Shared Experiences, Joint Savoring
Shared Experiences, Joint Savoring
Researchers are now using the term “joint savoring” to refer to shared experiences and the potency of exploring and practicing things together. The studies find that when you do something with another person and share the experience, it creates stronger relationships, greater confidence, and fewer communication breakdowns, even in stressful situations. This helps build more skills to flourish, create greater awareness and connections, and awaken insights and a sense of purpose, which are the essential dimensions of well-being. Just as your muscles need load to respond and build stronger bones and connections, your brain also needs new connections to work better with a similar type of load. This helps create the interplay between the physical and the inner, mind work, for optimal growth and resilience.
Joint savoring is about sharing these experiences together, and it’s this kind of sharing that fosters better communication among family, friends, and colleagues. Without it, there is a high risk of miscommunication and increased stress, especially in work situations. The findings all show that stress doesn’t erode the relationships of those who practice together. While stresses may still be there, there is a different way of learning and communicating, so that, even with stresses, one learns better how to navigate these situations together rather than alone.
“If you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” – John Irving
I have the pleasure and respect of those I work with, and I support them in their learning process. Whether they want to move out of chronic pain, improve their game or whatever reason they come to work with me, how to set reasonable goals and dreams, and to find ways to navigate toward greater self-awareness and fluidity in how they think, feel, and move. And while the results matter, the process is even more important. You can never really control the outcome, but you can be better prepared for the unknown and what actually happens. The idea I share is: can you study what actually happens? So many athletes review the tapes of their sport to find what eluded them. Can you begin to recognize patterns you hadn’t noticed? These patterns are our habits that play out quickly when you are not able to really slow the process down and pay attention to refine coordination. We work patiently together to recognize the less-than-optimal patterns that created the “mistakes” and explore them without judgment to better build your capacity in little, incremental steps. The learning pathway is not linear but has ups and downs. How to be present to recognize, with these ups and downs that are part of life, that progress is the process of awareness and the accumulation of many intelligent steps.
My passion and focus are sharing the benefits of this slowing down to awaken to what we actually do. The Feldenkrais Method® offers a patient, detailed, and slower way to learn about how your body and mind work together. They are not two separate parts but rather an integrated whole that awakens, fosters growth and resilience, and, as I often say, helps you find your neutral. Whether through the Awareness Through Movement (ATM)® lessons or the hands-on Functional Integration (FI)® sessions, you can awaken to this joint savoring in relationship to reclaim your dignity and make improvements through this respectful and intelligent practice.
“I believe that the possibility of a better future humanity is nearer to our grasp than is presumed by the gloomy outlook of self-destruction that is predicted and held by many. A society in which its members are only so many units composing it is not the final form of society. A society of men and women and greater awareness of themselves will, I believe, be one that will work for the human dignity of its members rather than primarily for the abstract, collective notion of human society.” – Dr.Moshe Feldenkrais: Somatics, 1979
I hope I’ve earned the privilege of your time and attention this week. Wishing you all a happy Spring, Easter and Passover this week.
Warmest,
Peggi
