Thread: What is "IT"?
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Old 10-06-2009, 02:52 PM   #166
David Orange
Dojo: Aozora Dojo
Location: Birmingham, AL
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Re: What is "IT"?

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
Do think that one could learn IT by The Feldenkrais Method ?
Not from any teacher I've met and not by applying TFM to the aikido teachings I received. That application resulted in my "Zero Degree" teaching method, which did go a long way in the right direction, but which would never have resulted in my developing power such as Dan and Ark have demonstrated.

Is that how you started learning IT?[/quote]

No. I started learning IT by arguing like hell with Mike Sigman and Rob John on e-budo, exchanging opinions and e-mails and twisting fine points to no avail.

The Feldenkrais did open the door to my understanding, however, when I was lying on the floor one night, working on relaxation. I found a point and relaxed it, and when I did, I felt the relaxation surge up along the side of my body and out into my left arm. It was a feeling I'd had many times before, but I had always accounted it to "muscles relaxing". This time, I realized that what I felt was not muscles relaxing, but a whole bunch of fascial tissue. When I felt that, I realized through direct recognition that the fascia is actually a single whole-body-permeating system, separate from the muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels and viscera of the body. When I understood that, I realized what Mike Sigman had been talking about with "the suit". Then I began to wonder how the heck you could "use" that fascial component of the whole body for MA techniques.

After that, I began to understand Mike and Rob's comments better and the more I read, the more they unlocked for me and the more I was also able to understand Dan Harden's comments. See this thread:

http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showth...hlight=Leather

After that, it started coming more quickly to me and eventually I was very fortunate and blessed to be able to meet with Ark, and later with Dan.

So Feldenkrais was not the method of my discovery, but it is a very useful tool in learning to sense with the body. It magnifies one's ability to sense, especially to sense amounts of effort, and the inner connectedness of the whole body.

Feldenkrais alone will not impart MA internal skills but it will develop one's ability to learn and assimilate the skills.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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