Moshe Feldenkrais liked to speak about how to find “elegance” in movement, and he didn’t mean ornamentation, but rather an easy attention and reversibility. What goes away from a referenced point returns easily. These are all matters of moving consciously.

Similarly, when a novice tries to perform a complex activity for the first time, almost every muscle becomes involved in the movement. Salsa dancing will create excess tension in the hands and arms. A golf swing will activate the facial muscles.

gentle movements for fine-tuning, especially the affective and perceptual influences of movement and touch that are the bedrock of movement-based somatic studies and practices. Slow and gentle movement allows people to pay attention to affects.

Although most of us are not consciously afraid of falling as we walk or squat, there is always some degree of unconscious nervous system activity devoted to preventing a fall. This may involve excess tension and restriction of uncontrolled mobility. To the extent that a developmental position can reduce this protective activity, it can facilitate t