Body Consciousness
and Its Affect on Posture

Questions for Week 3

When asked, "how do you best learn?" most people usually respond with either a technique, like, "in a classroom," or by naming their favorite sense, like, "I learn best visually." Unfortunately, this implies most people define "learning" as the ability to parrot the correct answer.

What is wrong with this? We believe that "parroting the correct answer" creates parrots, not students; dullards, not Einsteins. So how can we create more Einsteins? By asking questions which are intended to provoke the student's own questions. More important, we see this as the best way with which to reawaken in students the love of learning.

This week's topic is, "Body Consciousness and Its Affect on Posture." Would you like to actually awaken your love of learning about this topic? You can, simply by reading the teacher's questions and then, by asking yourself, "what questions did these words just provoke in me?"

"Body Consciousness and It's Affect on Posture"

Teacher's Questions (asked by Jen)

• Is there a typical posture in which people create low back and other musculo-skeletal injuries?
• Do injuries about our body image affect our posture?
• How do our needs and layer 5 symptoms translate to our bodies and those postures?
• How conscious are we of harmful movements and postures in our everyday life?
• Can Emergence increase mindfulness of our bodies' need for support and balance in standing/walking/movement?
• What is an example of a harmful or painful posture and a possibility of an Emergence-directed change towards that support and balance?

• What are the muscles that are needed to fire and what are the muscles that are needed to relax to obtain "balance or good posture?"
• Is it the same for all people or instead is there a set of principals that we could apply to obtain that goal?
• Can visualizing a supported body help in achieving good posture?
• Is there a way to see or touch those muscles required to obtain good posture? And not go into shock or cause someone else I am teaching to not go into shock by my touch?
• If there is a blankness present, does that indicate and injury or BLock at that body part? Or is it because someone has touched them, or the expression on my face?
• How can I remain conscious of that blankness and emerge it with that person?
  

Possible Student Response Questions (asked by Ed)

[1] How can visualizing the body during Tai Chi practice effect the skill level of the martial artist? Is there a "right" picture for the body’s structure?

[2] Is there a naive to wounded to tempered consciousness progression that is desirable for the body? I mean does the body need to pass through this pattern in a manner that is similar to the consciousness of the individual? Is there really any difference/separation, or is does it indicate a hole?

[3] The Tai Chi literature emphasis achieve a state referred to as "sung". This has been roughly translated as having the qualities of relaxed tension wherein in the body stands without standing and moves without moving. The presentation of this concept has no picture for me and is often shocking. Your question as to which muscles needed to fire and which needed to relax for good posture reminded me of this principle. My question is, is there such a thing? How would it be taught? What would it feel like internally and how would it be experienced externally in a martial application?