Moving Toward Life. Anna Halprin

of the body giving over to gravity, inertia and momentum. Children feel this and love to swing. A rocking chair gives this same kind of comfort. In such movements gravity, inertia and momentum are moving you. I often say to myself, “Let the movement take over and move you.”

      And so we have another set of universal laws that govern our movement which I call NATURAL. It is according to the nature within us all, the nature of how our bodies operate, that we respond to these forces.

       Rhythm

      The basis of a rhythmic movement lies in the alternation between contraction and release of muscle groups over bones. As you contract one set of muscles, you release another set in order for the bone to move. For example, get that arm out again for some more experimentation. Put your arm straight out in front of you. Now bend at the elbow joint. What happened is that your flexor muscles contracted, bending (flexing) your arm. At the same time your extensor muscles released, allowing the bend to occur. Now this time, resist the bending of the arm by contracting your extensor muscles too. If the opposing muscles match the degree of contraction the arm will not move but stay in place. This principle applies to every joint in the body.

      Each joint has a different set of ranges: elbow and knee is hinge-action, the shoulder and hip is circular, the head is pivoting, the spine is rotating, etc. It is important in our consciousness of movement to be aware of the opposing forces and of how we manipulate the degree of resistance, or the release, as well as the particular joint range. The use of this principle is what determines your ability to move efficiently and according to the intention of the movement you wish to perform. An uninformed use of this principle causes strain. The implications of this fundamental principle are very great. Just one implication is that contraction and release in alternating intervals give a sense of RHYTHM. Think of rhythm as inherent in the balance and consciousness of activity and rest. Think of rhythm as the way in which you consciously organize these opposing forces within your movement, which is itself a basic and perhaps determining ingredient of rhythm. Once again go back to your arms. You need to experience and try these ideas out for yourself and through your own experience accept or reject what I’m saying as valid or not. Work with muscular contraction and release in your arms. Explore different relationships between contracting and releasing and see what happens.

      This time use the trapezius muscles (the large muscles over your shoulder blades) and the pectoral muscles in front (the muscles over the front of your chest) as well as the muscles in your arms. Release the pectoral muscles and contract your trapezius muscles and notice how your arms are drawn back. If the chest muscles are tight and not capable of releasing, the movement is at an impasse. Now move your arms, paying attention to the intervals of contraction and release. Do you feel the inner core of the movement? Find a movement that you can repeat several times using the same dynamic or the same use of tension and release. Do you feel the rhythmic phrase established by the time intervals between contraction and release?

      Rhythm and RELAXATION are interconnected yet different. Whereas rhythm is the dynamics of timing between intervals of contraction, release and various types of opposing forces, relaxation is the equilibrium and balance between rest and activity. Rhythm is sensing your harmony, ease, and free flow of energy. Relaxation does not mean going limp or collapsing. Relaxation is using the appropriate sets of muscles to perform a movement without bringing in other sets of muscles not needed. Relaxation means moving efficiently. It means resting while you are moving. The most essential gift of life that we all have is energy. The conservation and creative use of this energy is controlled by the rhythm in the way we move our bodies.

      The inability to relax is often so enmeshed in emotional blocks that we are unaware of making relaxation the most difficult skill to achieve. Bad habits unconsciously reflected in our movements and body also prevent us from experiencing relaxation.

      As we discover how to move naturally, operating out of universal principles that govern all bodies, we will gradually replace old tired habits with rhythmic and relaxed movement. As we discover how to reach every part of our body we will break up these emotional blocks that drain us of so much energy; instead we will experience rhythm and relaxation, and the enormous pleasure, harmony, and satisfaction in ourselves through sensitive movement awareness.

      I believe natural movement has many values for you: you can be yourself and discover your own style rather than being like someone else or taking on an imposed style. You can learn about yourself. Natural movement leads to the potential of self-realization. You can heal yourself. You can increase your range of movement and your range of feelings and experiences and thus grow and develop on a personal level. Natural movement is a reflection of the life force.

      In the larger work Movement Ritual I, from which this article has been excerpted, I have presented a series of movements which I call Movement Ritual I. In this brief essay I can’t give you the entire set of movements, with the accompanying drawings.¹ Up to now I have given you my general approach to movement. I now want simply to stress the importance of doing a set of natural movements every day. I will describe some aspects of Movement Ritual I and then will give you the transitional movements which can lead either into the full ritual or into the daily tasks of your day.

       Commonalities in Bodies

      Movement Ritual begins with an awareness of breathing—a most natural way to begin since breathing is important both to the physical efficiency of our movements and to our psychic behavior. This point cannot be stressed too much.

      At present, the diaphragm is the least understood part of the human body. It is tied up with every living function, from the psychic to the structural, and affects the most remote points of the body. Like the equator, it is the line of two great halves of being: the conscious and the unconscious, the voluntary and the involuntary, the skeletal and visceral. Improper use can divide these two halves, whereas an awareness can connect and make your movements whole.

      One of the essential aspects of breathing that applies to movement is your mind observing the breath cycle.

       The rhythmic cycle of breathing is in three intervals:

      1. As you inhale, draw a fullness of air into the lungs deeply and effortlessly; allow the rib case to expand, be soft and resilient.

      2. As you exhale, the air departs from the lungs until they are empty and the rib case sinks.

      3. Between the inhalation and exhalation there is stillness. Linger in this stillness, wait, and the air will return of its own accord.

      The breath will always lead; it is involuntary. There is no one proper way to organize breathing in relationship to movement. Each movement, according to its intention, will relate to breathing differently. Throughout Movement Ritual you will become aware of how to use your breath to make your movements more efficient and effortless.

      As the breath is the flow of all the movements in Movement Ritual, the spinal column is the organizer. Imagine your body in this manner: the axial skeleton is the spine with the head, ribs, and sternum (the pelvis, arms, and legs all being outgrowths).

      Along the spine are all the essential systems of the body including the nervous system, the digestive apparatus, the circulatory, respiratory, urinary and reproductive systems. It is for this reason that the movements of the spine become central for your attention and care. To understand how your spine operates, you need to understand that the spine has four curves.

      In order to lighten and support your body you need to lengthen the spine. To increase your range of movement, to release tension, and to maintain healthy tone in the body, you need to become flexible and strong in the muscles surrounding your spine. You need to cultivate an accurate balance of the parts in your skeletal framework. Movement Ritual I is structured to emphasize this. Every movement is organized around spinal action. Drawing towards or away from the spine is inherent in every movement.

      The lumbar or lower back region has the greatest built-in flexibility and capacity for strength, and consequently demands our greatest attention. Your ability to support the entire spine and shoulders, arms and head from your lower back makes this area sensitive to strain. Dr. Rene Calliet has written a book on the lower back-pain syndrome and in it claims