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• Shrugging It Off
  
• NEWS
• Workshops, Events and Sightings
• Collaborate
• Products

Shrugging It Off

In Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack, Woodward characterizes the Bush administration's decision to go to war in Iraq as based on body language. When he asked Bush how history would judge him, Bush smiled. ""History,' he said, shrugging, taking his hands out of his pockets, extending his arms out and suggesting with his body language that it so far off. 'We won't know. We'll all be dead."

I shrugged and threw up my hands when my long anticipated shoulder workshop was cancelled last month due to a threatened storm that failed to materialize. Then I decided to shrug off my negativity and write about it instead. We shrug in helplessness, in doubt, in sadness. Our shoulders go up and down, with a mind of their own. They shake with laughter and with tears. Although this movement is often barely perceptible, we register these emotional levels in our interactions with others.

Francois Delsarte, who taught oratory and actors in the early 19th century, called the shoulders the thermometers of the passions. According to him, the shoulders don't so much indicate an emotion as the level: both deep grief and hilarity elevate the shoulders The distinction in emotional quality comes from how the other parts of the self contribute to these shoulders. One of the side effects of chronically raised shoulders is tension in the chest and back, inhibiting breathing and limiting freedom of movement. This often creates a vicious cycle of pain and even depression.

But shoulder problems are not just related to the levels of our passions. And the body language of the shoulder is not restricted to their rise and fall. The shoulder has more directions of movement available to it than any joint in the body. There are no bones holding your arm in your shoulder socket, just ligaments, tendons and muscles. Consider some of the shoulder metaphors common in our language: shoulder to the wheel, shouldering responsibility, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. All of these relate in some way to the burden of work. The shoulders carried the slain animal, the sack of grain. The shoulder joint allows the arms the reach up to pick the fruit off the tree, to lift the shovel, to push or to pull the recalcitrant oxen. Our modern world has separated most of us from this physical relationship to burdens. Instead we have created new ones Ð deadlines, stress, self-image and the ever popular "chip on the shoulder." As we try to "shoulder through" the labyrinth of modern life, we begin to limit how the shoulder moves in relation to the chest and back. Some literally "freeze" the shoulder - a painful syndrome that ironically can only be healed through movement.

If you have tension in your shoulders, you can try this exercise: Sit with your feet flat on the floor, your hands resting comfortably in your lap, palms up. Very slowly begin to shrug one shoulder, as if you were trying to win the slowest shoulder in the world contest. Keep breathing as you raise it. Then just as slowly, lower it. Try this a couple of times, then lift the shoulder and hold it up for three breaths. Slowly, lower it back down. Does this shoulder now feel different from the other? Many times, we try to "relax" our shoulders by trying to force them down. Since your shoulders actually think they are holding up the world, they will resist any attempts to push them down. But if you gently exaggerate your tension, your own nervous system will kick in to teach the shoulders a better place to rest. The muscles holding your shoulders up will let go and you will get some relief.

When you start to listen to how your parts "talk", you will get to know yourself in a whole new way Ð from the inside out.

NEWS

The paperback edition of What Are You Afraid Of? A Body/Mind Guide to Courageous Living will be in bookstores March 25. In addition to being a One Spirit Book Selection, it has been sold for translation and distribution to China, Bulgaria, Poland and Sweden. And hey, it's all the way to 138,958 in its Amazon.com ranking! Or buy locally.

If you are traveling to Asheville, NC, be sure to stop by the new Asheville Movement Center, directed by Lavinia Plonka.
Ongoing classes in The Feldenkrais Method,Yoga, Pilates and Nia along with many different workshops make it a must visit.

Don't forget the latest audio download! Free Audio Download -a Feldenkrais lesson for your jaw, neck and head that you can do at your computer.

Workshops, Events and Sightings

April 10
New Town Square, PA (Philadelphia area)
The Great Adventure: Myth, Metaphor and Movement
Contact: drmoates@cs.com

April 16 & 17
Chicago (Feldenkrais Center of Chicago)
Walking Your Talk: Unlocking the Magic of Body Language Contact: scott.illingworth@sbcglobal.net

June 18
Santa Rosa, CA
Courageous Living: Body/Mind Tools for Anxious Times
Contact: wellbeing@joimail.com

September 10 & 11
Denver, CO
Unlocking The Magic of Body Language
More Information: http://www.movement-educators.com

Oct. 1 & 2
Dortmund, Germany
Walking Your Talk
Contact: D.steinkamp@gmx.de

For more information on content of these workshops, please visit my website: http://www.laviniaplonka.com

Collaborate

Would you like to schedule a workshop or event in your city? Please contact me: laviniap@att.net Check out the workshop descriptions at www.laviniaplonka.com. Or we can collaborate to create a workshop that is right for your location and students.

Product Spotlight

Free Your Back and The Shoulder /Hip Connection

This is a wonderful intro to The Feldenkrais Method. Anyone can follow the easy instructions. This and other products can be ordered through Lavinia's website

Have A Comfortable Flight!

Simple exercises to remain flexible while in an airplane seat - CD recently mentioned in a NY Times article on back pain. It's also excellent for car passengers or computer jockeys stuck at their desks.
Order at www.laviniaplonka.com