Into the unknown

Any exploration – of a new territory, field of knowledge, art form, or anything else – is a process of discovery. We don’t know what we are going to find. But we believe there may be something worthwhile if we make the effort to go look for it. How should we approach that process? What are the characteristics that make a journey an exploration?

• We are curious to discover things, and so we remain aware of the world around us

• We are systematic in how we observe, so we can make comparisons and build up a map

• We don’t have a set timetable

• We progress in small steps. We have no rigid plan at the outset, only a general direction to explore in

• We have nothing to achieve – just to gather knowledge that might become useful

• Each step is reversible so we can always retreat if we want to

• We stay in our (psychological) comfort zone – meaning we remain capable of facing our fears

These principles describe how a well-run exploratory mission works. (For an example, consider the Lewis and Clark expedition.) And the same principles apply to a process of exploring our self, when we want to discover our possibilities in order to overcome a limitation in our self or learn a new skill. We approach our self with curiosity and detachment, and without a clear agenda. Only when we have a sufficiently accurate and detailed mental picture of our self can we embed a new skill or new way of doing something.

This process of self-discovery is what the Feldenkrais Method is all about. Lessons focus on bringing awareness to our self in movement - how we organize our self in different situations. They are explorations of our own possibilities and enable us to discover new or forgotten ways that we can move in. We enlarge our repertoire of movement, giving our self more freedom to move while maintaining balance, confidence and control. This makes practicing the Feldenkrais Method an excellent addition to any physical practice, and a way to increase performance at any physical activity.

How do you go about knowing your self better? Please leave a comment.