I took a break from teaching pole dancers and spent some time sharing the gift of Floor Floor with my mum. Take a look to see how it went!
Emma Nicholson Final Project: moving with my mum
1)
My mum is 75 years old and has Alzheimer’s, which is a form of dementia. One of her most noticeable symptoms is high anxiety which leads to an uncertainty in her movement, a loss of fluidity when performing everyday tasks and a general loss of confidence and connection with her body.
Previously, during the FFTT, I practised one of my small group activities with my mum and I was amazed at the effect. Following a bit of a wobbly start, I saw her movement transform literally before my eyes, within a few minutes she was moving with stability, control and most of all awareness and connection.
I have chosen to share a session with my mum as my final project because I feel it shows how empowering and impactful the concepts of Floor Flow can be when we tune in to the needs of our movers. My mum needs simplicity, reassurance and an enjoyable experience that enables her to connect positively to her body.
Complex instructions (thinking about more than one thing) can be quite overwhelming for her and this is something I have to be constantly aware of, but especially in a Floor Flow session when I feel she is particularly vulnerable in the way that she has put her trust completely in me; if I’m not sensitive to her needs it could result in quite a traumatic experience.
I feel it’s important to add here that she is in the early-mid stages of the disease and was able to consent to the session and to me sharing our video with my fellow trainees.
2)
What felt good about this session and preparing for it was the challenge of creating something simple but meaningful, I was also challenged by the thought that maybe it wouldn’t be enough. But then I realised that this really is the essence of Floor Flow, the richness isn't in what you can see, it’s in what you feel and placing value only on how things look is really missing the point.
I succeeded in facilitating a session during which my mum slowed down, kept moving, connected to her breath, body and the floor. Her feedback on the session was that she enjoyed how calm she felt, as her daughter I can tell you that in recent years it’s become rare to see her as calm and peaceful as she is during these Floor Flow sessions.
3)
As a participant, the session offered my mum the tools to quieten her mind, connection to her body, improved proprioception, increased movement control, awareness of the floor and her relationship with it.
4)
On reflection, one thing I would do differently or develop next time is to offer more challenge. Watching the video back I can see that she was really engaged and receptive, she would probably have responded well to a little more challenge which could have promoted a little more independence for her during the session. I was prepared to scale things down but I don’t think I was prepared to scale it up, a testament to how effective the sessions are for her!
5)
I’ve learnt to not take moving for granted. Seemingly simple moves that we do without thinking are actually complex processes requiring initiation, detailed messaging from the brain, sensitivity to feedback from body about the task and the environment. We can go though our lives not thinking about moving and just letting it happen, but we can also slow down and savour the gift that is the human body, the miracle of being able to move, to make things happen and interact with our surroundings. As our bodies change with age, illness, injury etc we can continue to nurture the bond between mind and body, finding joy and peace in seemingly simple activities. The power is in the simplicity and this appreciation is something I look forward to sharing in the future.