In this class we deepen our exploration of initiating movement from the interaction of our skin with the skin of the earth.
In standing, we revisit shifting the belly centre side to side, forwards and back, and turning – each time playing between initiating from the belly centre and initiating from the soles of the feet.
On the floor, we bring these same explorations into new variations of being on hands and kness.
Throughout all of this, the centre of the belly centre stays connected to the centre of the earth – the reference point around which we organise ourselves.
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00:00:00 – Arriving in walking
Noticing how we feel – both the emotional tone and how we sense ourselves to be here – in this place and in this body
Remembering we are walking on the earth and through the air
Bringing our attention to our belly centres – sensing their connection to the centre of the earth
Reading our walking as a changing of shape of one whole continuous volume within our skins
00:03:15 – Standing Explorations and Walking
Listening to ourselves standing – sensing weight and support flowing through our structure
Exploring the asymmetry of preparing to take a step – shifting our axis from side to side and then zeroing in on the middle
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Shifting the belly centre side to side – initiating from the belly centre, then from the soles of the feet pushing along the skin of the earth, then both together
Extending our attention from the centre of the belly centre along the line connecting the centre of the earth with an imaginary star above
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Turning around our centre axis – initiating from the belly centre, from the feet, from the eyes, from everything together – turning the same amount but lighter and lighter – dissolving the body into the space
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Moving the belly centre forwards and backwards from our feet – reaching through the toes to round, through the heels to arch – sensing the line connecting the belly centre to the centre of the earth remaining constant as we fold and unfold
Allowing the belly centre to float a little closer the earth then coming back up – experiencing this familiar movement as shapeshifting – returning from having our legs bent without pushing down
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Playing with the image of support like water flowing up from the centre of the earth, gathering in the belly centre, and coming out through the top of the head and fingertips – becoming a human fountain
Exploring floating our hand/arms up in front of us – shaping the flow of support up and out through our fingertips as well as the top of our heads
Sensing the smallest change of configuration of the hand/arm that produces a weight shift under the feet
Experimenting with taking the head away from the axis while the belly centre maintaining its connection to the centre of the earth and the star above – mediating between heaven and earth
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Stepping forward – initiating from the soles of the feet – floating over the earth rather than levering ourselves away it
00:52:00 – Floor work
Sensing our inner volume and how we balance on the earth behind us
Playing with the image of the breath like a wave sensing how the ripples reach the edges of ourselves
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Rounding and arching in kneeling – initiating from the lower legs interacting with the skin of the earth
Shifting the belly centre side to side from the lower legs – circling
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Forehead on the floor: moving the belly centre side to side and forwards and back – initiating from the connection of the forearms and forelegs with the earth – first differentiating, working with sequencing, and then integrating so everything going together
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On elbows and knees finding a seesaw movement – pulling through the forearms to come forwards, pushing through the forelegs to come back – two interlocking triangles around the belly centre: the legs connecting to the top of the head, the arms connecting to the tail
Playing side to side and circling on elbows and knees
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On hands and knees, pulling and pushing along the surface of the earth through the hands – rounding and arching with the toes tucking under and unfolding
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Forehead on the floor: exploring the shoulder blades – towards the spine, away, towards the head, towards the pelvis, circling – sensing how this movement of a seemingly small region creates a weight shift throughout our whole volume
Noticing how moving the shoulder blade changes the connection of our forearms, our head, our knees with the earth – inviting more and more of ourselves into the movement
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Sensing how everything we play with changes the relationship of the belly centre with the earth
01:06:30 – Returning to standing and walking
Rising to standing without pushing down – the area of connection getting smaller, the pressure increasing, but shapeshifting rather than levering
Reinhabiting the image of the human fountain – the belly centre, always connected to the centre of the earth below and a star above, becoming the reference point around which all our movement is organised
Directing support out through fingertips, knees, eyes, elbows – playing with where we choose as exit points
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Arriving in relative stillness again – harmonising with the activity inside our skins, beneath our feet, in the air around us – the act of listening is a movement itself
