Month: December 2023

10
Dec
2023
And, what we are is simply, surprisingly and amazingly complete

And, what we are is simply, surprisingly and amazingly complete

This is a follow-up from yesterday’s blog named, “You can’t give what you don’t have,” which was essentially about considering the culture where we often overextend ourselves, assuming there will be a break later, thinking that we’ll catch up, often believing that what we do now will have an impact at a later date.

Sometimes, we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, feeling a strong obligation to be generous, to give all there is, and often more than there actually is available in us. In this context, it’s counter-cultural to support not giving when we lack the time or resources. After reflecting on this last blog, a small voice inside me opposed the idea that stopping ourselves from overextending would mean that something was missing, that something crucial would be lacking in ourselves. That type of practice, as I see it, is about identifying and addressing what’s missing, whether it’s knowledge, self-refinement, or a transformation of some kind.

Today, while listening to Bob Thurman’s podcast, he mentioned about authoritarian systems who tell their citizens that something’s wrong with them. I related it to the teaching profession. Teachers, like authoritarian systems, sometimes have a tendency to lecture students, dictating what’s right. These constant corrections can leave one with a sense that something’s missing, that not everything is there, when in fact, everything is fine.

Even in the context of mixed-ability bodies, everything is fine. We are all able to use ourselves to a certain degree, and most of us don’t have perfect bodies. As one of my friends gently reminds me, most of us will experience some form of disability in our lifetime as we age.

This brings me to the realization that various practices, including ballet, meditation, and the Alexander technique, were about creating a perfect version of myself or getting rid of what I perceived as “wrong.” Despite practicing these for over 20 years, it’s evident that the essence of the Alexander technique, for example, is not to transform into someone else but to come to terms with the amazing nature available to us.

Recently, as I was warming up with dancers, surrounded by windows, mountains, and the sky, I realized the pure amazement of being alive and moving. There is nothing to add to this experience, and its full realization is what practice is about.

That’s why we refrain from giving what we don’t have; without the realization of our full potential as a mind and body, it becomes challenging to give something that feels genuine. Yet, in truth, we already have it all; it’s just that we are not encouraged to see or rest in that realization. So, while we can’t give what we don’t have, it also doesn’t mean there’s anything to get.

What we are is simply complete.

Posted by Luc Vanier
09
Dec
2023

You can’t give what you don’t have

Hello everyone. So often when I do these blogs, it’s because a student asks a question, and that question sort of reorients me. It makes me think, it makes me explain in a manner that I have to better understand what it is that I’ve been saying for years sometimes. And today was clear.

The student was asking while in between one decision and another – one decision was to take care of themselves, and the other was to acquiesce to a demand, to a question, to a request. On one side, they felt selfish if they didn’t agree to do this thing, while they knew full well that they didn’t have the energy, endurance, health, or what it took to take care of themselves. They were caught in between taking care of themselves or doing this thing. And then it came out naturally for me to say something, “You can’t give what you don’t have.”

And then I thought about my life and how many times have I been asked to give what I don’t have? How much credit do you need to accumulate? How many promises do you need to make? Yet, we can’t give what we don’t have. I can’t teach what I don’t practice. I can’t offer advice if I don’t live my life. You can’t give what you don’t have. And yet, in this current way that we’re seeing ourselves in the western world, it’s not uncommon to privilege feeling unselfish over just needing to accumulate what it is that we want to give.

This is how you end up, sort of overextended. And when I say you, I mean me. This is how I end up overextended. I give things that I don’t have. I want to give everything I’ve got. And yet, in order to give something, I need to have it. This is the reason to practice anything. This is the reason to practice meditation.

This is the reason to practice the Alexander technique, in particular. As it allows you to reorganize yourself in a manner that then you can take care of yourself, and then you can help others. Any practice that does not allow you to recenter yourself, to bring these energies back in, in my opinion, it’s just asking you to go in debt.

And I see this in my work. I see this everywhere around me. So I encourage you to think about that. Whenever you feel selfish, whenever you feel like you couldn’t possibly take care of yourself in this situation, just realize you can’t give what you don’t have.

That includes love. That includes understanding, and support. So for this Christmas, or anytime, maybe you consider giving yourself the gift of stability and the gift of stopping and observing your habits and deciding what is it I want to give and do I have it?

Thank you. Good luck.

Posted by Luc Vanier
05
Dec
2023

Wellness and Habits

Today, I want to talk about wellness and habits. I had someone mention in a class the difference between wellness with or without considering habits. It inspired me to talk about it for a minute. So, if you want to experience a habit for even just a minute, we’re just gonna stay here and do nothing. You could call it meditation, but we’re just going to sit here for a few minutes and do nothing. (after about a minute…) that’s enough.

You can maybe feel the contrast. One moment you were decided to read this blog, and the next you found yourself without stimulus.

And when there’s no stimulus, the body looks for stimuli. It looks for a reason to respond. It wants to hear, it wants to feel, it wants to touch. It’s looking for what’s next. This looking, as well as the response itself, is very habitual. You can decide not to pay attention, but the habits will show up. Like, you can decide, “I want to do this consciously.” But normally what happens is that two seconds later, the habit shows up. The issue here with wellness is often that we think, “I can take care of myself.” If you are taking care of yourself but not considering habits, then you’re missing out on what needs to happen to support the redirecting of habits in taking care of yourself.

In habit, things go from habit to stimuli, and the stimuli always leads to a response. The response leads to another response, and it keeps going like this. We can try to alleviate the response by thinking, “I’m gonna do something nice for myself. I’m going to take a yoga class, or do some guided meditation.” But then what happens is that it might provide a break or some rest maybe for a minute, but then, the whole system reorganizes in relationship to that activity and we are off reacting mindlessly to the stimulus.

So then it might be better to consider habit in wellness and to start to notice what is my habit in dealing with a certain situation, especially a stressful situation. What’s the ongoing thought? What’s the ongoing bodily response? And if we don’t know what that is, that’s fine. So that means we can be open to noticing what is the habit. When so and so says something, I habitually feel, when such and such thing happens to me, then normally I respond this way. Here to notice habit means for us to be able to make a decision anew, to be able to respond differently.

And if that particular habit was built for a different circumstance, and now, all of a sudden it comes and starts to try to respond in a different context, then that habit might be maladjusted and not necessarily useful. So it’s good to pay attention to habit if we’re interested in wellness. So that when I take this yoga class, this activity that I’m doing to help me find some relief, it doesn’t just end up stressing me just as much as any other activity.

Posted by Luc Vanier in Everyday activities
03
Dec
2023
Integral Movement Research: A Fresh Start

Integral Movement Research: A Fresh Start

My goal with this blog is to be able to share my work but the conversation is not always easy. I am finding myself at odds or a little outside of the norm. For example, the work doesn’t fit inside dance, which was my home structure for many years. It is the same with ergonomics, kinesiology, athletic training, and physical therapy. However, the conversations we are having are essential inside of all of these specialties.

Most sciences are looking at something very specific. They want to focus on one joint like the elbow. What is the angle as it reaches towards the computer? How does it move? Why is it inflamed? How do we fix it? However the specific is often the part of the body that is not strong enough to sustain the strain of the overall pattern.

Instead of focusing on the wrist, shoulder, neck, and hip, we look very broadly at the patterns of use and their relationship to the mind. What does that use look like and how might we address it? We consider our response to the situation. We’re not looking to pre-judge, but to be available to the whole picture as we are considering the specific. This is not something that is easily, integrated into an insurance program. It’s also not something that has been widely researched.

Integral Movement Research represents the overall work we do and bridges the gap between movement and somatic disciplines. This work goes beyond traditional frameworks, urging us to reconsider how we approach health and movement. Through Integral Movement Research, we embark on a journey of exploration, encouraging an open dialogue that fosters a deeper, more holistic understanding of relationship between the body, the mind and our patterns of use.

This is a new beginning. I’m excited to embark on a new phase of confidence, respect, support, gratitude, and honor for this work and those who are doing it.

Thank you.

Posted by Luc Vanier