Learning and Time

Dear Reader,

The older we get, the faster time goes by. My mother in law used to say she’d wake up on Monday morning and when she went to bed, it was already Friday evening. But, I read recently that if you want to slow down time, learn something new. I like learning, and I like that idea.

I’ve been studying a bit of anatomy, and, wow does it ever slow down time. Our bodies are truly complex. I feel like I’m wrapping my brain around so many bits and pieces. The pieces move in complex and fascinating ways.

For example, did you know that you can flex your hip joints with your psoas muscles, and at the same time, extend the muscles of your lumbar spine? Or you can leave all that alone, and flex your hip joints with your pectineus muscles. And, depending on which you engage and when, you walk a little this way or that way.

Easy for me to say, right? Here’s the thing. It’s fascinating to learn about, and it does slow down time while I’m working out what goes where and how. But, isn’t it fabulous that we don’t have to know any of that to be able to stand, walk, run or jump. Our nervous systems sort out the pieces for us, and away we go.

But, sometimes, we develop habits that aren’t so efficient, and might even lead to pain and injury. That’s where the brilliance of Moshe Feldenkrais repeatedly impresses me. His lessons have this sneaky way of getting us to move and pay attention to aspects of our movement, that improve how we coordinate what we do. As if by magic—you’ve seen me say that before, haven’t you—we learn something new and move more easily.

It’s fun to learn new stuff, and it’s especially fun when it’s easy enough. I hope you’ll join me for a lesson soon.

Our weekly online lesson is on Tuesdays at 11:30 Central Time (US) and it’s still Free Pay As You Wish. You can register here. You can also book an appointment for a free consultation or a private lesson. (For in-person private lessons, please contact me at 713-213-7643 or reply to this email.)

Have all the fun you can!