My hands had arrived at her right knee and I sensed emotional distress swirling inside it. Curious, I turned my attention to an image that arose in my mind’s eye. A young woman was weeping by a stream, her hair and tears flowing into the water. Silently I asked this woman why she was crying. Immediately I saw a hand mirror floating downstream. “I lost my hand mirror,” she said. I asked what would happen if she had it. I saw her lift the mirror to her face. She broke into a joy-filled smile seeing her own beauty and the mirror shattered. The woman was still joyfully smiling. The energy in the knee calmed and settled.

A little later on in the session, I arrived at the client’s pelvis: one hand underneath her sacrum (the central keystone bone of the posterior pelvis) and the other resting on her lower abdomen. The sacrum felt very much locked in place. There should be ease and some play in the sacrum between the two pelvic halves, but this sacrum felt very stubborn, as if it was refusing to move. I backed off on my desire to make it budge and lightened my touch. Once I had given the sacrum more room, another image came to me. This time it was a boulder.

I initiated another silent conversation: “Hello boulder,” I said. “Hello,” it replied. “My,” I said, “you really are a tremendous boulder. You are so good at being a boulder.” The boulder proudly replied that it was. I gave it more of my admiration and it began to glow. I asked the boulder what its job was. “To protect,” it replied. “Protect what?” I asked. I then saw that it was blocking the entrance to a cave. “How do you feel protecting this cave?” I asked. Its reply surprised me. “Sad,” it said. I could sense and see that the boulder was protecting the treasure of the client’s inner life. Here was another metaphor for the client’s desire to be seen. It seemed time to rouse her.

I told the client about these two silent conversations. She began to cry. She said that it sounded like it was about her husband. She was going through a period of grieving that her husband was not acknowledging the fullness of who she was–particularly as she was growing into a new part of her life that was deeply important to her. I spoke of the importance of reflection, that we need people–ideally including our partners–to acknowledge and reflect back our beauty, emotions, thoughts, our vibrant selves. To feel acknowledged, seen and known often is a relief and joy. Who we are is confirmed and welcomed. We can allow ourselves to shine and enjoy that shininess.

Continuum teacher and somatic practitioner Mary Abrams described it this way recently in her newsletter: “Being seen with interested, compassionate and accepting eyes is . . . required for human life to thrive. When one experiences the genuine acceptance of another’s interested attention and trusted touch, the joy of self-recognition can flow freely.” This was the joy of the woman see her reflection in the mirror. At the time, I could not fully cognitively comprehend the metaphor’s meaning, but when I read Mary’s words, I felt she had described its essence. That is why the mirror shattering is particularly beautiful: once it had fulfilled its role, it was no longer needed. The woman had been brought into the joy of self-recognition.

As a Polarity Therapy practitioner, this role of reflection is often an essential part of what I offer to my clients. I am meeting my clients through the touch of their tissues and energies, by words both spoken and unspoken, and by images. I reflect back to the client (if the client is open to dialogue) that which arises to my attention so that we can explore and discover together the fullness and richness of their being. It can be a deeply satisfying process for both the client and myself. For me, this is the heart of somatic work and the beauty of what Polarity Therapy has to offer.

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YCT! is open every Sunday and located in a spacious and sunny facility on University Place between 11th and 12th. Founder Luana DeAngelis-Halpern and her all-volunteer staff ensure a warm and nurturing atmosphere to all who arrive for care and treatment. I am both delighted and grateful for the opportunity to use my skills and gifts in Polarity Therapy in this setting.

If you or someone you know has breast cancer or has survived breast cancer, I highly recommend trying the services of YCT!. You can read its many positive reviews here.

I also enthusiastically recommend volunteering. YCT! asks for a commitment of three to five hours one Sunday a month for six months. When there is time available, the practitioners are encouraged to share their work with one another. How wonderful to get a little care yourself!

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Woven in between the dances were dancer’s memories of working with Bausch. One recalled feeling lost during the rehearsal process when new to the company. Bausch’s response struck me: to search oneself without knowing what you are searching for. That’s a brave act, no? It might sound a little koan-esque, but that unmooring takes a lot of courage. This inward journeying without a goal, of course, is not an act available only to artists and meditators. Though someone may come to me for Polarity Therapy to feel more relaxed, during the session the client might find herself discovering uncharted emotional and physical territory. In Gyrotonic, even though there may be a specificity to the choreography of exercises, the exercises themselves can be a container within which the client dives into a more open-ended self-exploration. It both awes and thrills me to witness my clients allowing themselves to contact previously unknown parts of themselves. It can be an infinite journey.

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(Am I showing my age using the word “fly?”)

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Being a Taurus, this all seems rather remarkable. An earth-bound creature, one would think I would settle in and stay. And, in fact, looking back I have almost always moved because I was forced to: an end of a lease, a roommate pushes me out (way back when, folks), bed bugs (ugh!), a relationship ends (phew!), etc.

What has been steady and constant in my life all this time is the city and my work. For a long time this was enough. People speak of the paradox of being lonely in the city while surrounded by millions of people. However I have found the density and energy of the city acts as a greater surrounding body that supports my adventuring within it.

Back when I was a dancer and waitress, then dancer/waitress/teacher, I spent little time at home. My homes were at studios where I took classes (heartfelt thanks to Moving Body Resources), the restaurants where I was working (kudos Edward’s!) and the studios where I taught (many thanks Movement & Beyond). Since my injury more than three years ago, dance classes and serving food have been left to the wayside.  I have dropped into a deep healing process that continues today. It is now time for to find a home for rest, regeneration and joy.

Can this be found on Craigslist? Or for that matter in New York City?

Do I have to follow the dictates of New York’s real estate market, or can something be born to answer my heart’s desire?

I have made lists of qualities I want for my future home; I have trolled Craigslist and StreetEasy; I have spoken with friends; I have contacted a broker or two; I have imagined over and over about what kind of home will feed me to my heart’s content.

I am writing this now in a pied-à-terre on loan for a week. Sunlight is pouring in. It’s peaceful. There’s a wooden floor for me to lie on. It gives me hope that what on practical terms might seem impossible is possible.

If I dive deeper into my heart, will I step into a new home meant for me?

Or will the universe pick up on my blog post?

Light

Air

Wooden floor

Space

Kitchen made for cooking

Good neighbors

Trees

Community

Dog-enthusiastic

Thank you.

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At last t-shirt days and balmy nights have arrived. As we slip into our flip-flops, we might be very tempted to leave far behind us memories of March and April’s inclement weather. We had a bumpy ride of windy and rainy days with plunging and rising temperatures.  I overheard many a co-worker and client griping and grumping.

Eager to shed our winter layers, many of us seem to annually suffer from seasonal amnesia about the tempestuous nature of winter’s transition into spring. I will grant that this year’s stormy spring seemed to stretch longer than those in the past, but nonetheless the atmospheric churning is a necessary outcome of the warming air.

Just as the weather shifts, so too do our bodies. Factors such as sleep, nutrition, emotional stress and the energies of our environment can all affect how are bodies behave on any given day.

When we are scheduled for a workout, we would often like the session to be all blue skies and sunshine: we want the body to be hearty and whole and challenged to its utmost. But then there is the reality of life: an illness saps the strength, a business trip twists and tightens the body, a family crisis absorbs the mind.

Then we must tend to the body’s needs. As much as we might desire to be running a marathon, perhaps we need to take a stroll instead, or even just simply lie down and breathe. Just as we might be longing for languorous, sunny picnics in the park, instead we stay inside and cozy up to a mug of tea.

The key is not to fight the reality of our atmospheric or bodily weather systems. Instead, see what is it is like to accept and work with what is present. Then you can see what is possible.

I have had clients who are disappointed with being slowed down or feeling set back in their workouts due to injuries or emotional stress. It can be discouraging. But during these “low” times, they are still learning in their sessions. They are gathering information into their nervous systems. It is much like weaving, in which every thread of a session–whether it is about finding subtle movements in the ribcage or bicycling while in a shoulder stand–creates a greater whole cloth. The body has greater integration and consequently greater fitness and health.

Then when the sunny, warm day does show itself, you can go sprinting with a whole and happy body.

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On October 16th, NY Spirals launched their first event for Gyrotonic instructors and studio-owners at the Fluid Fitness studio here in New York City. As I had mentioned in my previous post, for a long time I have been desiring a supportive and educational community for us Gyrotonic instructors, so I was very much looking forward to the evening. When I arrived, I was met with cheerful greetings and scrumptious noshing. Once we had all settled, we heard from three different speakers.

Headlining the event was Hilary Cartwright, a Gyrotonic master trainer who teaches Yoga for Dancers, the movement system from which the Gyrotonic method emerged. I will speak more of her presentation later in the post.

The following speaker was Janet StraightArrow, who spoke of the necessity of positive energy for successful networking. Janet’s ebullient nature was infectious and inspiring as she emphasized the importance of self-care for a flourishing business.

Concluding the evening was Anjie Cho, who taught us the fundamentals of BTB Feng Shui. It was pretty amusing as people turned their Feng Shui map this way and that, realizing that the energetic area for professional success was residing in their bathroom or stuck in their closet. Anjie re-assured us that through the use of various elements, such as mirrors, the energy could be properly re-aligned.

If you are a Gyrotonic instructor, please come to the next event being held at Fluid Fitness Studio on Saturday, January 29th from 5 to 8 pm. I will be leading the group through a few exercises to create support while teaching. Following will be a question and answer clinic with master trainers and a physical therapist. It will be fun and fascinating!

Moving Together

Hilary Cartwright teaching Yoga for Dancers

When Hilary Cartwright began to speak of the origins of Gyrotonic, the appetite to hear the history was palpable in the room. First and foremost, Hilary lauded the objective of NY Spirals: to foster a greater non-competitive Gyrotonic community. She spoke warmly of the time when the White Cloud Studio had been a place for exploration, investigation and sharing and expressed her hope that NY Spirals would create a similar gathering space for both Gyrotonic teachers and studio-owners.

Hilary has long been a part of the Gyrotonic world. She opened the White Cloud Studio with Juliu Horvath in 1982 on W 29th St and began to teach the Yoga for Dancers classes early on. She also administered the studio and staff for twelve years.

Hilary began her story with Juliu’s defection from Romania in1970 while he was on tour in Italy with the Ballet Company from Timosara. He and three others defected following a reception party after the last performance, clad only in their evening clothes in winter. They sought asylum at the German Embassy, as Juliu’s mother was originally German, but because his fellow dancers were not of German descent, they were turned away. They then headed to the Italian Embassy, all the while terrified that the KGB would discover them and haul them back to the company and  Romania. The Italian Embassy took them in and after spending six months in a refugee camp, Juliu and his friends were finally granted asylum in the United States.

In the States, Juliu continued to dance and delved into the practice of hatha and kundalini yoga. In addition, he studied Eastern energetic meridians, eventually becoming a very effective acupuncturist.  Around this time, Juliu consulted with guru Bua-Ji who advised him that he was not ready to become an “adept” and to go away and look deeper within himself. Much chagrined to be thought not worthy of being anointed, Juliu nonetheless returned to his practices to find his own path. We are fortunate that he did!

After several injuries, Juliu retreated to St. Thomas to teach ballet and to make his body whole again. It is there that he began to create exercises which healed his injuries and eventually became the foundation for Yoga for Dancers. After several years of incubating his method, Juliu returned to New York City to share his work.

Not long after, Hilary took her first Yoga for Dancers class: “Initially, I walked out feeling like I was floating on air.  I hadn’t a clue what it was I had just done but knew immediately it was something I needed to continue.  Later the depths of the work into the interior of one’s-self began to reveal themselves, as well as the values of what it could do for a dancer to understand how to work correctly and safely.” Smilingly, Hilary recalled how Juliu would lose track of the time, with his classes stretching out to two, three or four hours!

However, it became clear that not everyone understood how to use his or her body correctly for this new movement system. It was then that Juliu decided that equipment was needed to help guide people into proper form.

One day while walking along the street, Juliu picked up a couple of swivel chairs off the street (ah, the era of a bedbug-free New York!). He had in mind a way to use them to help teach dancers how to turn. In theory this seemed logical to Hilary, but when she saw his pages of drawings, she was both bemused and skeptical as they were difficult for her to decipher and imagine in action. Regardless, Juliu was wholly absorbed into seeing his visions manifest. These swiveling chairs were the genesis for the rotating handles that are now part and parcel of the Gyrotonic Pulley Tower. Juliu then added a door–another sidewalk find–for kneeling on.

An Original Gyrotonic Handle Unit

Since not everyone could comfortably kneel for long periods of time, a raised bench was devised. Pages of sketches and multiple trips to Canal Street hardware stores ensued. Hilary recalled when Juliu would emerge from the studio’s kitchen-turned-wood shop covered head-to-toe in wood dust.

The results were completely unique pieces of equipment in which weight resistance and traction were provided primarily by a suspended cable system, allowing a limitless reach or extension for the body. Beauty was also an important aspect to the equipment. In some of the earlier models, hand-carved, curvilinear wooden forms were laid on top of the plates of the handle unit, purely for their decoration. Each piece of equipment was unique, as Juliu’s creative juices flowed into his woodworking.

Hilary concluded her tale by fondly recalling this early period of sharing and investigation, as teachers and students enthusiastically explored the possibilities of the Gyrotonic system. Like Hilary, I look forward to future NY Spirals events where the Gyrotonic community can come together to share, support and encourage one another as we perpetuate this amazing, living form.

Some of the above text is Hilary’s, who kindly took part in filling in the gaps where my memory was lacking. Many thanks for her contribution.©

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However, all of this sensitivity can sometimes leave a teacher feeling overwhelmed or drained. Also, we might not only be sensitive to our own clients, but we can be especially susceptible to the environment that surrounds us, whether that is a noisy studio or the hectic city outside.

On January 29th, NY Spirals is holding an event in which I will guide teachers through  awareness exercises aimed at lending support while teaching. Following this will be a teaching lab in which instructors with 5+ years of experience, master trainers and a physical therapist will address issues raised by teachers.

I am very excited about the formation of NY Spirals. According to their website, NY Spirals is “a community of Gyrotonic instructors/studio owners who are interested in promoting the Gyrotonic method through education, research, marketing and networking.” For years I have been longing for such a forum where we teachers could share information, ideas and questions about this amazing technique.

This upcoming event will be held at Fluid Fitness on Saturday, January 29th from 5 to 8 pm.

The address is 1026 Avenue of the Americas (between 38th and 39th Street), 5th Floor.

If you are an interested Gyrotonic instructor, come join us in exploring ways to find grounding, space and breath in caring for ourselves as we teach–and then fire away with those questions!

See you there!

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Walking into Bryant Park, I passed by this woman patiently sitting at her table at the corner entrance. Like a seasoned New Yorker, I was going to absorb the scene with a flicker and move on. But her sign piqued my interest: “Would you like to exchange your proverbs or mantras with me?”

I backed up and asked her what this was all about. When she told me that it was part of an art project, I joined her at the table and quickly wrote my mantra of the day on a card: “Reveal yourself.” In return the woman handed me her card printed with the Korean greeting: “Bok Baduseyo.” Loosely translated it means “May prosperity/good fortune come to you.”

Perhaps some day people will wander into a gallery and read my card, thinking that I am enjoining them to be brave and show the world their true, authentic selves! I am not that pushy. Instead, my phrase had come from my previous night’s meditation. For years when I have directed my attention inward, I have actively sought sensations, images and emotions, like a squirrel looking for nuts. But that night I trusted that the movements were there and I kept an open attention, asking my body to reveal itself. Great depths of new experiences bloomed.

Likewise, a very similar process is occurring as my work deepens in Gyrotonic. The other day I was working on abdominal curls. For everything to connect properly for the curl, I had to shed various tensions, opening and surrendering myself into the central length of my spine. This surrendering allowed my spine to automatically–and its seemed to me magically–curl upwards. My body revealed itself.

Neither the meditation nor Gyrotonic experiences would have happened without years of cultivating and attuning an awareness of subtle sensations, as well as spending years of softening, dissolving or stripping away inlaid defenses.  Then the work could fall and I was simply in my body, in all of its amazing richness and beauty.

Do you ever use a mantra-like phrase for yourself? I am very curious to hear it.

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Two key elements that we all share as movement students are shown in this video :

1) Interest! If we aren’t interested in the exploration, change simply won’t happen. And not only is baby Liv interested, she is also enjoying herself. Her enjoyment gives grace and speed to her movement development.

2) Practice, practice, practice! To create new movement patterns, it takes many, many forays into new movement land–whether we are little people or big people.

Enjoy!

A Feldenkrais Class by Baby Liv from Irene Gutteridge on Vimeo.

If your browser doesn’t run the video, here is the link.

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