Neuroplasticity: Feldenkrais X-Files
One-hour class with audio recording and discussion
In April on Tuesdays at 11 east coast time
(scroll down for info on the Peripheral Gaze)
This class is for inviting flexibility in spatial, societal, logical, illogical, aesthetic and creative endeavors. It is a mind-cluck, often a pleasure and sometimes a torrential confusion of epiphanies, insights and delights.
In Body Wisdom, movement is used as a way to invite awareness. Carie will often ask you a question with a meta-question—not just ‘do you feel how your ribs expand?’ but ‘how do you feel how your ribs expand?’ Your consciousness of your awareness flirts with the brain’s habitual approaches. And when you think differently about how you think, a mental (and emotional) analog to flexible muscles can be the result.
These lessons are all about slow, gentle, meditative movement—just as most of the other series are—but in this one, Carie will emphasize what she calls ‘brain flips.’ Instead of thinking about your self-image from the skin in, can you construct an image of your movements as though from space outside of yourself to your skin—what artists call negative space? Instead of using visual imagery, can you map yourself as though with a tuning fork, through vibration, using your ancient vibration wetware instead of your visual wetware? Can you shed the use of visual muscles when engaging in non-visual cognitive tasks—and how does that feel? Can you construct a ‘moodscape’--noticing not just how movement changes your sense of your fleshy self but also your sense of your emotional body? Do some of your inner senses have trouble reconciling their data—often a source of conflict when balance goes by the wayside? Can your awareness influence that reconciliation?
As with all the series, you are the real teacher. You choose what you want to keep and what you want to slough off. And—you know—have fun.
Coming in April: The Peripheral Gaze
This weekly zoom class addresses the relationship between peripheral vision, gut clench, mood, dementia and balance—and yes, there really is a significant relationship. Participate in a collaborative class that includes a wide range of people with relevant expertise—including memory care—, have fun, deepen your understanding of what other people might be ‘seeing’ and become more aware and deft with your vision, balance and mood.
For you, happier eyes could also mean a happier brain, less strain, better balance and even more profound compassion–yes, all that. It all springs from awareness.
How you use your eyes has a great influence on your attitude–or more scientifically, your cognition, your endocrine system and even your cardiovascular system. A peripheral gaze shifts you into a calm, safe mode while a foveal gaze is more appropriate to critical tasks. This coupling of eyes and attitude can create a spiral: if we are calm, we are more likely to use a peripheral gaze and if we are using a peripheral gaze, we are more likely to be calm.
For more information about this class, I have started a blog-ish that outlines the class concept, talks about the participants (ideally regular folk, care partners, experts in memory care and elder health clowns, people looking for help with vision transitions and those interested in cognitive resilience), reflects on collaboration in the class and .
The ‘blog’ is broken into three sections: info on the class, research summaries and answers to questions people have had about the class.
In this class, you will become more aware of your shift from one system to another. With awareness comes greater influence, allowing you to support the attitude that is most appropriate to a given situation, whether you are supporting yourself or another.
Is this a brain thing or an eyeball thing? It is both, and actually more. Yes, you’ll become more aware of the shift from foveal to peripheral perspectives, and more in choice. Yes, the coordination of the muscles of your eyes will be more harmonious. Yes, there will be less strain on the eyes as you learn that you don’t really need to squinch your eyes to do a math problem.
More benefits? The way you integrate vision with other senses–your inner ear, vibration, hearing–will be refreshed, which helps immensely with balance and security.
And yet more? Your compassion becomes deeper and more textured. Your awareness of your own shifts from peripheral to foveal will help you more fully understand another person’s shifts and confusions as their vision changes. –Understand and beneficially influence. Yes.
Note: There’s quite a cross-over between neuroplasticity and aging—especially with the peripheral gaze. Check out the information in the ‘aging well’ section: growing your repertoire as you age.