In a time when fitness gyms are all over . . . I have developed the following observation. . . . Most of the body trainings are focused on the intention to defend the body, as an army does. The movements are brusque and focused solely on the physical development; the bodywork techniques are defensive. The approach is toward thinking of the body as machine, probably influenced by the industrial revolution. And, thinking from this perspective, the words that describe the body are re-languaged to reflect this new perspective. Thus, we talk of "fixing" the body, rather than "healing" it.
From the other side of thinking of the body as a living organism, I suggest throughout the exercises in my method, to gently work with the body, not with a defensive attitude, but focusing on the mental intention and breath. I always professed that "a movement that does not breathe is not a full movement."
From the preface: "Dare to Imagine."
BodySpeak™ -- the training developed by Samuel Avital which lends its name to this collection -- is difficult to place in any category. To attempt to describe it is to enter the realm Avital calls "The Elusive Obvious." . . . In its precise analysis of physical movement it might be described as bodywork. In its creative expressions it can look like dance. In its slow-motional meditative aspect it resembles Tai Chi. It incorporates elements of physical discipline and at the same time develops an extraordinary capacity for mental focus. But it is neither a religious practice nor a form of psychotherapy.
BodySpeak™ is, par excellence, a method of activating creativity by activating movement -- in ways that are startling, provocative, playful, exhilarating. It is made for anyone who struggles with the effects of inertia. And isn't that all of us from time to time? "A body at rest tends to remain at rest and a body in motion tends to remain in motion," reads Newton's law. Couch potatoes be forewarned. BodySpeak™ is no spectator sport. The interesting thing is that its method of triggering outer movement seems to trigger an inner movement as well. Inner inertia, one discovers, is the real block to creativity. BodySpeak™ overcomes the debilitating effects of this inertia.
From the Introduction: "Moving Body and Mind" by Jane Evenson
Through mime I also discovered a method of mind-body integration that truly activated individual creativity, that provided a vehicle for the creative energies naturally generated when mind, body, and spirit work in unison. BodySpeak™ is firmly grounded in principles of artistic expression.
Finally, it was very important to me that the method I developed would provide a means not only for creative expression, but also for authentic expression. It had to enhance feelings of individuality, responsibility, personal freedom and power. It had to make honest communication possible. Here again the theatrical metaphor came into play: the world is a stage, we are players, we play roles, we wear masks. The question becomes: "How do we learn to play our roles competently, authentically, and responsibly?" The mask, one of the Ten Essential Components of the BodySpeak™ method, became a dynamic tool for developing the sense of personal presence, authenticity, and power.
From the essay "What is BodySpeakTM?"
When a person covers his face with a mask, he thinks his real face is hidden. He feels safe behind the facade, and he acts as though he were not seen. Faces customarily dominate expression. We are accustomed to watching faces; consequently, we rarely notice what emotions the rest of the body is expressing. There are muscles in the face that we tense even when we think we are relaxed. When the gesticulations of the face are concealed by some sort of covering, a mask, suddenly we take notice of the body. Then something startling is revealed. By covering the face, we discover the real face, the real self.
Any appearance is a mask. Everyone knows that things are often not what they appear to be. Clothes, cars, jobs, routines, attitudes, and false smiles all mask the real person. Even personal history cloaks the real self.
From the essay "Masks."
THE WORD BANK ECONOMY
"My grandfather once told me that when we are born we were given a certain number of words in our "word bank." If one uses too many words (like over spending too much) it empties our word bank account, they become overdrawn, or we become mute. So, when we use words only when necessary we practice word economy.
"My grandfather's words made a very great impression on me as a young boy, no doubt contributing to my decision to make my life work in the Theater of Silence.
"Words are only one of the ways to communicate; 99% of our real communication, however, occurs in silence, through your body language.
"I highly recommend to practice one day of silence a week to achieve the ability to speak less and do more and produce more and consume less -- practicing consistently the practical wisdom of the Word Economy."
Samuel Avital to his first class in Boulder, Colorado 1972
From "Anecdotes, Ideas, and Words etc."
The genius of Avital’s method is that it enables adults to recapture the faculty of active imagination that was so agile in childhood, and then use this power to slay old dragons of self-limitation and fear. Why are thresholds often so difficult to cross? Because imagined monsters lurk there, like trolls under a bridge, ready to turn the threshold into an obstacle. The workshop provides a rich environment in which to exercise the muscle of imagination and then walk upright again by means of it.
The root of imagination is image and we are inclined to think of images as visually static, like snapshots or icons. Guided visualization as accomplished in the mask session is a fully coordinated kinesthetic experience. Participants do not lie passively on the floor, they move as act-ors about the room. The session has the esthetic feel of Japanese Noh Theater. Imagination becomes an animating principle, not just a manipulation of mental objects. The distance between thought and action is compressed. Psychic space and physical space merge and one learns to navigate the terrain.
From the afterword "The Ultimate Object" by Jane Evenson
