During this post I would like to focus on my experience of beginning to understand and move through the practice of BMC.
Introduction to Senses and Perception
We are constantly receiving sensory information, of all kinds - sounds, smells, sights and so on - the interesting part is how we selectively filter them in our awareness. Shifting focus between one or another and then perhaps experimenting with a dual or multi-awareness. This can of course lead to a sensory overload and it is important to remember you can always take a step back!
For me, the difficulty was in letting go. Enjoying where the moment takes you, no matter where it originates from. It is hard to let go in a class situation. You are surrounded by peers and often have limited space to move fully. You are also more than likely being encouraged and observed by a teacher or lecturer. Being able to let go of the feeling that you should be moving a certain way and instead just allowing movement to happen is one of the key skills to be aware of and is a continuous process of learning and adapting.
Cellular Breathing
This idea of letting go and of melting, sinking into the floor as it rises up to support you are by now very familiar. This pattern however offers another layer of awareness. Bringing the knowledge of all my trillions of cells into my conscious awareness brought a greater sense of heaviness, of density, weight and volume. It reminded me of my 3D self, my solidity - as well as my fluidity. It reminded me of the time I spent last year in Performance Projects with Matthias Sperling. One of his favourite reminders for us while moving was to keep all our trillions of cells together - to not leave any behind us in the space.
This pattern also gave me a sense of pouring weight between the cells as I move - perhaps rolling and shifting a bean bag is a reasonable image for this sensation.
Naval Radiation Pattern - The Starfish
Like many people, I found this pattern the easiest to access. Perhaps because it appeals to my sense of symmetry and energy flow and centre awareness. The different sense of movement and proprioception it brings to my awareness is interesting coupled with an understanding of connectivity and integration of the whole self. We all build up movement patterns and our own movement style but it is sometimes useful to remember the equality of all 6 limbs of the body. Centre and periphery, core and distal movement. The image that I enjoyed most with this pattern is that it is not a one-directional flow of energy but an exchange of energy, a conversation with the environment immediately around us.
Mouthing Pattern - Sea Squirt
From the start of working with this movement pattern I was immediately aware of its deep emotional and instinctual connections. At first I thought I would turn away from the offered touch close to my mouth, however after a while I found it comforting and relaxing despite the intimacy of the process. The benefits of this pattern are very relevant for me I think, in reminding me that the spine is not our only form of vertical support. We have a much softer, fluid centre line through our digestive system that can also offer us support and guide us to a less rigid sense of movement.
Pre-spinal Pattern - The Lancelet
This stage really brought an awareness of the early developmental processes that we all as a species originate from. Seeing and visualising the different layers of support through the body - FRONT. MIDDLE. BACK.
The Notocord - The pre-cursor for the spine. And the Neural tube - The precursor for the spinal cord.
This stage brings an awareness to the sequential and fluid movement of the body through space.
Spinal Pattern - The Fish
It is good to remember first of all that this stage is still water-based in terms of its place the evolutionary chain. Something about this fact for me always makes me move differently. Perhaps it is a sense of floating and being supported from every angle as I move through space.
Head to tail connectivity. Soft spine and bony spine. By this stage the brain and spinal cord are protected by bony casings.
The fins of the fish are of course pre-cursors to limbs and act as both propulsion through space and stabilisers to aid balance. Finding support before moving into activity.
This was the hardest pattern for me to access and navigate. It brought up several queries for me;
Is yielding the same as the sensation of softening?
I found it difficult to move away from a feeling or compression rather than yielding. Collapsing rather than softening the body.
