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Old 12-01-2011, 05:55 PM   #22
Pauliina Lievonen
 
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Dojo: Jiki Shin Kan Utrecht
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 562
Netherlands
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Re: Putting IS/Aiki back into Aikido?

Quote:
Joel Zimba wrote: View Post
Hi Pauliina, (been a long time)

Care to discuss opening the body as it relates to your Alexander experience. ?? Center in general, and what might be similar or different?

Cheers,

Joel
Hi Joel, it sure has!

The interwebs ate my first attempt a couple days ago, possibly Jun was still fixing the forums or something...sorry for the delay in answering!

I'm not sure what you mean by opening the body? Though one of the effects of the kind of training we did at the recent seminar with Dan could be described as opening the body so maybe that's what you mean.

There are two things I like to separate, one is the way of going about the work one's doing, and the other is the results one's aiming at.

The way Dan works was something I was absolutely delighted about, because it fitted so well with Alexander work. Everything beginning with intent. The difference would be that the intensity of that intent and the effects of it on movement aren't usually taken that far in AT. It's usually not necessary either since most people aren't learning AT looking to become crazy powerful, just more coordinated and relaxed and able to move without or with less pain. So the goals are different.

One idea in the Alexander technique is that use, function and structure all influence each other. So if you use yourself differently, how you function will change and that may in time affect your structure as well. But the thing we always work on is use, and trying to change a students structure in any way directly or forcefully is a no no.

The exercises Dan taught I feel adress structure more directly, so that's another difference. I'm especially happy with a couple of them that give me a new tool to work on some slight tightness in connective tissue on one side of my spine and hip. Thing about connective tissue seems to be that it (unlike muscle) doesn't really respond much to intent, it really needs to be streched and worked over a longer period of time before it begings to change. And it seems to me the connectedness that one can feel in people's bodies who have done "internal stuff" for a while comes from connective tissue that has gotten stronger.

I remember someone writing here about theories about fascia contracting but I don't think that's quite the case, rather if your musculature works in really efficient way, and your bones are organized to carry and transmit weight as directly as possible, then the next weak link to strengthen is connective tissue that has to transmit the power the muscles generate. To put things very simply.

Talking about intent, whenever Dan asked us to think intent in some direction or another, not once did those instructions contradict anything I've learned in AT. It was funny really. Ok there was one minor thing I disagreed about, that's all.

Center - you know, I hardly ever think about "center". I prefer to think of the whole spine, or even better, my whole body, or on a really good day, the space I'm in, with me as a part of that three dimensional space. Wonder if that makes any sense to anyone else. :P

I'll be happy to write more, but it's 1:54 am here and I probably should go to bed sometime soon...

Pauliina
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