Yesterday CBC News shared how published researchers in British Columbia had analyzed videos of 227 falls by 130 seniors in B.C. between 2007 and 2010. (Adults of all ages could benefit by becoming more aware as these seniors did not just change how they shift their weight at this stage of their life.
I enjoyed watching the video shown on the news that demonstrated how balance is connected to shifting body weight, counterbalancing and sensory awareness. Watching the video I could see the weight shift in the filmed subjects legs and recognized it confirms what I share in may Awareness through Movement balance classes. Here are a few comments from the researchers:
“We show that the most common causes of falls are incorrect weight shifting and tripping, and the most common activities leading to falls are forward walking, standing quietly and sitting down,” concluded study co-leader Prof. Stephen Robinovitch, of the department of biomedical physiology and kinesiology at Simon Fraser University, and his team.
“Our findings emphasize the need to target each of these activities in fall risk assessment and prevention strategies,” they added in calling prevention a “public health priority.”
Renee Lindstrom, GCFP, Feldenkrais Practitioner & Awareness through Movement teacher since 2007
Authored Achieving your Goals 31 Day Program, Sleep Sweet Sleep, Kid’s Peace Bus Calendar of Values Educational Program & InTouch with Your Values Self-Actualization Program. Communication & Empathy Coach since 2004, Art of Placement since 2000, Labyrinths of Victoria since 2012, #yyj Peace Week Grassroots Calendar Founder, Vice-Chair of World Children’s Summit on Peace & Nature in 2015
Chogum Trungpa Rinpoche, originally from Tibet, taught North Americans a structure to experience mindfulness in meditation. A structure to occupy the mind and body with focus of attention in a particular way to encourage the mind to slow down to have freedom from thought driven action.
The structure in meditation is particular. You enter into a room with reverence, sit on a cushion that has a mat between it and floor. You have a choice of sitting in two or three positions. When you sit you notice your thoughts and practice labeling them, “thinking.” You follow your breath outwards counting for cycles of 10 breathes. As you sit you notice when your thoughts wander off and then as soon as you notice this you simply bring yourself back to the pattern of breathing and observing your breath. Your eyes are aimed 6 feet in front of you down towards the floor and an you begin to sense the environment. Sitting begins at a cycle of 20 minutes, walking mediation for 10 and back to sitting for 20 minutes. For a retreat the 20 minutes stretches into longer periods of time. The purpose is to begin to have an experience of empty space between the thoughts. An experience quite unlike a mind driven experience.
Sharing Awareness through Communication workshops based on world recognized models for communicating and development, a dawning realization is for the need of a similar structure. Chogyam was sharing that the mind needs attention and a structured system of focusing it to participate, not dominate. Our series of classes has evolved into realizing this same need for structure with a purpose of giving the mind space between thoughts and allowing it room for participating, not dominating. This then deepens the quality. Therefore it isn’t the quantity of thoughts and filling up the silence that matters, it’s the quality that becomes recognizable. Therefore a growing mindfulness can come from learning while developing a lite quality of curiosity in studying one’s own behavior.
A recent comment, “When I hold onto the thoughts in my mind that want to jump out and only share back what I am hearing from my friend, my friend shares more. I am getting to know more about this person and I thought I already knew everything about them. They are also speaking from a deeper place.”
Learning opportunities to discover for yourself how to improve your relationships with clarity and developing mindfulness, western style, are available. For more explore the classes listed, inquire about presentations, workshops and coaching. There are organized group classes, classes designed with your needs in mind, online classes and private sessions for coaching and improving your relationships.
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method®
This exercised was emailed to me from Carla Munro ~ a fellow contributor to sharing value-based empathy conscious communication methods. It will be useful to the teacher in all of us.
Techniques transforming “doing” into “being” with others and self
Pause take a breath and make a choice to either “be” in empathy by simply being a reflection back to the speaker, or to “do” conversation. (This is being attached to what you are thinking as the other person is sharing.) Making a choice may give you conscious recognition of how you are listening to the speaker throughout the sharing.
If you choose to “be” in empathy remind yourself that responding to an urge to tell them something is not empathic listening. This is not going to be “about what you think.” It is about “hearing what is going on for the speaker” and being present to mirror back what you are hearing from them.
Notice your posture and placement of your feet. If you are sitting, bring your feet flat to the floor directly under your knees hip width apart. If standing, notice if your legs are hip width apart and bring your attention to your feet for a moment. How are you sensing them? Simply shift your weight first from one foot to another a few times and notice if you begin to feel more sensation. Shift your weight forward and back a few times and then notice the sensations.
Now take your focus of attention from your forehead area back into your head towards the centre of your brain. Consciously bring it down to the centre of your torso behind your sternum. Notice when your attention strays away from this area and bring yourself back. Notice the sensations.
Separate your teeth. Let your lower jaw hang down ever so slightly separating your upper and lower sets of teeth and place your tongue on the floor of your mouth, if you can, letting it’s weight remind you to keep your lower jaw soft.
Begin to practice softening your eyes while making gentle eye contact.
Practice keeping your attention in the area between your lungs and hearing what the speaker is saying. Notice if the quality of how you are receiving their words is calmer and more reflective.
If you use “words,” begin by matching the energy of the person speaking and only reflect back what they are saying. Trying to use as many of their words as possible. Pay attention to their response and notice if they are becoming softer and calmer.
If you choose to name what you are sensing their feelings and needs to be, pay attention to their response. If they are shifting away from being soft and receptive switch back into simple reflection. Drop your attachment to naming the feelings and needs. If they stay receptive to hearing you name the feelings and needs, pay attention to where your focus has shifted to. Are you still able to stay with your attention in your chest area or has it shifted to the front part of forehead area? If your focus is in your forehead it is no longer empathic listening and you have shifted into it being about you.
When you feel that they have become quiet, check to see if there is something more they want to share or ask them if they have something they are wanting from you, of themselves or from someone else in this moment.
REMEMBER EMPATHIC LISTENING IS:
A flow of energy described as compassionate between you and another. Being present and having contentment in the moment. Having no experience of being in agreement or disagreement with what you’re hearing.
Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning 