Mądrość poruszającego się ciała. Wprowadzenie do Body‑Mind Centering

by Linda Hartley

Body‑Mind Centering proponuje bezpośrednie doświadczanie anatomii ciała, a także rozwojowych wzorców ruchowych, wykorzystując do tego dotyk i techniki zmiany nawyków ruchowych. Autorka prezentuje zasady i kluczowe elementy tego podejścia zabierając czytelników w podróż po ich własnym ciele. Wprowadza w stany świadomości poszczególnych organów i układów organizmu, a także np. skóry, komórek czy płynu mózgowo-rdzeniowego. Zaproponowane tu ćwiczenia zapraszają do odkrywania i integrowania wielowymiarowych aspektów własnego ciała. Body-Mind Centering to podejście zapoczątkowane przez tancerkę i terapeutkę zajęciową Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Poświęcając wiele lat na badanie relacji między doświadczeniem cielesnym a mapą anatomii, samodzielnie odkryła ona wiele zasad leżących u podstaw pracy Feldenkraisa, osteopatii czaszkowej, rolfingu i terapii tańcem.

Genres: Nonfiction, Neuroscience

358 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 1995

Reviews

[Silvio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've found my second god. The first one was Christopher Wallis' study of Nondual Shaiva Tantra, the second one being the work of Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen, Body-Mind-Centering. And they are so wonderfully coherent yet complementary, and I am beyond grateful that these (NST & BMC) are kind of the basis of my mind- (and body-)bending yoga teacher training by Satu (another goddess).

It is remarkable how even only the premises (just the introduction) of this endlessly expansive work relate to books I have recently read, especially:
- Alan Watts, Adyashanti, and Ram Dass and "the non-resisting, not-knowing openness to what's happening here & now (direct experience) as the doorway to Wisdom (and Peace/Stillness, and Love)" (also famously expressed by Shunryu Suzuki as "Beginner's Mind");
- Gregory Bateson and "the mind as a network/interconnection of parts/patterns of a whole" (I love Thich Nhat Hanh's famous word "Interbeing");
- HeartMath Institute's notion of "Coherence" as a harmony between these parts (or "cells") allowing for flow and intuition (the flow of intuition, or creative intuition - "Pratibha" in Indian philosophy, elsewhere called "Divine Intelligence", or just, again, "Wisdom" with a capital "W");
- Chuang Tzu (and others) and the concept of "actionless action", or "not-doing" as a merging of the apparent polarity of being and doing, or stillness and movement (again, the flow of "Pratibha": stillness dancing)
... And many more

But these are just the philosophical premises. Then the book goes into the body: this is where the whole story begins (and ends), and this is where the wisdom lies.
One of the most important paradigms in embodiment is this:

Inside-out.

Direct experience. Observe the patterns inside and then let them flow and follow them outside. Learn from direct experience (of the body), not from preconceived ideas, and from there unfold your wisdom (and movement/activity) outside into the world. The less ideas and the more awareness, the more Truth and Wisdom are touched. Knowledge is relative, but Wisdom is unitive.
This is so important.
So important.

Look, the body is our instrument for experiencing this world. Yes, there are out-of-body experiences, and we are not the body, but without the body THIS world doesn't exist. This world is literally shaped by the body and its perceptions. Let that sink in. And then, please, fucking honor your body.

Honestly, all this is just the basic 1% of the book. The rest is amazing and sometimea crazy body stuff. "The developmental process underlying movement" (from cell to walking on two feet), "movement repatterning" (embodied shadow work?), "the body systems" (skin, bones, muscles, connective tissue, organs, glands, the nervous system & all the fluid systems)... What a Bible (heard that from multiple people now)!!

[Tracey Agnew · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some interesting concepts explored in this book (particularly the development en utero and early childhood development), but also a number of concepts that I struggled with (for instance the 'mind'of the various body systems)

[Lynn Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The material is really in dept, and I like the progression of the topics. It's also one of those books you read and re-read, as a reference and for deeper understanding.

[Fala Moves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feeds the movement soul. It helps us see our bodies as beautiful and intelligent creations.

[Greta Avalaseviciute · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book makes you reflect to the depths of your very cells. The human body is a magnificent creation.