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Engaging the Movement of Life: Exploring Health and Embodiment Through Osteopathy and Continuum
Engaging the Movement of Life is an invitation to discover new ways to experience health and embodiment. Osteopathic physician and Continuum Movement teacher Bonnie Gintis offers an approach that encompasses fluid movement, open attention, and awareness of sensation and breath as empowering practices to enrich all aspects of life. She presents a philosophy in which the body is a portal to “something greater”—an opportunity to join a grand experiment in deepening consciousness and connectedness.
Moving fluidly increases our vitality, just as water in the natural world is vitalized by flowing freely. Chronicling a path that encompasses views of body, mind, and spirit as a self-healing intercommunicating whole, Engaging the Movement of Life is equally useful for medical professionals, bodyworkers, exercise enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers.
Moving fluidly increases our vitality, just as water in the natural world is vitalized by flowing freely. Chronicling a path that encompasses views of body, mind, and spirit as a self-healing intercommunicating whole, Engaging the Movement of Life is equally useful for medical professionals, bodyworkers, exercise enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers.
- GenresSpiritualityNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 2007
6 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 27, 2009
I'm rereading this book, which is one of my favorites. It is geared towards bodyworkers, craniosacral therapists, and Doctors of Osteopathy, but anyone can benefit from what Gintis explores. Gintis leads an illuminating journey through the fluid body, fluid awareness, and how our fluid origins inform embodiment.
July 1, 2014
A quick and easy read, Engaging in the Movement of Life is a fascinating intro to osteopathy and Continuum. Following the principles that health is holistic and intimately tied to our environment and surroundings, Gintis looks to how the body--made primarily of water--flows in its processes and movement.
She explains that we are reflections of the universe and that our current approach to health is disjointed and reductionist. Part mindfulness, part spiritual, Engaging in the Movement of Life takes a stance on health that is inclusive, awareness-driven, and open. Instead of seeking remedies external to ourselves, Gintis posits that we remain curious and open to the messages wrapped in pain and discomfort and explore those as opportunities to better know ourselves.
A few gems:
- "...the power of bypassing psyuchological dissaray and touching something greater, something deepers and more meaningful, and providing a sense of connectedness. A charged memory and all of its neurlolgic pathways, associations, and behaviors can be profoundly influenced when we come into relationship with something that touches us in a way that feels more significant than our story of how or why we think we suffer. A sense of belonging transcends the limited scope of personal relationships can arise when we allow ourselves to touch the vitality of the life force, the wisdom of the natural world, and the potency of the movement of transpersonal love." (p. 52)
- "Appreciating the body's relationship to space as more than just 'taking up space' allows another arena of inquiry to open ... We don't just displace and occupy space--we enfold and contain space ... I sense the potency of the space in and around me." (p. 53)
- "Where I used to see isolated people, things, or events, I see an elaborate web of possible connections." (p. 53)
- "Living life in a spirit of inquiry has been far more fascinating, fruitful, and satisfying than any of the specific answers to my questions. My known world expands exponentially as I become willing to enter this inquiry, informed by my silent, felt world." (p. 54)
- "There is a countless number of rhythms expressing thesmelves simultaneously in the body. Their quality is usually more significant than their rate. The perception of these rhythms is dependent on a combination of conditions in both the subject/patient and the person 'giving' the treatment." (p. 109)
- The difference between the "tide" or "fluids of the body" and the "potency" or "life force" coursing through the tide: Hinduism calls it prana. Chinese call it chi. Hebrew calls it ruach. "So many cultures and religions symbolize life energy through the movement of water and rhythmic breath-like motions." (p. 109)
- Expectations of being healed from pain or discomfort, either because we believe we can heal ourselves, deny pain, or look for healing externally. By searching for a fix, a commodity that can be purchased (pills, dr visit), "they are not allowing themselves to be deeply informed by what they are actually feeling." (p. 135)
- "Although it is natural to want to feel good, if we accept the reality of the moment when we don't, it has less of a charge. We may feel disappoitned when we don't feel the way prefer, but unfulfilled expectation usually evokes a more intensely charged emotion, like feeling devastated. The more we are informed by what is actually happening, the better chance we have of making the right choices in taking care of ourselves." (p. 135)
- The meaning we assign to what we feel is important: We can create a narrative of suffering, or we can choose something else. Typically, we are unaware of the stories we assign our feelings. Choose not to get stuck in stories about fears, and instead, listen to the messages your body gives you. For instance, back pain might be glossed over, made to be insurmountable, etc. But, listening to the body might reveal that it's just a call to slow down, lose weight, quit your job, etc. (p. 138 - 9)
- Use Health as a point of reference to move and be generous to the body. Care for the body. BEING is more important than DOING. Be the movement--be in it. Don't just DO an exercise regimen. Listen to how your body wants to move and when. Exercising to burn calories to be thin perpetuates negative body image and affects you deeply psychically. Be cautious of the agenda behind how you care for yourself. Be motivated from within, having Health be an expression of self-love and respect for your life and the gifts it has to offer. Know if you exercise for an agenda, and if so, deal with those emotions and move for Health. For instance, do you hike because you secretly want to be thin or seen as outdoorsy? Or, do you hike for the beauty of nature? What happens if you can't hike anymore? Where will the feelings of needing to be thin or seen as outdoorsy trickle? (p. 141-3)
- Healing is self-expression, not self-improvement. (p. 147)
- "Holding on to the residue of the past and projecting it into the future does not leave space for the full expression of the potential held in the future. We can become misinformed and mislead about the prognosis for the future by the remanants of the past. Health and the therapeutic process can only be expressed fully if the path to the future is held clear and open for what has yeat to happen, to unfold and reveal itself. Health transcends time;potential is always accessible ... The actuality of the future cannot exist unitl it emerges, and once it does so, it is not in the future anymore ... healing can only happen to its fullest extent and potential if we hold the sapce for it to emerge and not clutter the filed with attempts to fix and resolve the past. The philosophical view of life unfolding in this manner can be seen as more fully expressing itself if the future moves into the present, rather than attempting to fix or resolve the past and mot it toward the future. Many philosophical, spiritual, and religious disciplines view life in this way. We begin by considering the pure potential of the future as something with no specific content other than infinite possibilities. We move into the present moment, which leaves a trace of its existence as the past. If caring for a problem requires action in the present, the need will be obvious and make itself known in the present, but only if the present is not cluttered with our ideas, opinions, and fears about the past and expecations of the future. Preoccupation with projecting the influence of the past into the future inhibits the expression of life's potential." (p. 146 - 7(
- Quoting Darlene Cohen: "If we practice paying attention to our body mainly to get rid of our suffering or to restore an ailing body to functioning rather than to express our life and our nature, it is a very narrow and vulnerable achievement. Just as a clay Buddha cannot go through the water or a wood Buddha cannot go through fire, a goal-oriented healing practice cannot permeate deeply enough. We must penetrate our anguish and pain so thoroughly that illness and health lose our distinction, allowing us to just live our lives ... Healing ourselves is like living our lives. It is not a preparation for anything else, nor a journey to another situation called wellness. It is its own self, it has its own value." (p. 139-40)
She explains that we are reflections of the universe and that our current approach to health is disjointed and reductionist. Part mindfulness, part spiritual, Engaging in the Movement of Life takes a stance on health that is inclusive, awareness-driven, and open. Instead of seeking remedies external to ourselves, Gintis posits that we remain curious and open to the messages wrapped in pain and discomfort and explore those as opportunities to better know ourselves.
A few gems:
- "...the power of bypassing psyuchological dissaray and touching something greater, something deepers and more meaningful, and providing a sense of connectedness. A charged memory and all of its neurlolgic pathways, associations, and behaviors can be profoundly influenced when we come into relationship with something that touches us in a way that feels more significant than our story of how or why we think we suffer. A sense of belonging transcends the limited scope of personal relationships can arise when we allow ourselves to touch the vitality of the life force, the wisdom of the natural world, and the potency of the movement of transpersonal love." (p. 52)
- "Appreciating the body's relationship to space as more than just 'taking up space' allows another arena of inquiry to open ... We don't just displace and occupy space--we enfold and contain space ... I sense the potency of the space in and around me." (p. 53)
- "Where I used to see isolated people, things, or events, I see an elaborate web of possible connections." (p. 53)
- "Living life in a spirit of inquiry has been far more fascinating, fruitful, and satisfying than any of the specific answers to my questions. My known world expands exponentially as I become willing to enter this inquiry, informed by my silent, felt world." (p. 54)
- "There is a countless number of rhythms expressing thesmelves simultaneously in the body. Their quality is usually more significant than their rate. The perception of these rhythms is dependent on a combination of conditions in both the subject/patient and the person 'giving' the treatment." (p. 109)
- The difference between the "tide" or "fluids of the body" and the "potency" or "life force" coursing through the tide: Hinduism calls it prana. Chinese call it chi. Hebrew calls it ruach. "So many cultures and religions symbolize life energy through the movement of water and rhythmic breath-like motions." (p. 109)
- Expectations of being healed from pain or discomfort, either because we believe we can heal ourselves, deny pain, or look for healing externally. By searching for a fix, a commodity that can be purchased (pills, dr visit), "they are not allowing themselves to be deeply informed by what they are actually feeling." (p. 135)
- "Although it is natural to want to feel good, if we accept the reality of the moment when we don't, it has less of a charge. We may feel disappoitned when we don't feel the way prefer, but unfulfilled expectation usually evokes a more intensely charged emotion, like feeling devastated. The more we are informed by what is actually happening, the better chance we have of making the right choices in taking care of ourselves." (p. 135)
- The meaning we assign to what we feel is important: We can create a narrative of suffering, or we can choose something else. Typically, we are unaware of the stories we assign our feelings. Choose not to get stuck in stories about fears, and instead, listen to the messages your body gives you. For instance, back pain might be glossed over, made to be insurmountable, etc. But, listening to the body might reveal that it's just a call to slow down, lose weight, quit your job, etc. (p. 138 - 9)
- Use Health as a point of reference to move and be generous to the body. Care for the body. BEING is more important than DOING. Be the movement--be in it. Don't just DO an exercise regimen. Listen to how your body wants to move and when. Exercising to burn calories to be thin perpetuates negative body image and affects you deeply psychically. Be cautious of the agenda behind how you care for yourself. Be motivated from within, having Health be an expression of self-love and respect for your life and the gifts it has to offer. Know if you exercise for an agenda, and if so, deal with those emotions and move for Health. For instance, do you hike because you secretly want to be thin or seen as outdoorsy? Or, do you hike for the beauty of nature? What happens if you can't hike anymore? Where will the feelings of needing to be thin or seen as outdoorsy trickle? (p. 141-3)
- Healing is self-expression, not self-improvement. (p. 147)
- "Holding on to the residue of the past and projecting it into the future does not leave space for the full expression of the potential held in the future. We can become misinformed and mislead about the prognosis for the future by the remanants of the past. Health and the therapeutic process can only be expressed fully if the path to the future is held clear and open for what has yeat to happen, to unfold and reveal itself. Health transcends time;potential is always accessible ... The actuality of the future cannot exist unitl it emerges, and once it does so, it is not in the future anymore ... healing can only happen to its fullest extent and potential if we hold the sapce for it to emerge and not clutter the filed with attempts to fix and resolve the past. The philosophical view of life unfolding in this manner can be seen as more fully expressing itself if the future moves into the present, rather than attempting to fix or resolve the past and mot it toward the future. Many philosophical, spiritual, and religious disciplines view life in this way. We begin by considering the pure potential of the future as something with no specific content other than infinite possibilities. We move into the present moment, which leaves a trace of its existence as the past. If caring for a problem requires action in the present, the need will be obvious and make itself known in the present, but only if the present is not cluttered with our ideas, opinions, and fears about the past and expecations of the future. Preoccupation with projecting the influence of the past into the future inhibits the expression of life's potential." (p. 146 - 7(
- Quoting Darlene Cohen: "If we practice paying attention to our body mainly to get rid of our suffering or to restore an ailing body to functioning rather than to express our life and our nature, it is a very narrow and vulnerable achievement. Just as a clay Buddha cannot go through the water or a wood Buddha cannot go through fire, a goal-oriented healing practice cannot permeate deeply enough. We must penetrate our anguish and pain so thoroughly that illness and health lose our distinction, allowing us to just live our lives ... Healing ourselves is like living our lives. It is not a preparation for anything else, nor a journey to another situation called wellness. It is its own self, it has its own value." (p. 139-40)
June 16, 2020
Wasted my time trying to find out more about continuum - there is so MUCH to go through to get to the point and end up not finding it... I do not think the author actually has a point except for sharing her views on just about everything .
March 17, 2025
fun read on the idea of the body being a giant body of fluid, intertwined with the rest of the universe.
December 11, 2016
Some interesting info and ideas in this book. What didn't work for me was that while a lot of the book talked about Continuum, I finished the book with really understanding what that was. There was lots of vagueness and no good attempt at a description that I saw, unless perhaps I skimmed past it while skipping long stretches of said vagueness. I searched online for a video and description and cleared that up in a minute - probably would have been useful to do it when I started the book instead of wondering through the whole thing.
February 29, 2012
I wish I could give it 10 stars!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews