Tarana Karimova - Final Project

Hello everyone,

My final project is “Floor flow and piano performance”. The idea came from Marlo and after her suggestion I started to pay more attention to details of my teaching the piano to my students and started to see a lot of similarities. Just like in floor movements “points of contacts” are very important for piano player. Our music is “breathing” and breathing during performance is important. Just like in our movements, we can slow down or move our speed (tempo). We can stretch our hands and fingers out or keep them “closed”.  Being relaxed, especially on shoulder area is very important for piano performer. Our fingers can touch the keys very light and soft, or hard and firm, or deep like “pushing through the dough”…

This project helped me to see the similarities and I am grateful for Marlo’s suggestion.

I hope you will enjoy watching it.

Samantha Gray - Final Project

2C Final Project Summary

“Floor Flow Incognito”: For my final project, I wrote a detailed report of a ‘small space, creative workout’ class I taught to one participant in my home. The goal was to find a way to integrate FFTT concepts within a body-weight based workout class for typical gym-goers. In designing this class, I was guided by the following question: How might I help folks who are very familiar with structured movement (e.g., fitness classes) to find more connection to the floor, range of motion, and possibilities for play? 

FFTT Final Project

The purpose of this document is to:

1)    Describe the rationale for my final project,

2)    Describe the class I taught for my final project, and

3)    Share my reflections on my final project class, including:

a.     What felt good (and provided a healthy challenge)

b.     What I think the class offered the participant

c.     What I could do differently in future, and

d.     What I learned from this experience that I will apply to own training and/or teaching.

Rationale and Class Description (Objectives 1 and 2)

For my final project, I aimed to integrate my movement interests with my FFTT learnings. My interests include longevity of movement, fall prevention, and quality of life, all of which I believe FFTT addresses. Since I am not currently teaching regular movement classes, I had the flexibility to design any kind of class I wanted to weave my interests and learnings together, with a very willing guinea pig (my partner) as my participant. I chose to design something a little outside my usual teaching realm of contemporary dance and pole low flow. The participants who attend dance and pole classes tend to have some ‘buy-in’ already around wanting to learn how to move fluidly and safely, and feel good doing so. But what about folks in other more ‘standard’ gym or fitness settings? They are generally exposed to very structured exercises with limited or no ‘play’ or attention to connection with the floor. Thus, I chose to challenge myself to design a class for typical gym-goers, with FFTT concepts sprinkled within (e.g., floor flow incognito).

To design this class, I was guided by the following question: How might I help folks who are very familiar with structured movement (e.g., fitness classes) to find more connection to the floor, range of motion, and possibilities for play?

Therefore, I designed a body-weight based workout class (suitable for small spaces) that integrated floor flow concepts in a somewhat stealth way.

Class Introduction

Before I began the class, I explained to my participant that I would record it on Zoom but that it would not be shared with anyone. He consented to being recorded for those purposes.

I welcomed my participant to the class and thanked him for being there to participate. I explained that I had designed a 30-minute, small-space, playful workout for him. I went on to say that the format might be a little different than he is used to, but that hopefully there were enough exercises/activities that were familiar to him that it would feel worthwhile to engage in. I then asked if he had any injuries or pain that I needed to be aware of. He said no.

Next, I explained the class structure: that we would go through different ‘tasks’ for a certain number of sets and reps, a certain amount of time, and/or for one song. There was approximately one task per song.

Tasks (Exercises/Games)

1.     Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (standing mobilization and warm-up)

• We started standing, facing one another and I guided my participant through some mobilization exercises in a follow along format.

• Head: Right ear to right shoulder, then slowly circling chin to chest, then left ear to left shoulder. Repeat through from L to R. 2x each direction. Then return head to neutral, look right, look left. Repeat. Then look up and slowly circle through a full rotation of the head. Reverse direction.

• Upper extremity: big reach and stretch to the sky with the arms overhead. Let it go. Shoulder shrugs. Shoulder rolls (forward and back). With arms starting down at sides and hands in fists, pretend to flick water off fingers. Continue that action while the arms lift through sagittal plane until they reach overhead, then the arms open to the sides and move down in the coronal plane. Reverse that arm pathway, but instead of water flick action with hands, squeeze the hands into fists.

• Lower extremity: standing hip circles (3 in each direction). Standing on one foot, rotate free leg (bent at knee) through 3 circles at the hip. Reverse direction and repeat 3 circles. Same on other leg. Standing on one leg again, hold foot in front of you and circle the ankle 3 times in each direction. Repeat on other foot.

2.     Loop 1 (set transition)

• Hip-width distance squat (descent only), hands find the floor and the feet out move to plank, feet return in and arrive at the bottom of a hip-width distance squat (ascent only), transfer weight onto one leg and into tree pose, return foot down and find hip-width distance squat (descent only), and so on (switching tree pose foot each time)

• Timed loop (slow). 15 seconds descent, 15 seconds plank hold, 15 seconds ascent, 15 seconds tree pose hold.

• Timed loop (fast). Moving through as many cycles as possible of the loop in 1 minute. Two modifications: instead of tree pose, a hop on one foot; add one push up in the plank. First time, all hops on right foot. 20 second break. Second time, all hops on left foot.

3.     Post-it note sticker game

*Before the class started, I arranged 6 numbered post-it notes on the floor in a circle.

·      Starting standing in the middle of the circle on left foot (post-it #1 in front of you). Free right leg reaches to post-it note #1 and the foot/toe circles it twice, then repeat for each post-it note up to #6. Repeat all on other leg.

·      Starting in a plank with hands in the middle of the circle (post-it #1 in front of you). Reach right hand to tap post-it note #1 and return to starting plank, and repeat taps for each post-it note up to #6. Repeat all with left hand.

·      Starting standing with right foot in the middle of the circle, left leg behind you in lunge position (post-it note #1 in front of you). Lower in lunge, reach right hand to tap post-it note #1, raise to top of lunge. Repeat with taps for each post-it note up to #6. Repeat all in left leg lunge with left hand tapping.

·      Starting in a plank with hands in the middle of the circle (post-it #1 in front of you). Reach right hand to post-it note #1 and shift weight so equally distributed between centre hand and post-it note hand. Return to centred plank. Repeat to each post-it note up to #6. Repeat all with left hand moving to post-it notes.

·      Shake it all out!

4.     Loop 2 (open transition)

·      Lunge, hip bridge, superman (back extension), hip bridge, lunge, hip bridge, superman, and so on. Switching lunch legs each time (I called it out).

·      First time through the loop, no set timing. One cycle each side.

·      Then repeated four cycles with faster tempo (based on song playing).

·      Starting within the post-it note circle, right foot at centre with left leg extended back in lunge (post-it note #1 in front of you). I called out a post-it note number to reach one hand toward and guide the pathway to the floor, then continue the loop through hip bridge, superman, hip bridge, lunge. Repeat all on other side (left leg lunge).

5.     Loop 1 with circling reps

·      Revisit Loop 1, this time hold the squat and circle the weight around your feet, 4 times in each direction. In plank, circle the weight around the wrists, 4 times each direction. Circling in the squat again (on the ascent). In tree pose, starting small, circle the weight around the supporting foot, 4 times each direction. Repeat all (using other foot for tree pose).

6.     Loop 2 with 6 reps (and call-out)

·      Revisit Loop 2, starting inside the post-it note circle, right foot at centre, left leg extended back in lunge. 6 reps in each of the three shapes (e.g., 6 lunges, 6 hip bridges, 6 supermans, 6 hip bridges, 6 lunges). After the 6th lunge, I called out a post-it note number to reach the hand towards and guide the pathway to the floor. Repeat all on second side.

7.     All together now

·      For the final song, I called out—at random—the different tasks/activities we did throughout the class to guide my participant through continuous movement for the duration of one song. Occasionally I called out ‘freeze’ during the song as well.

8.     Cool down

·      The last task (7) ended lying supine on the floor. Rest there with eyes closed for a couple breaths. Bring knees to chest for a little hug and rock. Extend legs. Bring arms to a T shape and one knee to chest, slowly dropping the knee to opposite side for a gentle twist through spine. Hold for 3 breaths. Repeat on other side. Big morning stretch.

Playlist

1.     Head, shoulders, knees, and toes (Watchu Thinkin’ by Watermane, BACKWHEN, Chill Children)

2.     Loop 1 (Pink + White by Frank Ocean)

3.     Post-it note sticker game (Run the Road by Santigold; Come Down by Anderson.Paak)

4.     Loop 2 (Battle Hymn of the Republic by Jon Batiste)

5.     Loop 1 with circling reps (THE SCOTTS by THE SCOTTS, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi)

6.     Loop 2 with 6 reps (Memories by David Guetta, Kid Cudi)

7.     All together now (Mi Gente by J Balvin, Willy William)

Reflections (Objective 3)

I taught my class in our small living room space. It lasted 35 minutes. As noted above, I recorded the class on Zoom, but for privacy reasons I am not sharing as part of my submission. I watched the recording to prompt additional reflection and write notes. I also debriefed with my participant at the end of the class.

What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge)

I think what felt good was taking exercises that are familiar in fitness/gym settings (e.g., squats, planks) and adding elements of play and cues to prompt connection to the floor. Integrating floor flow concepts into activities I would not normally associate with floor flow was rewarding, liberating, and challenging! The challenge was trying to balance the familiar with the play. I aimed to ensure my participant felt comfortable but also had fun with the more creative aspects and games and not self-conscious about what I was asking of him. The experience of teaching this class reaffirmed that the FFTT lessons can really be applied to any activity in any setting.

What I think the class offered the participant

I think the class offered the participant a safe and fun space to find ease and connection to the floor and to his breath. My participant’s first reflection was that the class was really creative and fun. While he did not immediately reflect about a connection to the floor or his breath, I observed four things that I believe confirm he found some ease and those connections.

First, in the first task (head, shoulders, knees, and toes – standing mobilization and warm-up), while we were doing a reach overhead, he appeared to pandiculate and then let out a big, audible sigh. Without prescriptive instruction from me, his body instinctively did the thing it likes to do to ready itself for movement (pandiculate!).

Second, during the third task (post-it note sticker game) I observed a difference between the first time he was in plank and the one of the last times he was in plank (e.g., following the tapping and weight-shifting games). At the end, it looked like his whole body was more engaged and participatory in the plank. Even though he had begun to fatigue, I saw more push into the floor at all contact points (hands and feet) than during his first rep.

Third, during the 5th task (Loop 1 with circling reps) I noticed a gradual increase in the size and smoothness of the circles he made, particularly in the squat position. It was fun to watch him explore the transfer of his weight along all edges of his feet and how this challenged his balance.

Fourth, during the 8th task (cool down), I noted that his breathing rate decreased significantly and that he was taking long inhales and exhales. His body seemed to really soften into the floor. It felt like there was an opportunity to explore some floor sensing, for example gentle rocking, though I did not go ahead since I was a little bit over time already.

What I could do differently in future

There are a few things I would aim to do differently in future.

First, in the second task (Loop 1 with set transition, timing variations), I would start with the fast timing of the loop and then go to the slow timing. I recalled immediately after I delivered the class that Marlo had discussed it being easier to ask participants to slow down after you have gotten them to speed up. This was also a piece of feedback that my participant had for me. He would have preferred to do the more ‘ballistic’ actions of the fast loop first before doing the slow one.

Second, I realize that I did not present the most foundational version of a plank to my participant—I demonstrated a plank from the toes. I suppose I made that choice as I knew he would be able to do it that way. However, in future I would like to be sensitive to mobility options and ensure I present or offer that a plank can be done from the knees as well.

Third, from a planning perspective, I would like to work on ensuring that my class plans are feasible for the allotted time. I would also like to ensure that I plan/test out my playlist as well. During the first task (warm-up), the song was a bit too short for what I had planned. When the playlist rolled over to the next song, it was not really suitable to the movement we were doing, so I restarted the warm-up track. I recognize this interrupted the experience of the class, particularly at the very beginning.

What I learned from this experience that I will apply to my own training and/or teaching

I learned many things. The following lessons really stand out:

o   Planning is critical for success, but so is being responsive in the moment.

o   Keep asking myself: ‘what if I let it be simple?’ (This applies to my own movement and to teaching experiences).

o   Keep accessibility in mind.

o   Consider what is touching the floor and what is not.

o   Games are powerful, especially when they include clear and tight restraints.

Joy Hansen - Loop

1. What are the easy-to-remember ingredients of your loop?

• Side fetal position

• Banana stretch

• leg reach to belly roll

• leg reach to half straddle

2. Describe your process. How did you choose the parts? How was your experience leading up to filming this? What did you need to do to get in the right state of body/mind/spirit to flow?

These movements were chosen to depict exactly how my life feels right now: Contraction, expansion, new perspectives on a low and high plane. Leading up to filming this, I’ve had weeks of mentally toiling over making this loop look unique, pretty and welcoming the energy of a direct to flow state. I put off filming because I felt like I needed to be in a sound state of mind to be able to offer all of the above.

Today I gave up all of that. I know simple is best and having a completely sound state of mind is rare in myself and probably rare in most of those that I’ll teach.

I found that I needed to express the experience I’ve been riding the past couple months and chose some of my favorite movements that were taught in most of the classes that embodied those feelings. In keeping the loop simple, repetitive and meaningful to me, I was able to let go of overthinking this assignment and just do it. This offered me a sense of flow where I didn’t expect it!

3. What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge) in this loop video experience?

What felt good: Rocking at the beginning, letting the floor hold me, feeling the pressure of the floor on the different parts of my body as I moved.

The healthy challenge: I didn’t want to follow the beat of the music but instead focus on my breath and the pressure I felt in my contact points with the floor. I found myself starting to move with the beat a few times and had to bring back my awareness to resting/pushing into the floor.

4. If there is ONE thing that you would do differently, what is it?

I would’ve gone even slower. This was very slow movement for me and was timed by my breath capacity. But if I did it again, I’d see how slow I could go in each movement allowing the breath to be more naturally flowing.

5. What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?

I learned that slow breath doesn’t exactly equal slow movement, and slower movement doesn’t need to depend on each breath. This changes how I train/teach in that I usually cue to do a movement per inhale/exhale… that doesn’t help with staying slow and can feel very restrictive.

I also learned and will implement that letting go our expectations of what movement needs to look like/feel like can totally change how it looks and feels. There’s no right answer, but not having specific expectations can really allow for an easier flow state.

Mallory Daisin - Loop

My loop ingredients were reach, slide, lay down & swirl.

I started creating this loop by choosing two elements I really like but hadn’t tried linking them together. I love the thread through/swirl movement and the slide from all 4s. I just find them really fun. From there it was playing around with how to get these to connect. I definitely flip flopped a little bit on things leading up to finalizing what I wanted to do with it. Up until filming I wasn’t sure what music I would listen to as I filmed but as I was getting ready the song popped into my head and I knew that it was the right choice to get me into the right space. I easily could have kept going and gone over the 5 minute mark.

I really liked how much sliding around I could do with this loop and how much room for movement in the space it created. It was challenging though to find an angle that would capture most of the movement in my home space and give me the most movement room.

I would try to breath more at the beginning, despite starting with breath I noticed that I didn’t carry that through and had to begin using my breath again part way through.

I learned that when I’m planning on practicing a loop to give myself more time. Whether for myself or in a class setting. Its good to give more time to really explore things and see where they might go.

Mallory Daisin - Final Project

FFTT Final Project – Overview of Process – Stretch & Flow

This project came out of teaching a lot of stretch classes over the last year. I’d noticed that the more people could see how the stretching applied to their other movement practices the more involved with it they were. So I wanted to find a way to take some of what I do in these stretch classes and incorporate more movement. I liked the idea of adding a loop at the end to finish the class off, using positions and movement we had focused on in the class and then encouraging people to use some of the more transition elements as more focus on flow in the loop was created. I also really like that it is so easy to incorporate breath, I’m a postpartum Mum and learning how to breath and breath throughout my movement has been incredibly valuable to me.

It was challenging finding ways to link together certain stretches to create smooth transitions between elements. It was also hard to pick what movements to focus on that could then be incorporated into a loop that wouldn’t have asymmetries. I am really happy with how it ended up working out in the end.

My project gives ideas for how movement used in stretches can be applicable for other movement practices but most specifically dance. It also introduces people to some new ways of movement and thinking about movement.

For something I would do differently, I would bring more awareness to going more to an end range in the initial movement portion and that in the loop this wasn’t as necessary and instead to move to a point before the end to have more ease of flow.

I really like this style of incorporating stretching positions and getting more of a whole body stretch. Time just flies. I find incorporating my breath is more natural in this style of movement because it goes with the movement.

FFTT Final Project – Summary – Stretch & Flow

For my project I took inspiration from my stretch classes and made a class concept using elements from the classes but creating more continuous movement. This is to show how elements from stretching can be incorporated into other movement practices. So in the video we get a bit of stretch and flow it altogether.

Sam Stephens - Loop

Written Overview of Loop

Sam Stephens

1.    What are the easy to remember ingredients of the loop? (this could be movements, actions, images)

The basic movements could be broken down into

·      Seated straddle

·      Cobra pose

·      (shoulder roll/stand for more advanced iteration)

·      X-pose/bridge

2.    Describe your process. How did you choose the parts? How was your experience leading up to filming this? What did you need to do to get into the right state of body/mind/spirit to Flow?

I chose my loop through experimentation with connecting different positions and finding what resonated with my body. Different music pacing and cues led to positional exploration, while I tried to keep the basic elements visible simple before I built onto it. Leading up to filming this, I explored this loop in different settings and with different obstructions (poles, dogs, people, etc.).

Getting into the right state of mind was a matter of time, repetition, and isolation from distractions.

3.    What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge) in this loop video experience?

A healthy challenge came from maintaining spacing from walls and poles, which forced me to change directionality or take care as I moved throughout my space. It felt good though because it introduced different pushing/pulling or shifting of body parts to keep in flow while introducing variation in unintentional ways.

4.    If there is ONE thing that you would do differently, what is it?

Pause more (then maybe rock in that pause).

5.    What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?

Exploration is a great way to discover what works for my body, but different variations is a great way to provide a level-appropriate challenge for all bodies, be it from mobility, strength, space, body arrangement, or who knows what else (still figuring that bit out  ).

Nalini Akal - Final Project

PROCESS:

I liaised with Dari Pheifer -a fellow participant with whom I connected via the breakout rooms during classes. We followed each other on Instagram and became study buddies for this project. We gave each other feedback and met 2-3 times weekly.

We both have different backgrounds in the arts, and we had a complementary thinking pattern to the other, so we both got perspectives on our sections of the work.

Through trial and error, we worked through language and getting the other into a state of flow. We both had different methods and it was interesting to find release from another person’s methodology.

In the end I was able to get Dari online while I did my sequence with Live participants and to experience an Energy share in two spaces- in studio and via Zoom.

Healthy Challenge:

The language had to be handled to allow for the most efficient effective movement of a participant in the session.

Benefits of the session by participants included:

Stress relief

A mind disconnect that assisted a reset of the body which resulted in an energy lift.

Body awareness

Possible alternatives to the session include:

Being able to monitor participants more by being able to come out of the sequence physically and ground more in the language for them to continue without me.

The Benefits of this practice and exercise included:

Understanding the relaxation points in movement.

Entwining breathwork into movement for a mind reset.

The trauma of the pandemic needs a daily shake off of energy and floor flow is an excellent facilitator for this possibility.

SENTENCE SUMMARY

Breathwork and a Floor Flow practice can help you relieve stress. Let the Floor be your personal masseuse! Floor Massage.

Stephanie Garza - Loop

1.     What are the easy-to-remember ingredients of your loop? (this could be movements/ actions/ images)

Pigeon, melt, rotisserie chicken, armpit, compact push-up

2.     Describe your process. How did you choose the parts? How was your experience leading up to filming this? What did you need to do to get in the right state of body/mind/spirit to Flow?

I started my creative process with movement that already made me feel good and felt natural to me. I attempted transitions from being face up to face down and sliding through the floor. My experience leading up to filming was to remind myself that I should be enjoying the process and acknowledge how much the floor and I grew together over the last few months. I also remembered to move with intention and to try to stick with the positions I ended up in as much as I could. In order to prepare to be in the right state to flow, I moved a lot prior to recording, I spent a lot of time exploring and doing things other than the loop I had planned.

3.     What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge) in this loop video experience?

It felt good to have to create my own loop and think about what concept I wanted to flow into. Exploration and trial and error were really fun to play with. It was amazing to see how one can make things connect to create a loop and how in reality anything could be a loop.

4.     If there is ONE thing that you would do differently, what is it?

I would increase the difficulty as I get more comfortable with the loop and add more levels.

5.     What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?

Allow time for creativity. Don’t limit moves and don’t ignore comfortable spots because they make up really good transitions.

Juliane Marx - Loop

1 B Written overview of my loop

1.     What are the easy-to-remember ingredients of your loop?
Straddle – Shoulder Push – Rise Up – Switch Legs – Pigeon – Roll Over -Straddle

2.     Describe your process. How did you choose the parts? How was your experience leading up to filming this? What did you need to do to get in the right state of body/mind/spirit to Flow?
I created this loop for a floorwork workshop I taught a few weeks ago. I aimed for a loop which alternates sides, could be mixed up easily and includes my favorite fundamentals (leg threading, shoulder pushing into the floor, straddle work, no-impact-weight transfers) and found both beginners and more experienced dancers had fun and found an individual challenge practicing it.
I just LOVE this song, so music and a flowy shirt were just perfect to get into the right state of mind :)

3.      What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge) in this loop video experience?
When I thought about filming this loop before, I felt pressure regarding all the things I should consider (slowing down, breathing consciously, remembering the loop, challenging myself,…in less than 5 minutes!). Way to many things I wanted to include for that short time frame. I tend to get lost in flow and I love it – but as I should stick with one particular loop instead of doing whatever feels good, that’s quite a challenge.
The loop I created naturally travels backwards, so it was a matter of time until I would meet a pole or a wall. I like to consider those obstacles as opportunities, and in this particular experience they helped me with mixing up my loop. I had to modify some elements to make the loop work with the poles around and used some of the elements to travel when I ran out of space, which helped me to stay within flow without losing my focus on the loop.

4.     If there is ONE thing that you would do differently, what is it?
So so so many, so I better say: nothing. I could have flowed so much longer, included more challenges, found more slowness and even stillness. But the document said:
“If you feel thar you were immersed in the experience and did “less” than you expected to – but felt breathy and relaxed doing it – that may be the one to send in :)”
…and I felt just like that for this experience :)

5.     What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?
I’ve never asked my students (and myself) so often so slow down before. Approaching the floor consciously after leaving the pole. Finding moments of stillness as well as opportunities to play both on the floor and in the air. And how feeling what you’re doing is so much more important than how it may look.

Liana Ventura Coutinho Amaral (aka Lilo) - Loop

WRITTEN OVERVIEW OF THE LOOP

WHAT ARE THE EASY INGREDIENTS OF YOUR LOOP?

The loop has three stages. It started simple and as I kept going it got a little more complex. I start from a:
I) seated half straddle → shoulder rolling across my back all the way to seated half straddle on the other side → lift hips up (down dog) → thread leg trough → slide down → roll over belly → push to seated half straddle.

Then it develops into a:

II) seated half straddle → shoulder rolling across my back all the way to seated half straddle on the other side → lift hips up (down dog) →cross leg behind into reverse table top → turn all the way back into down dog → thread leg trough → slide down → roll over belly → push to seated half straddle.

Then, the loop culminates in:

III) seated half straddle → lift hips and shift legs → shoulder rolling across my back all the way to seated half straddle on the other side → lift hips into low squat → cartwheel → back seated half straddle.

DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS. HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE PARTS? HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LEADING UP TO FILMING THIS? WHAT DID YOU NEED TO DO TO GET IN THE RIGHT STATE OF BODY/MIND/SPIRIT TO FLOW?

This process was very intuitive, in general. I put on some music on my earbuds, connecting to the vibe of it, and started moving, just following where my body wanted to go, or where it felt easier, paying attention to the contact to the floor and how it could be smoother to seamlessly connect one movement into the other. I wasn't worried about building a loop. I was just enjoying letting my body move through the music. After a while I started to notice some patterns surfacing, so I started to make them a little more structured, finding ways to string these positions together in a loop. Taking the space into account, I explored ways I could make this into a traveling loop across it. Filming wasn't an issue either. After playing with the floor for 1 hour, at some point I just forgot I was recording.

 WHAT FELT GOOD OR PROVIDED A HEALTHY CHALLENGE IN THE LOOP VIDEO EXPERIENCE?

Most times when I'm playing with/on the floor I'm not very worried about building a loop. I just keep moving and exploring ways I can make smooth transitions from one position into the other. I've noticed I had the tendency to move faster, in a more complex way, losing the connection with the floor. This is even more so when the music has a faster pace. I let myself be carried by the beat and kind loose control of the choices, which I don't find is wrong or bad. It 's just a way. So, keeping it simple and slow is somewhat challenging. It's not hard though. It just takes more awareness. However this awareness doesn't always translate into fluidity. I feel that there's a sweet spot in between awareness and flow state that can be tricky. Too much awareness, or the idea of exploring movement through the forefront of the head can lead into movement stuttering and hesitation, the idea of grasping and controlling each movement as if it were a mathematical system. When I find myself like this I see myself constantly making pauses and thinking "what do I do now?". It becomes a very rational process and, therefore, not flowy at all. On the other hand, having no awareness at all leads to total lack of control and body engagement, which also leads to lack of fluidity and ease. In this scenario I find myself stumbling, falling, bumping, I lose eye contact with wherever is, and the conversation with the floor tends to be very confusing. So, when I find this sweet spot (where I can breathe calmly, having just the right amount of body engagement and softness, where I know where I'm looking at with both, external and internal gaze, where I feel I'm both making conscious choices but also letting go) I know I'm in flow state. And finding this sweet spot is very challenging. It's like sitting for meditation. You cannot sit and expect that you'll get in the meditation state or even grasp it. You can only sit and be available, preparing yourself and the space around you for an experience of being with yourself, dealing with all your mind's noises. Sometimes, with time, you can feel moments of deep awareness and focus. To me, floor flow manifests itself in a very similar process. I need to show up with an open mind, not trying to reach something, being available and mindful enough so that the flow experience can manifest through my body with the floor. Sometimes it doesn't and it's ok too.  

IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY, WHAT IS IT?

The only thing I wanted to do differently is not something I can really change. I wish I had more room to travel and explore. I also wish I had AC so I could put more clothes on to slide and glide more.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE THAT YOU WILL APPLY TO YOUR OWN TRAINING OR TEACHING?
I guess, being mindful about what could be the perfect balance between body engagement and control AND softness and release. Pendulating between the extremes and finding what the sweet spot could look like and feel in my body.

Anietie Ukpe-Wallace - Final Project

2B:

1. I chose this project of focusing on exploring movement of the pelvis and pelvic floor because I wanted a different option of how I can teach movement of this area. Much of what I currently teach is done lying down on one’s back on a treatment table and is pretty one dimensional and restricted. I also teach other movements in standing, but can be difficult for some patients to learn if they don’t have the basics. I wanted to create a way to teach pelvic movement that can be unique to them and that also felt freeing but grounded at the same time.

2. What I felt was a healthy challenge was finding a way to do this work for the one patient who is much older, not very mobile and does not have much connection to their body as those are some individuals that I work with.

3. I feel that this project offers the participant an opportunity to move their bodies, specifically their pelvic floor and pelvis, in new and innovative ways. For example, to see how movements of the feet can have an impact on their pelvis as well and to learn to interact with the ground especially if one is afraid of moving on the floor.

4. If there was one thing that I would have done differently, I would have chosen to do this in a bigger space so I can do the movement along with the student. The feedback from her was that it would have been nice to be able to see what I was doing, but also I wanted her to embody the movements in her own way, but I think it would have been nice for me to be a guide.

5. What I learned and plan on applying into my teaching would be that I can just take one component of what I taught in this project when working with patients and then add on to it over time. I don’t have to throw everything at them all at once and overwhelm especially if it is their first time doing this type of exploration. I also want to feel more comfortable just getting my patients on the ground and moving, I have a tendency to do a lot of my work on the treatment table and if they are not an athlete and other than functional movements, I don’t know how to incorporate general movements that can be just for fun or exploring. I think if I start to introduce it in small and simple ways, it will be more accessible and approachable for me and my patients.

2C: Summary of My Project: My project is a beginner’s exploration of their pelvis and pelvic floor. If you have been looking to see how you can influence movement of your pelvis other than moving your pelvis and see how other parts of your body interact with fluid and smooth movement of your pelvis, this project will do just that!

2D:

Samantha Gray - Loop

FFTT Final Project – Part 1B Written Overview of the Loop

The purpose of this document is to provide a written overview of my loop.

1)    What are the easy-to-remember ingredients of your loops? (This could be movements/actions/images)

The easy to remember ingredients of my loop are the following: lying supine with knees bent & feet planted (e.g., a hip bridge without lifting the lips); table top; seated half straddle with stand foot.

2)    Describe your process. How did you choose the parts? How was your experience leading up to filming this? What did you need to do to get in the right state of body/mind/spirit to Flow?

I chose the parts as I felt they were accessible and simple positions. I also chose them because of the variety across them: one is lying supine, one is prone and supported on all fours (hands and knees), and the other is seated. Further, I chose the seated half straddle because I like the opportunity it provides to alternate sides/directions given it’s asymmetry.

I chose to film my loop in the morning, since I start all of my days off with a little bit of movement. That habit helps me to start my day on as positive a note as possible. And if I am feeling anxious, stressed, upset, or something else negative, bringing myself down to the floor for even a few minutes can help manage or mitigate or process those feelings.

There are two factors that contributed to me getting into the right state of body/mind to Flow for this loop. First, my morning movement habit is something that I sometimes film for myself and thus I felt comfortable with the task of filming my loop for this project. I think that having these habits in place allowed me to feel ease to drop in to the task for this loop. I did a couple of test recordings (20 or 30 seconds) to ensure that my camera was set up to capture my floor movement as best as possible. I did not want to worry about having a very feel-good loop experience and then come to find out the camera angle did not capture it! Those test recordings provided me ease and so I felt ready to begin filming ‘for real’. Second, I let myself lie on the floor and just breathe before I began. I noticed where I felt tension in my body and sent my breath to those regions, with the aim to soften a little into the support of the floor. When I looked back at the recording this breathing time lasted about 90 seconds (I trimmed some of it to keep my video within the time limit of 5 minutes).

3)    What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge) in this loop video experience?

The part of the loop that felt good was using the most fundamental ‘versions’ of each ingredient in the loop as the base line. This eased the pressure to perform or aim for big skills on the floor. Slowing down was a lovely challenge as well. Part of me wanted to really make big sweeping motions with my legs and build the momentum. Before I started, I had thought about so many different ways to remove contact points, speed up, and travel more. I found that starting with a long breathing period and then the intention to move the base loop very slowly put me into a softened, relaxed state where I lost my sense of time passing.

4)    If there is ONE thing that you would do differently, what is it?

The thing I would do differently is let go of expectations. I felt that I had a few ‘plans’ in my mind for how I could progress the loop, make it more difficult, and add skills. I think understanding how to progress the loop is a key learning from this training, but letting go of the idea that all of them have to happen within the practice of a loop is a critical learning, too. As Marlo has said many times, “what if you let it be simple?”.  

5)    What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?

I learned a couple things from this experience that I look forward to applying to my own movement and to my teaching. First, and as noted above in question 4, to let the movement be simple. There is a lot to be found within the simplest or most fundamental versions of movement. Re-examining pathways through movements that I have done so many times before is key. I want to aim to get curious about where my weight is, how the weight could possibly transfer (e.g., what are the opportunities? Can I surprise myself?), and where can I turn the tension up or down. Second, I found that I could have kept going for at least twice the amount of time as I did. I learned the importance of really leaving S P A C E to explore the loop, to breathe, to notice, and to be okay with any discomfort that arises. In future, I would aim to choose a longer track, or assemble a playlist where the tracks really meld together to support a longer movement exploration.  

Jessica Richards - Final Project

Part 2B Final Project

Overview of my process

1)     I decided I wanted to teach a loop to a small demo class at the studio I currently teach at. I ultimately want to teach floor flow at this studio and thought this would be the best way to demonstrate my knowledge and practice leading a Floor Flow class.

2)     It felt good to share my knowledge of Floor Flow and watching my students begin to appreciate and learn that the floor is an exciting place to explore. After teaching the class I received feedback from students that they felt amazing and very grounded after class.

3)     At my studio we currently have pole, dance, and fitness style classes. The pole and dance classes are more geared towards the sexy/sensual side or technique based, being able to offer Floor Flow at the studio allow students to explore movement in different ways. I also believe the floor flow class offers additional cross training and helps with body awareness with the floor and this also could help with body awareness on the pole.

4)     The one thing I would do differently is that I would have kept the camera recoding while I was demonstrating ways students could modify and play in their loop and make it their own. After I demonstrated that I asked the students to move to one more song making the loop their own. I also know that with time and practice teaching I’ll become more confident with providing cues.

5)     I learned from this experience is that may people even though they be a pole dancer and/or aerialist they may not be very comfortable with moving on the floor and it’s unfamiliar. I’ve also learned that students are craving this type of class at my studio. During my demonstration one of the students asked for a modification to the wild thing thread through and it was nice to be able to provide a modification for this individual, during one of the movement sessions I also noticed that other students were using the modification, so I need to remember to offer modifications to movements without students asking for the modification.

2C – 1-3 Sentence Summary

I offered a demo class at the studio I currently teach at to see if there is interest in a floor flow class. After warming up the class, I recorded a video of leading a simple loop to the class.

Camille de Haas - Loop

Easy to remember ingrediants of the loop :

Lay down on my back fœtal to feotal walking position ; a seat ; a quadrupidal p. and an open pigeon p.

Descritpion :

I start by laying on the floor on my back, notice how I m breathing, release tension and prepare myself to move slowly.

Next, I twist my lower body on one side before going to a fœtal position. Then, I travel around the floor in that position putting wheight on one shoulder. Only two steps before laying on my belly with open arm. I bring my hands torward my shoulders in order to support better myself while my legs are leading me to a seated position. My head comes at the very end, because I am looking away from my body. In this seated position, I shift my weight from one hand to another and I organize myself to get in a quadrupidal position while i am waving my spine in a circular motion. I have my feet on the floor but I could put the knees on the floor also (for an easier version) in order to get to the initial supine position, I bring my foot in a front diagonal direction ; toward my hand. I find the floor with my flex foot first then my knees, and waving with the rest of my body before getting into « the hand sandwich » technique to come back gently on the floor.

I applied the same movement configuration on both directions, addying ingredient like, bringing the pelvis more out of the floor.

Skills integration :

For the seated position, I bring some dynamic hands transfert as my pelvis go forward. Starting to follow the music more and add some speed during weight transfer. From the quadrupidal I transform it to cisor handstand,then cartwheel to continu to draw the « big » circle of my loop With the speed

Process :

I filmed the loop during four differents sessions and finding that the movements got clearer as I played with them. Also I changed some complex movement with others which are more organic in regard of the loop.

I enjoyed starting the loop slowly because it helps me to clarify movements and notice my breath as I push the floor, waving... And I really enjoyed repeating the loop again, and again, find new ways to executed it. More I spend time for this practice more I enjoyed it.

If I could differently I would surely do easier movements and transitions with no « particular

« intention » during movement in order to memorized and be understood by beginners movers. In a way, it’s always different even if the patterns were the same. It depends of the mood, the body feeling, and intention, direction you you decided to make it through.

Amanda Wiggers - Loop

Amanda moving freely through the loop and it’s progressions:

Amanda explaining verbally the loop and it’s progressions:

Written portion:

1. What are the easy-to-remember ingredients of your loop? (This could be movements/actions/images)

   1. Lunge/step through/slide and side

2. Describe your process. How did you choose your parts? How was your experience leading up to this? What did you need to do to get in the right state of body/mind/spirit to Flow?

   1. I have been trying to choose shapes I don’t typically choose necessarily. I am not a particularly flexible person, therefore anything with opening my hips and shoulders is a challenge-which is what I am trying to do more of (challenge myself). It was interesting to see how comfortable (or tolerable in the least) I could become just by exploring these less than preferred shapes further each time. I also am also in my comfort zone when I am seated/back/belly, which also played a part in choosing these shapes that were less than natural for me! I took those aspects of my preferences for movement and thought about shapes I see on other people that I hope to improve and started there! This is how I chose lunge, then thought of what would flow from that as best as I could. I enjoyed the process because by the end of it I could feel how much farther I was sinking into my lunge and even playing around with my arms during! Even when some parts felt “sticky” I knew it was from lack of use or the need to slow down and really connect myself to the floor to find the path of least resistance. I feel when I am home alone with the right music on and my comfy clothes, I am in the state of mind to flow! I often dance with many others and think there’s something about dancing with “nobody” there (even though it was recorded). I sometimes have to even turn the lights off so I am less critical of myself and just immerse myself in raw, feel-good movement.

3. What felt good (or provided a healthy challenge) in this loop video experience?

   1. Personally, it just feels good to do the same thing for an entire song. I feel when I only have the expectation to do one loop on repeat I become much more creative than being expected to freestyle for an entire song. It is also such a positive feeling to know you’re moving for other people who love moving like you do, there’s something to be said about having such a talented support system and resource! I was almost giddy knowing I would have feedback from some of you, of which are a group I am so humbled to be a part of. That may have been part of the challenge as well, honestly. It can sometimes be intimidating to create something and know such talented people are going to be reviewing and critiquing it. It’s always humbling putting something together and presenting to a class, or in this case you all and hoping it is enjoyed!

4. If there is ONE thing that you would do differently, what is it?

   1. For this loop video experience specifically, I would move even slower. It’s ironic to me that I genuinely enjoy moving like a sloth, but when I'm in front of people speed everything up (excited? Anxious?) Maybe remind myself, as I do sometimes my students, to take half the song to do ONE time through, then move through the loop at various speeds for the second half of the song? It is such a good reminder, to slow down, for movement.

5. What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?

   1. How changing the levels of a loop can easily allow for an entire song of movement and then some. I feel so many people wanting to move, to dance, are so intimidated by the idea of moving for an extended period of time. I feel so many of them feel they are looked down upon for repetition of their favorite moves or what they’re comfortable with so they’re constantly searching for other wow-factors movements to show to the crowd. This experience reminded me that an entire song repeating the same loop/movement does the opposite of that. It gives me confidence in what I’m doing and freedom to simply move with less thought. And if I want to add some razzle dazzle? I can add different shapes or levels to what I’m already doing and feel much less stressed than trying to create something entirely new (and surprise, doing so you may just create something new!). All in all, it reminded me how differently people move when they’re moving for themselves and how it FEELS instead of who’s watching.

Karen Lehman - Loop

Written Overview of Loop Karen Lehman

What are the easy to remember ingredients of your loop?

1- Bridge (Head, shoulders, and feet in contact with floor, and pelvis lifted; but contact points can shift, glide and roll)

2- Mini cobra (on belly, with head, neck and upper chest lifted; but belly, pelvis, thighs in contact with floor)

3 - Ball (more open to interpretation, but body making a shape of a ball by closing in the front of the body and lengthening through the back of spine)

Variable added of breath awareness, slowness, glide/slide, rock and roll, tension/relaxation, shifting POC

Added challenging of transitioning between different positions by using one shoulder as the POC, or decrease the POC’s

Describe your process. How did you choose the parts? How was your experience leading up to filming? What did you need to do to get in right state of body/mind/spirit to flow?

Since I was just doing this for me (versus planning a class to teach), I just put on music and began with the warmup movements of rocking, wiggling, pandiculation, twisting, to the music while laying on my back. I led my body lead me into positions that felt good, and stayed with each one for quite a while initially… I entered with no plan on the 3 loop elements… but I had the intention of using POC, breath, tempo, tension/ease as variables; the gliding/sliding became pleasurable variables during the loop progressions

What felt good or provided a healthy challenge in this loop video?

The bridge element felt so good, as I felt a lot of freedom with this space and lots of room for exploration;

the ball came up naturally as a transition from the bridge to the mini-cobra… which at first felt good… after the first loop, however, the ball felt a bit challenging and limiting, in that there were not a lot of options for movement within it.. So the challenge was finding movement within a ball: where could I push against the floor? This is also where tension and ease became useful explorations, and I practiced accepting the micro-movements from there… my body still desired more movement, so the challenge was staying in the ball shape, versus moving too quickly through it.

If there is one thing you would do differently, what is it?

Haha - I feel like I would leave the ball shape out, but I think exploring my discomfort with it is where I’d like to go… stay with the ball more and find more ways to explore the discomfort… I’m definitely more comfortable in the movements that require more expansion… overall it was a pleasurable loop that I staying in for about 13 minutes - video was edited for submission…

What did you learn from this experience that you would put in your own training/teaching?

Trusting self, be open minded, not rushing through a sense of discomfort. To clarify, the discomfort with the “ball shape” was not physical pain, but a frustration with the limitations my body felt within it. Staying within that type of mental discomfort is a great opportunity to be present and surrender, and the tensioning/releasing exercise within it was very helpful

Karen Lehman - Final Project

Final Project FFTT - Karen Lehman

SUMMARY OF PROJECT

My final project is being submitted entirely in written format, due to the need to maintain the confidentiality of the group participants. I was excited to incorporate what we learned in FFTT into my work as a Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in trauma. On March 2, 2022, I had the opportunity to lead 2 groups of survivors of interpersonal violence in a Floor Flow workshop over zoom. Read below to find out how I planned and executed this project, the particular challenges involved, the wondrous discoveries, as well as some verbal and written feedback from the live/virtual participants. I will incorporate my responses to Marlo’s 5 process/reflection questions into this summary, too.

“Why did I choose this project?” When Marlo first mentioned the Final Project, my immediate thought was to use FF for trauma healing, as I have personally found these floor explorations to be extremely therapeutic. Throughout the FFTT program, whenever I attended a live or recorded session, or practiced on my own, I immediately experienced a sense of “ahhhhhhh” and release upon laying on the floor and gently moving. I was eager to share this experience with others!

In my traditional therapy practice I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness for trauma work, but lately have been incorporating body movement as an essential aspect of healing. I often observe clients’ bodies moving into a “frozen” or immobile state when fear and anxiety get activated. Playing with simple body movements and breath, particularly during CoVid when many people are moving through spaces less frequently, has been quite helpful for moving emotions through the body, and helping people get “unstuck”. I have been doing individual therapy entirely over Zoom since March of 2020, and inviting clients to move their bodies in their own home environments during sessions has been a powerful way for them to build new habits. What if I took these movement practices a step further and incorporated a

full-blown Floor Flow experience into a therapeutic setting?

Fortunately, I had a potential opportunity to try Floor Flow within an existing community.

A little background to explain my final project… I have been involved as a provider and advisor for a student-run organization at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) since 2019, called the "Thriving and Not just Surviving Initiative" which seeks to provide alternative methods of healing body and mind for students who have experienced interpersonal violence. Thriving gives students a 7 week group experience, where they get to experience numerous healing modalities with a different provider each week. Pre-Covid, during their first quarter I offered a Pole Dance in-person workshop, which focused on sensual embodiment, self-trust, and breath while moving around the pole. This was a huge hit!!! The students loved the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones, and move their bodies in new ways in a safe space.

When the CoVid lockdowns began, this program eventually switched to the virtual Zoom platform. I have been invited back as a provider once per academic quarter, and offered various workshops via zoom. I've had to get creative, but found modalities to help participants tune into their breath and bodies by moving on chairs and the floor. In past workshops, I have started with guided, freeform movements to warm up and focus inward, but then transitioned to teaching some “sensual” choreography. But, teaching even simple choreography over Zoom proved to be quite challenging! 1) technology issues with internet connectivity, syncing of voice and music for specific choreography, etc., 2) “space” issues for students - silly me once thought that everyone would have access to a chair, but that is not always the case! Even having floor space can be challenging for college students with roommates and small rooms, 3) videos turned off - in the early stages of the pandemic, people tended to have their videos turned on, but over the past 2 years, with “zoom fatigue” people tend to turn their cameras off more frequently for meetings and classes (I do too!). 4) The 4th constraint is that as the outside provider I enter the group without any background info on the participants. The student group leaders always lead a

check-in and wrap up, in which I’m not involved. I step in with zero info, other than how many members might show up, and quite often never see their faces or spaces at all. The Thriving Initiative has always saved my workshop for the finale, or last of their 7 week series, due to high ratings from past participants. This timing is great, because the members are more comfortable with the process and have a sense of group cohesion already - just not with me!

All of the above constraints made teaching choreo online unrealistic. But the participants reported that they enjoyed the free-form guided warm-ups…

So…. as I moved through the FFTT personally, I realized that the FF experience could be so accessible and healing, even in one session!

“What do you think your project offers the participant?” Freedom. Self-trust. Joy. Playful exploration. Opening of the body. An opportunity to be present and feel safe in one’s body. An opportunity to find ease and comfort in moving one's body. A connection to one’s breath in the present moment. And an opportunity to return to the floor anytime. Without going into great detail, many of these states and experiences can be lost as a result of trauma and interpersonal violence. Bypassing our thoughts and beliefs, and just guiding the body through new movement patterns can be a way of accessing these states and experiences in a way that feels empowering.

What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training and teaching? First of all, the preparation stage helped me tune in to the multi-layered teachings Marlo provided at a deeper level. There is so much detailed information in the FFTT program, that you cannot possibly absorb it all at once. Going back to review has been immensely clarifying and helpful. It was actually a blessing for me to know that the most important thing as a teacher was to keep this workshop CLEAR and SIMPLE.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had the opportunity to do this TWICE in the same night. The first group had 19 undergraduates and the second group had 9 graduate students.

Here was the plan I created for the course, and was actually able to follow it:

1.     Prep before the session:

a.     Technology - with Zoom, I used a bluetooth microphone, and I pre-tested everything, music, cameras, etc. I asked the group leaders to make me a co host so that I could “share computer sound” - these 2 variables provide optimal integration of music and voice.

b.     I asked the group leaders to tell the participants they’d be most comfortable in layered clothing, including socks, and to clear as much floor space as they could (enough where their bodies could lay flat, and hopefully “log roll” once or twice). I knew there were a lot of potential constraints for the participants, and I needed to keep the “asks” quite simple. But I asked myself, how would they be most comfortable? The group leaders already ensure that participants are in a private space for their weekly meetings

c.     Planning a simple outline - I had approximately 50-55 minutes per session. I wanted to have a 3-5 minute introduction for myself and what we would do; and also 5-8 minutes at the end for transitioning out of the movement, and gathering optional feedback

d.     Creating a playlist on spotify

2.     During the session - Introduction - I introduced myself and my background, and very briefly explained what we would be doing, and the reasoning behind it.

3.     A warm up - with the goal being to create a sense of safety, comfort and focusing into the present moment. Having them get used to my speaking and guidance in a less demanding way - i.e. beginning with walking may initially feel less strange than rolling on the floor!

a.     Begin upright, walking around their spaces

b.     1 at a time, tune into each of your 5 senses… name 4 colors you see, touch 3 different textures, name 2 things that you hear, go up and smell 2 different smells… this is a great method for moving away from thoughts, and more into body sensations and the present moment

c.     Brought attention to breath

d.     Brought awareness to feet (points of contact)

e.     Introduced variables of speed while walking - slow, medium, fast - noticing breath, tension and ease, walking backwards as a way of introducing something out of the ordinary

4.     Eased them down to the floor - explored how to find the floor, used some structure but allowed some freedom to explore the options; emphasized there is no “right or wrong” method to get to the floor - this was a 1st opportunity to explore options and self trust

5.     Led them through a pandiculation movement exercise - because this was probably my favorite thing in FFTT! - I also introduced the concept of letting go of the familiar at this point; I loved Marlo’s explanation of animals pandiculating in nature… I didn’t want to stop the flow and show videos, so I had them visualize cats and dogs pandiculating and had them imagine other animals performing pandiculation, ones they had not seen

before - so this became an opportunity to tune in to imagination, again in a non-threatening way

6.     I initiated a simple 3-part loop - I actually had gone back and reviewed the 1st loop Marlo taught us, and basically used that, as well as the way she clearly introduced it to us. This felt like 3 body positions that would be accessible to nearly everyone.

a.     3 part loop - 1-Hands and Knees; 2-seated; 3-on belly

b.     Introduced each element on its own - finding a balance between structure and the freedom to explore (this is challenging when you cannot see the participants, so I decided to err on the side of clarity/structure during the introduction of each element)

c.     In each of the 3 movement introductions, I introduced the variables of rocking, shaking, gliding, contracting/releasing - as optional invitations “what would it be like if you…” -

d.     Brought attention to: breath, points of contact to floor, shifting weight

e.     Introduced the idea of looping between these positions. The concepts of playful freedom and exploration, “there is no right or wrong way to do this”, finding movements that feel “pleasurable and joyful”; “how could you get from hands and knees to your belly?”

f.      Since I could not see participants during the looping, I put in reminders to find ways to move slowly, with attention to the sensations and breath

g.     After explaining the positions and introducing the loop concept, I told the participants, “I’m going to play a song, that is just about 3 minutes, and you have the opportunity to explore moving through these 3 positions, however you want”. Throughout the song, I’d make suggestions again about tuning into rocking, circling, gliding, reaching, breathing, sensing POC…

h.     I was mindful to pause, and not offer too much!

7.     As the song and exploration ended, I invited participants to take a moment to complete their explorations, and to then lay on the floor in whatever way felt comfortable and supported. I told them we would just rest and breathe for a moment.

8.     I then suggested they rise up if and when they felt ready, and “join me up at their screens”.

9.     I thanked them for inviting me to lead them, and said I was curious about their experiences if they felt comfortable sharing (Marlo had suggested that I could ask for feedback if appropriate). I made sure to allow about 5 minutes for this time.

Here is the solicited feedback that I received (again this was solicited and written down by me at the end of each of the 2 workshops to me while I was present. People are unlikely to share negative feedback to someone in the moment, so unsurprisingly it was all positive; yet it felt quite open and authentic). Some people turned on their cameras and spoke through their videos (which was lovely to see faces!), some spoke with their videos turned off, and some typed their comments in the chat:

●      “I felt so relaxed and loose”

●      “I’ve never felt so confident”

●      “I felt empowered and trusting”

●      “Relaxed and free”

●      “That was super beneficial”

●      “I felt so much freedom”

●      “Freedom in my body”

●      “I relaxed a lot”

●      “This was so helpful cus it’s the week before finals and my stress is all gone”

●      “I had no thoughts, they disappeared”

●      “I gave myself permission to connect with my body in a way I’ve never done before”

●      “I love it”

●      “I feel so good”

Those are just some of the comments, but the words “relaxed, free, empowered” appeared in the chat quite a bit.

What felt good about this project? - Interestingly, what felt good for me was also related to the goals I had for the participants. 1) I felt a lot of self-trust! I felt prepared and ready. Marlo has really given us the tools to lead Floor Flow experiences. Trusting myself and trusting the importance of keeping things simple and clear. 2) It also felt good to be totally present and in the moment while leading this – and it was actually super essential when in both workshops I had no visual feedback on how the participants were doing. I had to tune in deeply to my own breath and my own experience, which made this a deep process for me… but one I also had to verbalize and articulate clearly to others. I also had to find the balance between being focused on my body experience, yet being aware of the next steps and the progression. I felt comfortable with using language that provides both clarity and exploration. 3) It also felt good seeing the glowing faces and hearing happy voices at the end. Honestly, when you can’t see anyone, you literally have no idea what’s happening… you just keep going; so it was really nice to realize that people had connected to the experience.

If there is one thing you would do differently what is that? - I would love to do this in person, and I believe there will be an opportunity to do so, if UCSB continues to transition back to in-person experiences. The hardest part for me, in doing this over zoom when all of the cameras are turned off, is not knowing if I’m offering too much. I do try to pause and speak slowly and breath slowly myself, but I may offer too many variables at times. Also its challenging without the visual feedback, to be sure that I’m being a helpful guide for people who may have larger bodies than mine, and mobility restrictions. I believe this is an area in which I can continue to improve. But, overall, since I had the opportunity to do this twice, with a 30 minute break in between, I changed almost nothing in between, as the first session went well. I shortened the “walking around the space” part of the warm-up and got to the floor more quickly, just due to time constraints. I would also have loved to have a video of myself leading this workshop, just so I could reflect on my pacing - again wondering if I was pacing things slowly enough, and not offering too many suggestions. Again, due to HIPPAA and privacy, I was not able to record this workshop in any way.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Nalini Akal - Loop

Sequence: Loop

Activations included:

 x position static and rocking, fetal with stacked knees, sway, drag, reaching and drive through.

Motivations for choice of Movement:

The X is a space of neutrality, when we add the rocking with breath work it creates a type of reset for the body somatically and clears off energy to begin work. A type of Reset.

The fetal position carries the participant into a more relaxed space and offers comfort so that new movements can be introduced.

The sway deepens relaxation while offering increased blood flow to the spine and removing the tension that may be residual in the muscles.

The drag brings our awareness to the tactility of the space in which we are moving, it opens the neck and spine and once accomplished correctly gives an almost headless feeling as the tensions of the head are removed from a static tense upright position.

The reaching position was recommended to carry the stretch to the hips and release tension in the lower back

And the extended reach with the drive through of the feet was chosen to lessen even more tension in the lower back and offer a counter stretch to participants who spend a lot of time sitting.

Pre- movement choices:

I experimented with my classes that I currently teach to decide which sequences offered the most relief and got bodies into a supple minded state.

Before filming this I tried other versions but cut down my ambitions and decided to do a piece that offered the most comfort and relaxation I could possibly sequence without participants feeling overwhelmed.

Possible Enhancements:

Adding leg movement in large fan like half circles and moving the contact points once lifted.

The Healthy Challenge:

The healthy challenge was definitely -the step/drive through and rotation reaching upward. It felt accessible to me and for my students

Observations for future teaching:

This sequence revealed that I can slow it down even more and also can progress a lifted version of the sequence as well – that is a standing version where I can use heel bumps in replacement of the floor rocking and other transitions to convert the floor version to standing vertical.

Written Explanation of the process for the Loop:

I began the loop by adding one move and repeating the sequence so that participants will have a handle on familiarity and yet be open to the addition of a new move and then grounding and re grounding at the beginning and end of the loop.

Gilda - Loop

What are the easy to rememberingredients of your loop?

Basically three shapes:

bridge

side bridge/ Homer Simpson

half squat

Describe your process: How did you choose the parts?

How was your experience leading up to this?

What did you need to get into the right state of body/mind/spirit Flow?

I must admit that, like a couple others, I felt quite pressured to come up with something original or special. And just like a lot of others I'm also dealing with injuries, in my case an old meniscus injury, that became a re-injury, and on top of this I just recovered from Covid. Therefore, I procrastinated and in my mind already wanted to bail out of the whole thing. Ultimately, I tried to keep this little homework as simple and enjoyable as possible and chose shapes I enjoy being in. My aim was to gradually layer a few more progressions into the flow, such as a lunge into standing, a "plow" into a shoulderstand, and still allow the basic pattern of the flow to be visible. It was helpful to re-watch a couple of classes from the FFTT and take notes on them. Surprisingly, I felt very much at ease while filming the loop, while I was moving I also came up with more alternations/progressions I could have added or chosen instead. It was an interesting experience to realise how many options you actually have to go from one place to another.

What felt good or provided a healthy challenge in the loop video sequence?

Like I already said before I felt good while moving. It was easy to be in the moment without coming up with a lot of stories why this doesn't look good or that isn't like it is "supposed to be". The challenge was to slow myself way down, and I realise I could have done that even more. Moving slowly is so much harder and you can see the struggle in the transitions.

If there is one thing that you would do differently, what is it?

1. Start earlier

2. I missed the chance to connect with other fellow students while creating the loop (technical issues with my cam, which still shouldn't have prevented me from trying to get in touch via audio...) and realise now that could have been a valuable extra.

3. clean up the transitions, e.g. by pushing into the floor more

What did you learn from this experience that you will apply to your own training or teaching?

1. You are your worst critique - be more kind to yourself.

2. Even with injuries and other stuff going on, there is still so much you can do. Stop getting caught up in all the stories that your mind tries to tell you.

3. Don't compare yourself and your body in motion to other bodies.

3. It doesn´t need a lot to get into the flow, just get on the floor and see where things take you.

Jessica Richards - Loop

Part 1b loop

1)     Easy to remember ingredients: stand, kneel, roll over, kneel, stand…repeat

2)     Process: I knew I wanted to involve standing at some point in my loop because normally I find myself not actually standing on my feet during floor flow; I’m either rolling around or kneeling/sitting/or hands and feet contact rather than just feet. Then I knew I wanted to incorporate some rolling into the loop, and the in-between standing and rolling ended up being kneeling. I also wanted to progress the kneel to stand transition by adding a cartwheel and/or handstand (but ran out of song and ended up with one handstand at the very end). My experience leading up to filming this was a bit energetic, I just finished teaching a private lesson and decided that filming and doing my loop would have helped me release some extra energy. To help me in get into the flow I really focused on finding a song that at that moment was making me want to move. (I skimmed through about 10 or 11 songs to find the right song).

3)     What felt good/health challenge: while standing it felt good to reach and wave my arms around. A healthy challenge was to try to play with different speeds (it was fun to use my momentum to roll)

4)     ONE thing to do differently: I wish at the very beginning of my loop I spent more time laying on my back and played (wiggled/moved) more rather than rolling right over to my kneel on the other side. This could have been used to demonstrate that it’s ok to hang out in a position to explore the possibilities.

5)     Learn from this experience: I learned that in order to be able to progress the movements it is important to know your contact points and to move slowly to feel each contact. It’s also super important to be able to break down the fundamental/primary loop (learn the vocabulary) before creating the loop (sentence).