Movement with Attention

Most of us go about our day with a million things to do and little time to think or even feel what we are doing.

When we do think about it, perhaps it is at the end of the day when we are exhausted and we realize that a part of our body is sore.

We have been doing ABM (Anat Baniel Mehod) for neuromovement for our son for over three years now. This practice is based on nine essentials of learning.

I want to combine two of the essentials when relating to them as I feel that these for us go hand-in-hand for our son’s physical learning needs. Going slow means that instead of rushing movements with your body (this could be anything) such as getting out of bed or even gathering your things together in the morning that you move at a slow pace.

We have found with our son when he moves slower or when we talk slower that it creates more awareness and calmness that cannot be achieved by going fast. When he is not rushing, he can feel his body movements more clearly. At the end of the day when he is relaxing before going to bed and he is stretched out is the optimum time for him to be aware of his body because there is nothing else occupying his brain. His body is more relaxed and he can feel his limbs in a way that he cannot when there are other things occupying the “headspace” in his brain.

I think this holds true for all of us, don’t you agree?

When our son is moving slower and feeling his body, he is naturally able to pay more attention to his movements. This brings me to the essential, movement with attention, which is important when moving any part of your body.

When you pay attention to your body movements, you are able to feel each movement, good or bad, and make appropriate adjustments to either be comfortable or to perform a particular task. If you don’t understand what I am saying, why don’t you try it?

Next time you are driving, before you put the vehicle into drive, sit in the seat and feel your back, your neck and your arms. Notice how far your arms are from the steering wheel. Notices where the bottom of your back is on the seat and notice how close you feet are to the gas and the break. If you are not comfortable, make small adjustments. When you are in drive and waiting at a stop light, slightly lift you bum off the seat just a very small amount on each side and notice how that feels. You can also (when you are at a stop light) move your neck from side-to-side and ear to ear and notice how that feels.

We have noticed with our son that these slow movements and paying attention to particular parts of his body have made him calmer and more connected to his body and what it can do. Our brains can establish a million new connections on a daily basis if we just slow down, pay attention and connect with our body.

It’s amazing!