a fancy, $5 word
On Friday, while out to dinner, I got upset with my husband. We started engaging in an old cycle and all sorts of old feelings came up for me. As we approached the edge of our anger cliffs, about to fall into a fight, I paused for a split second to suggest that we talk about it later. On the bike ride home, I let myself be present with my surroundings, enjoying the ride, and allowing for my thoughts and feelings to take shape more clearly, listening to myself as needed. By evening, we could set aside time to be intentional and to engage. By that time, I felt more clear about what it was that I needed to communicate. I spoke, he listened. He spoke, I listened. Understanding emerged between us.
Have you heard of a heuristic? In psychology, it’s a mental shortcut or simplified strategy that can help us make judgments or decisions more quickly. But sometimes these simplifications keep us from looking more closely at what is happening. In this case, the heuristics I had around my husband led to misunderstandings. The antidote was listening.
I am taught this lesson every day with my clients. My training in anatomy and movement provides me with a good foundation. When a client tells me what they are seeking, my heuristics help me know where to start. But it’s just the starting ground. I then listen with my hands and I listen to their feedback. Many times, what I anticipate feeling differs from what I observe.
In my personal practice, I listen to my own body. Oftentimes, the listening provides a richness that heuristics could never. And I’ve come to believe that the true skill I’ve been developing all this time is not teaching or mastering a sequence, but the art of listening.
Enter, The Listening Movement.
This project—brewing in me for awhile now—emphasizes attuning to ourselves and to our exchanges with others. Our programs use the foundation of understanding your fascia to explore how to harmonize your body through movement. Use resistance stretching, mindful movements, breathing, and meditation practices to tune-in and re-tune.
Because listening is personal and intimate, I’m starting small. My level 1 practitioner training has room for just 6 people. Meeting in-person in Austin, TX. Part personal retreat, and part skill-building in self-stretches that you can bring to your group classes or your personal practice.
If this experience resonates with you, you can learn more here.
