Not Taking More Than is Given

Not Taking More Than is Given

I was recently doing a Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® (ATM) lesson from the late David Webber when I was startled into stillness as he exasperatedly proclaimed, "Don't take more than is given!"

We're all familiar with the religious precept not to steal. It's so fundamental to living harmoniously together that we've even adopted it as civil law—we can't take what isn't ours without consequences.

But how does this admonition relate to movement? 

In ATM practice, we often look to do only what's easy. We're typically going for the highest quality movement with the least effort. And the only way to know what's easy is to listen to yourself as you move.

If you pay close attention to your sensations, you can feel the moment when you need to increase your effort to keep the movement going. Like most people in our culture, I'm used to efforting, so I if I'm not paying attention, I don't even notice that I'm trying harder and forcing something to happen that I'm not quite ready to do.

What if, in pushing past the point of ease, I am taking more than is given?

At any moment, my body only has a certain capacity, and if I ask more of it that it can do, there's a risk. The most benign consequence might be that I don't learn a new, easier way to move, which is why I'm doing all these ATMs in the first place. The worst consequence might be a painful injury, which I'm all too familiar with.

So these days I'm practicing paying attention and enjoying the comfort and effortlessness of what's given to me for movement—in this moment—rather than taking more than is being offered. It's not easy, but I'm finding more ease.