Last post I wrote “beholden,” because to my (Austrian) ears “beholden” sounds like a passive construct, and includes the word “hold,” as a substring, which in sum total sounds to me like “it has gotten a hold of me” – I was beholden.

Now it is my hope that you’ve understood what I’ve meant, despite my erroneous conclusions. “Good!” said Holmes. “Excellent!”

I was writing about handwriting, as a bodily movement, as a joyful experience, as a hobby, as something to look forward to, as something so pleasant that it bears repeating, and that I slipped into this situation unexpectedly. I only noticed that I was hooked, after I was hooked.

“I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal.” – James Joyce

But of course, this was only an example. When I started with Feldenkrais, I recall there was a particular movement that put a spell on me:

Resting on my back, one leg extended, one leg standing, and then I pushed against the floor with my standing foot, to eventually roll my hip.

I could do that for 20 minutes, 30, more, daily. I would love this movement — how it felt, how I felt, how it made me feel, to feel my weight against the floor, the shift of my weight, the perception of myself, the rolling, how I was able to perceive, make connections, differentiations, to push and pull, to rest and move at the same time, “I am,” said I, I am, …

… mind you, this was before the age of smartphones, and when people were still able to focus; to focus on a task that doesn’t involve screens.

But of course, this was only an example. I assume people can slip into such an experience with any conceivable movement:

• how it feels to hit a golf ball,
• to pull through a stroke in the game of tennis, or in swimming,
• or to repot a plant, to put the finishing touches on a flower bed,
• to do push-ups, planks, pull-ups, down-dogs,
• to trim cut-outs for a collage, to see how the elements of an artwork fall into place…

It might be that it could be anything. It could even be internal, I was reasoning, the very process of thinking might be able to evoke these feelings of delight that bear repeating.

This might have a dark side to it as well. Not only a well-executed ink stroke with a fountain pen may trigger such dopamine pathways in the brain, but maybe also such things as, for example, biting of fingernails, skin picking at the cuticles, scratching, producing the “throat hit” by smoking, you get the idea.

Repetitive movements that establish smooth pathways in the nervous system, and feel good on repeating, might not be limited to ourselves, to our own bodies, but may also encompass movements that include items, animals, or other people.

But of course, in my good sense, movement based, this could mean partner work, Feldenkrais-based movements with another person. I’ve heard more than once that my Feldenkrais one-on-one sessions can feel addictive.

Well, that’s all I have for today. New video should be up by the end of next week, or so, see you rolling, see you soon!