Tuning In
Tuning In
You may know the song from Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” ballet, while the lyrics come from “Simple Gifts”, a beloved 1848 American Shaker song written by Elder Joseph Brackett. I am sharing this concept of the gift of kindness in giving and also in receiving, and how to share this process between giving and receiving, which allows for balance.
How to create happiness? “It is easy to give, so exquisitely rewarding.” – John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck, the great American author known for his moral philosophizing, grew up in the early 1900s, witnessing the hardships of working-class Americans, as well as the horrors of WWI that defined his work. He shared from his travel journey that the simple act of giving, whether it be time, things, or opportunities, to those known and unknown in need reveals the best of humanity. For centuries, this recurring theme surfaces because we unfortunately still need to remember what we forget about kindness for others, especially those different from ourselves and less fortunate.
The difficulty in receiving, which is a more vulnerable act than giving, awakens the ability to feel and understand another. When you can feel within yourself what others experience, you begin to understand, experience empathy, and connect with others rather than feel separated and often judgmental of what you don’t understand or know. Too often, these emotions are driven by fear of the unknown and by what one wants to control and hold onto. While we can’t step into another’s shoes, we can awaken compassion for our fellow beings, not just humans, but nature, our environment, and the wonders of the animal kingdom, allowing us to become more compassionate.
Now, how does this relate to The Feldenkrais Method®, a dynamic learning system through movement that helps us recover our human potential?
To start, you learn how to awaken your own learning process. It started in utero and was a complete sensory experience. Tapping back into this process enables each person who is curious to find more balance and optimal ways of organizing, rather than tuning out and, at times, falling into the cracks or a rabbit hole. How to tune in and begin to awaken to sensations and feelings that help guide each one to a better place.
Often, it’s outside your known awareness, your thought of another option to explore. Here’s where curiosity and the gift of giving yourself time to awaken to something, whether forgotten or outside your known experience, are important. How to pause, listen to internal sensations, what are the thoughts, images that awaken within, and how to manage your thoughts, impulses to ask, is this how I would want to be or behave towards another?
Finding a more gentle and compassionate way to cope with your life and, therefore, to become more present towards others less fortunate is so important. I hope this concept is something one would want to pass on to the youth, as this is their world now, and they need to find a better way to progress and move forward. No one can ever go back in time, so be curious about how to move forward with kindness, intelligence, and compassion to leave the world better than it is at this moment in time.
“My purpose is to allow people to move closer to actually being creatures of free choice, to genuinely reflect individual creativity and emotion, freeing the body of habitual tensions and wired-patterns of behavior so that it may respond without inhibition to do what the person wants.” – Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais
I hope I’ve earned the privilege of your time and attention.
Wishing you a world that awakens to kindness and giving so that we all can receive the very best this life has to offer.
Warmest,
Peggi
