Cellular breathing: Expansion and contraction of each cell
of the body in internal respiration. Integrates and aligns the physical body.
Present throughout life form conception, as it underlies breathing and all life
processes. We used hands on activities, with focus on the breathing and moving
with the idea of condensing and expanding.
Navel radiation: Integrates of the body into the centre
through the navel. Starfish pattern. Present in utero. We explored this by
focusing on the starfish pattern on the floor and moving with the idea of 6
limbs which all move in unison, joining at the centre. I feel I connect to this
pattern particularly well as I like the starfish imagery and can find support
from the floor while I do so.
Mouthing: the head rocks on the lower jaw; nursing action of
the infant. Sea squirt. Dominant During early infancy. We used a rolling action
while a partner activated the mouthing awareness by stroking the side of the
face from the mouth, which led the rolling. I thought I would want to go the
other way from the hand and reject the action but I actually wanted to roll
towards it in response to the action.
Pre-spinal: Integrated movement between head and torso to
the tail; initiated in the 'soft spine' of the spinal cord and the organs.
underlies spinal patterns. We moved with the soft spine image yielding and
softening into the floor, which I was surprised to discover I use a lot during
my improvisational moving, but never properly realised it was directly related
to this pattern.
Spinal push from head, and spinal push from tail:
Integration of the spine from head to tail, initiated in the musculoskeletal
structure. I also frequently use this focus when moving in classes as we often
focus on the way movement can initiate from the head or tail to enable leading
from one movement to the next.
Spinal reach from head, and spinal reach from tail: Movement
of the spine through space, led by the head or tail; enables change in levels.
Initiation first from mouth; other senses develop in the first few months.
Again, like the spinal push, I also often use the reaching pattern as ways to
initiate movement.
Hartley, L (1989) Wisdom of the body moving. USA: North
Atlantic Books
