Twist, thread, and press are the three pieces of my loop that I wanted to work with at this time. I chose these parts because I am playing with commitment to direction and creating opportunities to build or subside momentum. I wanted to give myself options to play with moments that were out of my predictable and usual pathway. I spent several sessions noticing what I ‘expected’ and gave myself time to consider alternatives to where I was inclined to go, asking myself to pause and see what might happen if I changed a small aspect of pressure or which part of the body led or followed to give in to the flow. Several sessions were videoed before I felt like I hit my stride in creating a freeing and less restricted aspect of looping for myself. One of my challenges is to arrive gently from one level to another. Coming up from the floor and back down used to feel like pain and fear, and I made sure to offer myself the chance to contemplate and take the opportunity of coming at least part way up and back. I did capture that process of level change while changing tempo and swishing along for fun.
I spent some time moving and getting warm and sweaty, with the family cat who seems to always join me when I’m in floor flow mode. Maybe it’s the sound of my feet or pants sliding on the floor that attracts her. I know that I sometimes prefer the sound of my movement for contemplation, as much as I enjoy some good music, and I chose the ambient noise of the space rather than playing anything. I brought my focus to the twist as I made my way down to the floor, gently coming from one facet or plane of my body to another, and then swishing my legs with lesser energy and then building a bit. Asymmetrical twisting gave me many options which made flowing easier. The process of acknowledging the refinement of my movement continues to be as soothing and informative as it has been since starting FFTT prep last June. I found that this looping session was less work and more joyful, and using my kitty as an object to incorporate into my loop was amusing. I had a lot of fun with this session.
I am not sure that I would do anything differently with this mark in time. I see that I've come a long way from the body that was fearful of lowering to the floor and of coming back up again. I will continue to challenge my sense of what I think I know about my capabilities as I have found that I am able to do so much more with my body than I had believed. I am bringing this philosophy and Flow concepts of movement to my students now, and will continue to encourage them to experience what they feel in the moment, respecting and appreciating what they can do, even as they are making it up, and growing their own joyous experience of Flow, flow, and flowing in and out and around the floor.