Contrary to what most folks think, listening is not a passive intellectual exercise. It's an active, embodied skill, that get easier with practice.
Our culture values talking over listening. We attend to those who speak up, we praise those who speak well, and usually reward those who speak loudest. We also tend to forget the listeners.
But when everyone is busy talking, who's left to listen?
The Internal Mirrors the External
During a Feldenkrais® lesson, we practice actively listening to ourselves. We listen to how we habitually move and think. We practice listening without judgement, without agenda, simply following our curiosity, and in the process, we get to know ourselves better.
Although you might get up after a lesson and be surprised at how good your body feels, the true goal of this work is to take the practice off the mat and into your life.
Active Listening is one way to apply what you’ve learned. Listening to yourself and others with non-judgmental attention and genuine curiosity as you go about your day.
Here's an experiment to try: see what happens when you intentionally bring this deep, awareness to an everyday interaction with someone else. You don't need to tell them what you are doing. Just try it and see. The results can be pleasantly surprising!