tag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:/blogs/how-your-learning-brain-worksResources, Ideas & Cool Things2024-05-11T10:00:00-04:00Bueno Movement and Designfalsetag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73457002024-02-04T14:06:42-05:002024-02-04T14:10:14-05:00Sacred Economics<p>“If you don't change direction, you may end up where you are headed.”</p><div class="video-container size_xl justify_center" style=""><iframe data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="-GoFzU3cRE4" data-video-thumb-url="" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-GoFzU3cRE4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p>Featuring <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S1egXWYwXo" data-link-type="url">Charles Eisenstein</a>, Directed & Edited by Ian McKenzie</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73279762024-01-03T21:28:38-05:002024-01-03T21:30:33-05:004 Magic Questions<p>As you may have heard, I recently presented a workshop at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture with a colleague/ friend named Joy Kuebler. Over 20 years of designing public spaces, she developed a fun, unique and effective process of community engagement using the language of play. She calls it <a class="no-pjax" href="https://buenomovementanddesign.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0&id=194add09e6&e=afd10e57a9" target="_blank" contenteditable="false" title="https://buenomovementanddesign.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0&id=194add09e6&e=afd10e57a9"><u>PLAYCE</u></a>!</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://playcestudio.kartra.com/page/home" data-link-type="url" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/e7afc121a55eee8698aa6f22ac6c0303ff7ff0a8/original/playce-logo.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">What I love about it is it's how universal it is. Everyone plays! Even cranky people at public meetings can play!</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">Although developed as a community engagement tool, the approach is useful for any type of group, or even just applying it to yourself as a problem solving system.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">One of her games includes asking 4 Magic Questions. It includes a deck of Insight Cards which prompt your imagination... but I'l share the basic idea:</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"><strong>Given a project or a challenging situation, ask...</strong></span></p><ul>
<li><i><span>What is holding you/us back?</span></i></li>
<li><i><span>If the obstacles were magically removed, what is possible?</span></i></li>
<li><i><span>What's it gonna take?</span></i></li>
<li><i><span>What partners/resources will you/we need?</span></i></li>
</ul><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I've used this a few times now, both in facilitating groups and for myself, and I have been pleasantly surprised each time with it's simplicity and effectiveness. </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Just thought I'd share!</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">P.S. If this is something that interests you, there's a lot more info </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://buenomovementanddesign.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0&id=2cd52d0474&e=afd10e57a9" target="_blank" contenteditable="false" title="https://buenomovementanddesign.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0&id=2cd52d0474&e=afd10e57a9"><u>here</u></a></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73058772023-12-05T01:00:00-05:002023-12-05T01:00:01-05:00Sunshine Musings<p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">My current musing:</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">What does it mean to “deserve” something? Do we deserve where we are born, or what we are given? Do some people deserve to be wealthy and others deserve to be poor?</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">The more I think about it, the less this word means. It's feels more like an arbitrary value we create in order for the world to make sense… you deserve [insert thing or event here].</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">And then I remember: <i>The sun shines equally as bright on all things, without judgement. </i></span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/6f0b35141926af9f27207d3b42630b4e7aa114f6/original/sun-shining.gif/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">The sun doesn't say, you deserve sunshine, and others don't. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">Shit happens… sometimes it's beneficial and other times its heartbreaking… and I'm becoming increasingly skeptical about whether anyone deserves anything that happens.</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73058932023-11-28T02:00:00-05:002024-01-03T21:16:41-05:00Managing Obstacles<p>I got a new woodstove!<br><br>Today’s challenge was getting the 200 lbs. box made of soapstone & cast iron from the back of the Subaru and into the house with the help of my 103 lbs. feldi sister, Linda, and a hand truck. Hmmm… how can we do this?</p><p><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0/images/f1dfe8fb-cb43-c49e-b940-b2071fc45a91.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_" alt="" width="377.88" /></p><p>So here’s what we did:<br><br>1st- We imagined what we were going to do, step by step, with as much detail as possible. [Just like a Feldi lesson!]<br><br>2nd- We went slow & paused often. When we came to an obstacle, where someone bigger or stronger would have muscled through… we couldn’t. So we retreated & reassessed & got creative & tried something different. We left space & time for learning to happen. [Not unlike a Feldi lesson!]<br><br>3rd- Success and celebration! [Just like my favorite Feldi lessons!]<br><br>There was a point halfway up the stairs where Linda & I both felt the stove suddenly get lighter! … probably a combo of efficient self-use, leverage & my visiting aunt's fervent prayers.<br><br>Thanks Linda & Dada!</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73078182023-11-22T15:26:01-05:002023-11-22T15:26:02-05:00Transformation<p style="text-align:center;"><i>We all are on a journey, and the journey takes us places we never imagined... And when we think we want to step into the world to serve, and serve in a role of leading, we may find that the person we are leading the most is ourselves.</i><br><br>- Dr. Heidi Steltzer</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/96e189d717ebdeaef7b183505188da24199e9cc6/original/butterfly-transformation.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I recently "met" Dr. Steltzer in her <a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/WcT1_EW4fOU?si=AXmssnZDQJvlyA-O" target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="https://youtu.be/WcT1_EW4fOU?si=AXmssnZDQJvlyA-O">YouTube video</a> where she very movingly talks about her personal transformation from environmental scientist to... something more! It's inspiring.<br><br>What really got me was her experience with Community Readiness, (jump to 39:36 in the video) and coming up against what may feel like overwhelming resistance, in this case, from established institutions... obstacles that are not yet ready for transformation. I have felt this in my own profession of landscape architecture.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/38cebd05ef8ef985011ba0aeb7377dcc826478cb/original/roadblock-boulder.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p>I have also felt this in Feldi classes... when a movement seems completely impossible and my body says "Nope, I don't do that." <br><br>So, what do we do in a lesson? Forcing or fighting or banging our heads against the wall will only hurt us.<br><br>Instead, we soften, we explore, we think of new possibilities, we DIVERSIFY. We broaden how we think, how we move, and how we think about moving. Even if we CAN do a movement, we find many ways, new ways of doing it. We imagine new possibilities. We get creative, and then something magical happens...<br><br>Things Change!<br>Feldi is just practice for how to do everything else.</p><p>With regard to institutions, we can do as Dr. Steltzer and reimagine institutional norms by creating new ways of communicating, relating, interacting, and being. We can also find the cracks within an established system, and gently work those cracks until they grow wider, ever so slowly. I've seen this happening in landscape architecture. </p><p>From the moment I stepped into grad school until not so long ago, I felt like an outsider assimilating to the culture of landscape architecture. My mindset, the life experience and outlook I brought to the profession was not mainstream. I felt pressure from my professors in academia and from the expectations of my colleagues to conform. It wasn't that my views were so radical, but they deviated enough that I could feel the judgement and/or dismissiveness that would arise when I shared them. So I didn't. For many years. </p><p>In 2019, the National Landscape Architecture Conference was trying out a new 3 hour presentation format called a “Deep Dive.” Oooh, I thought… this can allow me the flexibility to bring Feldenkrais & landscape architecture together! So, on a whim, I submitted a proposal on the mind/body connection that focused on something mysterious, yet essential to design… Creativity. </p><p>To my surprise, it was accepted! To my even greater surprise, the workshop was so well received, it was overflowing into the hallways, and the feedback positively effusive. Since then, I have presented in 4 out of the last 5 years (and they give me bigger rooms now!)</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/ddec020a901b2c00ecc1842beae3c0254889ef75/original/asla-deep-dive-2019-epnac-asla-2019-conference-on-landscape-architecture.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p>In 2019, mine was the only non-traditional presentation, and every year, there have been increasing numbers of talks that seem more edgy, fringe, out-there, radical, experimental, counter-culture… you name it!</p><p>The profession is hungry for a different kind of relationship to the environment and connection to each other… one of kindness, humility & reciprocity (as opposed to hierarchy, control, & manipulation - irregardless of having the best intentions.) The paradigm shift of non-dualistic thinking, deep connection, and slowing down to listen more is beginning to take hold. Bit by bit, the cracks are getting wider.</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73058722023-11-19T13:43:44-05:002023-11-19T13:45:01-05:00Not Trying<p>Who said, <i>“It is better to try & fail, than not try at all.”</i><br>And did anyone say, <i>“It's best to not try and still succeed!”</i></p><div style="text-align:left;">I like that second one. I'm going to make that my motto... at least when it comes to creativity & movement.</div><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/5f55e1a27774c102e3b608dbad175ffecbcef119/original/yoda.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p><p>Creativity arises when you give it space to emerge. It's the paradox of being attentive without trying to be attentive.<br><br>The harder you try to be creative, the faster it slips away. Trying involves effort, meanwhile creativity is effortless. When it kicks in, everything is easy, it just pours out of you.<br><br>It's a lot like finding the groove of a Feldi lesson. You attend to a movement, without "trying," and suddenly something clicks! Obstacles dissolve, solutions arise, and you can sense possibility in what was once impossible!<br><br>There are few things more enjoyable than that <i>Aha! </i>moment. But we can't make it happen. We can only set up the conditions that allow it to happen, and then wait in uncertainty, with openness & curiosity, and trust in the process. </p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73058872023-11-06T14:15:00-05:002023-11-19T14:24:14-05:00Acting from Abundance<p>So I recently returned from the annual Landscape Architecture Conference, and I now know that Halloween weekend in Minneapolis is a Thing! I also learned a bit about how your internal attitude changes your world.</p><p>The conference is driven by the hundreds of vendors on the Expo floor, with all their cool & fancy outdoor equipment, materials, playgrounds, benches, etc., and they lure in designers with lots of quality freebies, like moleskin notebooks, good pens, prismacolor pencils, and... my favorite... quality canvas totebags! [Quality meaning thick fabric, flat bottoms, handles the right length to sit on your shoulder w/o slipping, good colors/designs/slogans]. </p><p>Anyway, my first day was like a sugar-deprived kid at a candy store, running around and loading up of free stuff. I got back to hotel and surveyed my treasures in a heap on the floor, and thought... Ugh, I didn't really need any of this stuff and how am I going to carry it all home?<img src="https://mcusercontent.com/1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0/images/e6374624-d84b-fb37-ff78-533935c5423e.gif" class="size_s justify_center border_" alt="" width="248.16" /></p><p>I woke up the next morning (I am always more intelligent in the morning) and realized I had been acting from a mindset of scarcity, (which is what drives the capitalist machine) and I didn't like how it made me feel… heavy, bloated, surrounded by stuff yet unfulfilled.</p><p>So I decided on day 2, to act from a mindset of abundance! Throughout the day, when I felt the pull of free stuff, I took a few seconds to actually FEEL the feeling of being full, satiated, and already having everything I need.<br><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0/images/5304a207-8c65-99c8-dfaa-52ffd231f632.gif" class="size_s justify_center border_" alt="" width="275" /><br>It was a completely different experience!<br><br>As I effortlessly passed up really nice sketch pads, pens & tote bags, I found myself having more sincere and satisfying connections with old and new colleagues. The vibe was different, the energy less manic and more authentic & up lifting. By just changing my mindset and reminding myself of the FEELING of abundance, the world changed around me. It was so much more fulfilling!<br><br>I encourage you to try a similar experiment. It's kinda fascinating how simple it can be!</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/73058942023-10-03T00:00:00-04:002023-11-19T14:36:45-05:00With Loss Comes Freedom<p>It's not what I asked for, but I'm finding myself learning to navigate all this space that has opened up in my new life without a pup to hospice. One thing that's oh so tempting is to just mindlessly fill it up again. Poof! Back to normal!<br><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0/images/be99c1cd-8fc6-9f14-3335-5862413c8e3f.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" alt="" width="377.88" /><br>But you know that's not how I roll.</p><p>Involuntarily having so much free time and space can feel lonely and disorienting, until I remind myself that each eddy in the stream of life presents an opportunity to learn, before it fades back into the flowing current.<br><br>So here is my big chance to decide who I want to be, and what to give my precious time to?<br><br>I'm looking forward to finding out!</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72790042023-09-28T00:00:00-04:002023-09-28T00:00:02-04:00Full-On Living<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">This week I gave Carla her final trip to the vet.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I had to make an appointment to euthanize her, so I knew Monday was her last walk by the creek, her last meal, her last day of rolling in the grass.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/740442425959b4b96d0767bcf93962e2150f718b/original/20230918-last-day.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">That morning, I gave her an extra dose of pain meds and an extra handfuls of treats. She splashed into the water as she fetched for the 1st time in weeks. We visited friends. We watched the sun set as she gnawed a beef bone.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">After weeks of trying to manage her arthritis pain without success (the meds that managed her pain also gave her an ulcer, and the ones that didn't give her an ulcer, left her immobilized with pain), we had... One. Great. Day.</span></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/37c0465d82727c2e6f9399b54435c0f6c5e12748/original/20230810-dogbed.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">It made me think... if this was MY last September 22, how would I spend it? [Happy Equinox BTW!]</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">What if I had just 1 year to live? Would I do things differently?</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">It would mean that this would be my last Thanksgiving and Christmas and birthday. How would I choose to spend those days?</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Living with an awareness of my own mortality (and the mortality of everyone I care for) puts how I choose to spend my precious time into a new light. </span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Saying I miss Carla is a gross understatement. But if she were here right now, she'd say... "Go do something fun Mama... and take me with you!"</span></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/6b4c56dde9c4d35cf144ea28a040956583f87a4b/original/20230704-sunset.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72790102023-09-26T16:08:11-04:002023-09-26T16:10:04-04:00Carla RIP<p>My heart aches to say that after 12+years of full-on living, Carla has gone to play frisbee in heaven. She passed peacefully Tuesday morning, and although I already miss her terribly, I am also soothed that she is no longer suffering with arthritis pain.</p><p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/a229dd8097a2f29d72a3dd759dbfc0b888f71cac/original/20230615-sunbeam.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p>If you met Carla, you know she was full of paradox:</p><p>A high-spirited gal that loved lounging in the sun,</p><p>A goofy clown dog who was also smart as a whip,</p><p>She was afraid of water, unless she was rescuing a drowning stick,</p><p>She was extremely gentle (you could take food out of her mouth) and also a big beefy meathead,</p><p>She never met a person she didn’t like, but only had one dog friend (basically because Elvis has a forgiving nature!)</p><p> </p><p>She was ridiculously endearing and insisted on saying hi to any stranger that gave her a glance. She loved to sing along with the harmonica, she’d search & rescue lost tennis balls from the underbrush, she had a vast vocabulary of commands (including “find my keys,”) but more than treats, people, or squirrels… she lived to play frisbee! </p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/c954b6c3e12eb93cb42ba3445ad6e6abd27ec864/original/20181213-snow-frisbee.gif/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p style="text-align:center;"> </p><p style="text-align:center;"><i>Carla, I have grown so much knowing you. Our relationship was often a negotiation. </i><br><i>When our agenda’s crossed, we’d do battle (and you’d often win!) </i><br><i>Over time I learned to let go of trying to control, and just sync with you instead, </i><br><i>and then we would mind meld into a higher plane of deep understanding. </i></p><p style="text-align:center;"><i>Pure love.</i></p><p style="text-align:center;"><i>I wouldn’t be me today without you.</i><br><i>Rest in peace my little dog. You are deeply missed.</i></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72741982023-09-15T21:51:16-04:002023-09-15T21:51:16-04:00Shanah Tovah<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Happy New Year! Although I am not Jewish, I love celebrating all new beginnings. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/fe61335e61e04c690f7d859da07b427c10acb173/original/screenshot-2023-09-15-at-8-36-24-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" />It's a chance to reflect on how we got here, release whatever is holding us back, and to reset our compass for where we'd like to go from here...</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/f334e4147ffc625f1b31ed79f6105679af027682/original/eye-of-the-storm-iam.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">It reminds me that forward motion naturally happens in spirals and not in straight lines, from the movement of heavenly bodies, to eddies in flowing water, to tropical storms, or spokes on a bicycle wheel. The path forward is rarely direct and often returns on itself, so we can look back as we continue onward.</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72669352023-09-09T16:00:00-04:002023-09-09T16:00:01-04:00Letting Go<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Sometimes the obstacle that's keeping you from moving forward is behind you. It's an anchor, keeping you in place despite efforts to move, change, or flow.</span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/9da8aee87dd6834c01db38193af05c26332a77e3/original/screenshot-2023-09-01-at-3-57-00-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I realized recently that what was challenging me was myself… holding on to my story... holding on to who I was and who I thought I would be, where and with whom. This, despite all the current heaps of good fortune I have happening in my life and dawning in my future.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Transitions require letting go to create the space for something new to emerge. To roll, one side needs to lift while the other takes weight. For muscles to move you, one side needs to relax while the other contracts. Co-contraction halts movement.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">We can sabotage ourselves by identifying too closely to who we think we are, or should be, and holding onto our story.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Letting go is essential for change, and here's how:</span></p><ol>
<li>soften the grip on that anchor rope,</li>
<li>allow the flow to happen and</li>
<li>enjoy the present moment.</li>
</ol>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72669332023-09-07T16:00:00-04:002023-09-07T16:00:01-04:00Breathe in, Breathe out<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Each breath is a gift given and received.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">With each breath we literally are connecting our internal and external worlds. We take in the atmosphere around us, and we give back body-warmed air. We keep the oxygen gifted by plants and trees, and we gift back the carbon dioxide they need to survive. We are intimately and constantly connected!</span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/8d8bf8b0021db0aa390658c149d50ab41c6f82a3/original/coverart-breathing.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">By request, I added a playful and potent breathing lesson as the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://buenomovementanddesign.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0&id=b91e0eab88&e=afd10e57a9" target="_blank" contenteditable="false" title="https://buenomovementanddesign.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1b1715ea512d72481a63e22f0&id=b91e0eab88&e=afd10e57a9"><u>Free Lesson</u></a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"> this month for subscribers. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Not a subscriber yet? It's only $39 to join, while the freedom of feeling whole & connected is priceless :)</span></p><p> </p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72669302023-09-04T15:00:00-04:002023-09-04T15:00:01-04:00Mindful Bodies<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">This summer I had the pleasure (and the challenge!) of teaching mindfulness to 30 humans, aged 5-14, for our local 4-H day camp!</span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/c005a6c84f381e0e6923f386ea1d5b1f966c10a0/original/atm-2-web.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">The biggest surprise was how effective the sound of a mindfulness bell was to immediately quiet the buzz in the room.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Overall, even a short week of mindfulness sparked feelings of calmness, laughter, intrigue and curiosity... including mindfulness of belly gurgles, farts and boredom!</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">A true learning experience for everyone... especially me!</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72669112023-09-02T15:00:00-04:002023-09-02T15:00:01-04:00Welcoming Retrograde<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Can you feel it? The </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/astrology/planets-in-retrograde/" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);"><u>planets are in retrograde</u></span></a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">!</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Retrograde means the planet appears to move backwards in the sky, as earth passes it on our orbit around the sun.</span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/beaa55b7d84cdf7ffc54ae1a93b4b38144e74687/original/planets-in-retrograde-getty.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I say I don't really believe in astrology, but there is a part of me that wonders... if everything really IS connected, then why not astrology?</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">So what happens in retrograde? It's a time when stuff from the past resurfaces. If you are taken unawares, it can knock you off course & feel like you are being thwarted by the universe.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">But if you know what's happening up there, you can use this as a time for reflection, deeper insight and self-understanding. It is an opportunity to be deliberate about your decisions and reimagine yourself on your path forward.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Welcome the thwarting! Use it to become the best person you can be.</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72669072023-09-01T15:35:12-04:002023-09-01T15:35:13-04:00Active Surrender<p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Living in a body with RA has taught me a lot about the limits of force and the usefulness of surrender. </span></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/27e1e286764886c5389dfd0c1f60e84ce22de599/original/screenshot-2023-09-01-at-3-32-14-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">I used to think surrender meant losing, failure, quitting, a total collapse of will and effort… something to be avoided at all costs.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Now I see surrender as an active process of rebalancing power that’s more like a truce, a negotiation, a compromise.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Surrender is the active strategy of living in relationship. It becomes useful when you find yourself confronting something powerful and fighting becomes useless. Instead, you renegotiate your relationship and advance by flowing with, and modifying the greater power in new, often surprising, directions.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">You can surrender to the flow of water to help you swim faster. You can surrender to the almighty pull of gravity and let it roll you from your lying on your back, up to sit (like we did in a recent Feldi lesson). You can also surrender to the ebb and flow of life”s trials and find surprising ways of negotiating its challenges.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">Some things we can, and need to fight. Others we can only surrender to, flow with, and modify. We need to have both strategies in our toolbox for addressing life’s challenges.</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72464762023-07-27T13:00:00-04:002023-09-01T16:04:44-04:00Process - Driven Living<p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">So what do you do when things don't go according to plan?</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/013f7481fdf5ff33f3e2addadcbc9bf88bdf8fb9/original/20230719-162117.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I couldn't get the help I was counting on for installing 300 sq. ft. of Saltillo tile on my new floor, and my experience installing this uniquely Mexican tile consisted of... helping a friend once in 1998. So, to bring a bit of the SW to the NE, I quickly realized I needed to not only go it alone, but also learn on the job!</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">The thing with this tile is, each piece is handmade from clay. They are all slightly different colors, thicknesses and sizes, and no tile is perfectly square or flat. Yikes!</span></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/db8c88a57954bdd9fdff27785959254a0c975eba/original/20230719-162130.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">Luckily, Feldi has helped me to let go of seeking perfection and focus on exploring the process. From the onset, I looked at this project as a chance to embrace the learning process and all the mistakes that allow learning to happen.</span><br><br><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">With each successive batch of mortar, I could see my understanding and manipulation of the materials improving. Also, imagining the earth-stained hands that made each tile, much more skilled than my own, connected me to the bigger picture in a profound way. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);">End results:</span></p><ol>
<li>It is completely authentically a reflection of Me and my learning process.</li>
<li>I LOVE how it looks, imperfections and all, and</li>
<li>I am exhausted, but I can add laying tile to my skillset! </li>
</ol>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72464302023-07-24T11:48:47-04:002023-07-24T12:44:04-04:00WHITE LIVES MATTER<p>I saw this on a protest sign this morning. The <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/protest-at-manlius-swan-pond-upsets-some-neighbors/amp/?fbclid=IwAR3LalVxiKv_dtB4HhzB_tBNHG0hBhPk1fzEMKFZCk6tMcnJfObVIvtaEqY" data-link-type="url">protest</a> was in the next town over, in <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2023/07/bench-memorializes-mother-swan-faye-killed-on-manlius-pond-its-just-the-beginning.html" data-link-type="url">Manlius</a>, NY, which is 15 minutes from my home.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/b7bc6cf923bee3c2c53b1b52c5279c9d8857ec69/original/swan-protest-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>1<sup>st</sup> Response:</strong> <span> </span>feeling the wave of shock and fear crawl through my body, under my skin… pure fear! <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>2<sup>nd</sup> Response:</strong> We need to jump up and shout! This is Hate speech!<o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>3<sup>rd</sup> Response:</strong> But wait – it’s not really hate… the foundation is more vulnerable.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Here are some folks who obviously are having a hard time of things. Life is hard for them. They work hard and get tough breaks and struggle to get ahead (whatever that means). And for them, they feel left out and need to shout that HEY! WE MATTER. Life sucks for us too and no one seems to be paying attention. We are not getting what we were promised. It must be all those other people’s fault, immigrants! They want to change things and we want our good old lives back and the promise of a better, easier future for ourselves and our kids. Everyone seems to be backing the immigrants and defending their ways. What about our ways? Good old American ways? WHAT ABOUT US?</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/35ab0dae5f424183162538406e942b5ba922f49f/original/swan-protest-3.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>So, here’s what I think:</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>Despite all the hard times and adversity these protesting folks may have faced, I bet they have never encountered an obstacle based solely on their race, on being born in a white body. They also probably never thought about what they call American culture as white culture. They assume their white culture IS American culture. They assume white as norm. Anything different is other.<o:p></o:p></p><p>These folks have hard times, sure. But their hard times are of a different flavor than immigrants, refugees, black and brown Americans. This is not a competition for who has it worse, but being deaf to the inherent racism within American culture is myopic. It is a lack of perspective and broader understanding that has been extruded as hate… </p><p>But it doesn’t have to be that way.<o:p></o:p></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/71421712023-07-21T01:00:00-04:002023-07-21T01:00:04-04:00A Culture of Listening<p>Contrary to what most folks think, listening is not a passive intellectual exercise. It's an active, embodied skill, that get easier with practice. <br><br>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p>But when everyone is busy talking, who's left to listen?</p><h3>The Internal Mirrors the External</h3><h3><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/27de3cefb301a61df86cfa0113f44159f25e4f45/original/coverart-listening.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><o:p></o:p>
</h3><h3><o:p></o:p></h3><p>During a Feldenkrais<span><sup>®</sup></span> 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.<o:p></o:p></p><p>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. </p><p>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p>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!<o:p></o:p></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72423802023-07-15T09:30:41-04:002023-07-15T09:30:41-04:00Real Needs<p>Sometimes I find myself thinking about all the stuff I need that I don't have, or feeling like I'm lacking, or impoverished, and that I need more. I call this scarcity thinking.<br><br>The idea of scarcity is what drives the economic machine. We are encouraged to think in terms of scarcity because it turns us into “good consumers.” Scarcity thinking surrounds us, and it's practically impossible to not get caught up in it.<br><br>When that happens, I can physically FEEL the sensation of lacking... it's an undulating mix of anxiety, constriction, jealousy, frustration, and yearning. This doesn't feel good.</p><p>Fortunately, the antidote is laughably simple…<o:p></o:p></p><p>I just stop.<o:p></o:p></p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/c4c7404ec0261237f5fadfb42d672a2561b06cf0/original/mexpebbles.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><p>I allow myself a quick time-out to simply rest in fullness... in the FEELING of abundance. I start by focusing on all that I already have (stuff, friends, shelter, food, Carla). I fill myself up with the FEELING of expansion, connectedness, satiation, gratitude and safety. This feels good!<br><br>Then I can easily identify my <strong>real</strong> needs, without going down the scarcity vortex.</p><p>Plus, I feel more generous, grounded, fulfilled, trusting and loving... and isn't that what we really need?<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72273262023-06-17T08:00:00-04:002023-06-17T08:00:02-04:00Holding Paradox<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/fa9159cf7104eebf1f3eca4ebaad8937c61dd83b/original/20230602-my-house.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><span style="color:#222222;">The last few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster, as I am in the process of building my little 24' x 30' dream house! </span></p><p><span style="color:#222222;">From one moment to the next I oscillate from completely thrilled and delighted, to panic and fear, to decision fatigue, to deep felt gratitude. Fortunately, I find myself in the delighted phase more often than not. And I am intentionally using this experience as a practice in holding paradox.</span><br><br><span style="color:#222222;">We know intellectually that the binary this-or-that, black-or-white, either/or world is an illusion. So, my question is how do we HOLD seemingly contradictory feelings, ideas, thoughts, and emotions in our bodies, without needing to be one or the other? What does it feel like to attend to each with equal clarity and non-judgemental acceptance?</span><br><br><span style="color:#222222;">This is my current practice... and it's taking my entire skillset... living with paradox and trying to learn from it. Reality is complex, ever-changing, and grounded in uncertainty. We need to become comfortable with holding paradox if we want to live in an increasingly creative, diverse and compassionate world.</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72270142023-06-15T11:28:02-04:002023-06-15T11:28:02-04:00The Heart of Who We Are<p>Today I was contemplating how many Me's there are.<br><br>As a kid, I remember carrying a lot of Me's around. I had the Spanish speaking me at home, and the English speaking American me at school. I had the graceful figure skating me, and the tomboy me that hung with my neighborhood friends. I purposely kept these groups of folks separated because they all knew a different me. How cumbersome and exhausting!</p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/f59e684cd2ec217b11fb3a7a5265e776d416ca05/original/anita-w-goat.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><p><span style="color:#222222;">These days I've got got a lot fewer me's, and although I've mostly melded my professional and personal personas, I'm still not wholly integrated. Our culture won't allow it. </span><br><br><span style="color:#222222;">I started imagining what would be different if I was authentically myself all the time? What if I could bring all of myself into everything, every situation, without feeling the need to keep parts hidden. What if culture allowed for everyone to do the same, accepting everyone as a complete, fascinating, diverse and imperfect person? </span><br><br><span style="color:#222222;">Just something I was thinking...</span></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/72264042023-06-14T11:11:30-04:002023-06-15T11:19:44-04:00How to Interrupt Capitalist Culture<p><span style="color:black;">The world is changing around us at an alarmingly fast rate. 20 years ago, I was drawn to landscape architecture because I believed through this discipline, I could help protect nature and connect people to the environment and each other. Lately I’m realizing that change doesn’t readily come from what we do or what we make. It comes from how we live, how we think and how we approach our relationships with all other beings. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;"><strong>It’s not the Doing, it’s the Being! </strong></span></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/490e593f6992de4e207fa47b35a5cbc6cd09f0ef/original/13-creative-movement-400x400-cropped.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p><p><span style="color:black;">We’ve all heard that change comes from within, but how do we access that type of fundamental change? To start, we need to change how we think, becoming aware of, and then questioning our perspectives, values, and our fundamental dualistic understanding of reality. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">Landscape architecture can do a lot of great things, but in the realm of inner change, it is limited. So, in looking for new ways to reach people and affect change, I found using Feldenkrais<span><sup>®</sup></span> based movement to be a</span><span> practical and concrete way to practice the art of self- inquiry and start thinking differently. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">The internal work mirrors the communal, and we can’t fully do one without the other. How we think and feel influences how we respond and act. Particularly in the landscape architecture profession, there currently is not enough emphasis on the internal work. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">The profession is organized around “Hustle Culture” where speed of output is paramount, even sacrificing quality. It’s not our fault - it’s the system. The capitalist business structure of billable hours demands that time itself is a commodity. Hustle culture overvalues the culture of ambition and perfectionism, where working long hours and self sacrifice are not just condoned, but expected and valorized. I’ve heard it described as rigor, or commitment to the work. What it ends up being is unhealthy and ultimately under-productive, as the quality of the work is diminished and folks burnout and leave. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">The only gain here is a small minority’s profit margin. </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://buenomovementanddesign.com/musings/blog/7164942/the-trouble-with-capitalism" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#005f73;">Capitalism isn’t working anymore folks</span></a><span style="color:black;">!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Or maybe that’s exactly how it’s designed to work… the accumulation of capital in the hands of a few. Profit, by definition, requires a company to get back more than it spends, commodifying resources including time and labor and continually hunting for cheaper ways of getting things done. This mindset sounds like maximum productivity, cost effectiveness, value engineering, etc. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;"><strong>We need new models of how to work in a post capitalist world. This is going to take a lot if creative thinking! </strong></span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Options include experimenting with the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://lithub.com/robin-wall-kimmerer-on-the-gifts-of-mother-earth/" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#005f73;">gift economy</span></a><span style="color:black;">, pushing back against the addiction to urgency, changing how you think and what you value, becoming aware of our cultural assumptions and reconsidering our human and non-human relationships. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">So, because I still want to help protect nature and connect people to the environment and each other, I’m attempting to challenge the capitalist culture of separation, domination and othering by experimenting with some of the suggestions below which I copied from a class called </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.tamera.org/system-change/" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#005f73;">Systems Change</span></a><span style="color:black;">, given by an international alternative community in Portugal called </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.tamera.org/" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#005f73;">Tamera</span></a><span style="color:black;">:</span></p><p> </p><p><span class="text-big" style="color:black;"><strong>Ways to interrupt/slow down/confuse capitalistic culture:</strong></span><o:p></o:p></p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;">
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>take your time</strong> refuse to be rushed</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>take up space</strong></span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>notice abundance </strong>in your life</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">barter, share, trade with others</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">give gifts</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>ask </strong>for <strong>donations</strong> for services/goods (versus charging a fixed sum of money)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>ask </strong>for the things you need (and want!)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>expect </strong>your needs to be met (all of them!)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>live with the land</strong></span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>connect</strong> with other people/be neighborly</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>care about yourself </strong>(a lot!)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>take care </strong>of yourself as much as you need to in whatever way you need to</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>rely </strong>on your<strong> relationships </strong>(not you capital)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>build/invest </strong>in your<strong> relationships </strong>(not capital)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>take care of others</strong> when you have the capacity and there is a need</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>allow </strong>children to get very used to being <i>perfectly who they are </i><strong>all the time</strong></span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">don't hide your flaws</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong> </strong>be<strong> </strong><i>emotional</i>, <strong><u>feel your feelings</u></strong></span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">have <strong>gratitude </strong>for everything (cultivate an attitude of abundance)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">be <strong>creative </strong>(buy less, make more!)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>support local</strong> community place based businesses </span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>be</strong> <strong>social </strong>spend time with people (and other beings)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>pool resources </strong>(as many as possible)</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">make time for leisure and enjoyment of life</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">stop working so hard, so much</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;">be content with less material comfort</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>become aware of what your </strong><i><strong>real</strong></i><strong> needs</strong> are, get good at telling the difference between these and the "manufactured needs" of our capitalistic world</span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>
<span style="color:black;"><strong>don't go it alone</strong>... <i>build community</i></span><o:p></o:p>
</li>
</ul><p><span style="color:black;">Every time you take the time to connect with another being (human or other) you erode the capitalistic hegemony.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Every time you strengthen your bond with the earth, you release your contract with separateness.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Every time you take stock and recognize your abundance you banish the phantoms of lack.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="color:black;">Every time you put your own well being before the well being of the economy/capitalistic world, you shift the balance of power.</span></p><p><span><strong>If any of this resonates with you, you might want to try one of my live classes and see what happens. </strong>First one’s free. Just email me for a zoom link. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p></o:p></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/71649472023-04-26T09:51:29-04:002023-06-14T11:11:12-04:00Everything is Connected<p>We've all heard this, and I think, deep inside, we know this is truth - but it's hard to live it when we are immersed so completely in our modern culture which functions on separating everything. It’s how we speak, how we act and how we think. Duality thinking is apparent at every scale, from the “us & them” of global politics, to the unhealthy separation of humans & nature, to the erroneous division of mind & body.<o:p></o:p></p><p>As a landscape architect, we learn that ecosystems are complex and interconnected, and as a Feldenkrais<span><sup>®</sup></span> practitioner, we learn the same thing about ourselves. We are all interdependent. As John Muir put it, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>The idea of separateness and independence is an illusion. </strong></p><p>It is not found in systems outside of our manufactured, human-made culture. Even modern science, which operates as the quintessential paradigm of simplifying everything into ever smaller parts, has come to understand the nature of the universe is interconnected complexity.</p><p>Everything is made from the same elemental molecules, the mind and the body are an interconnected Mobius strip and there is energy that we cannot yet fully understand that connects everything in the universe. <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>This energy includes EVERYTHING. There is no “other,” no working outside the system. Everything is an inside job!</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>We are on the verge of realizing this as a culture, but cultural shifts are slow. Dropping old norms and developing a new ontological view takes generations. It starts here though, with the recognition that all the meta-crises that we are experiencing are all interrelated and stem from the delusion of separation. <o:p></o:p></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/022330be87ba0058139c9c1bca28ec9ea85ed42f/original/screenshot-2023-04-26-at-8-59-18-am.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" alt="Connections between world crises of climate change, social justice, mass extinction, migration, and wealth inequality" />Our culture of domination can only operate in a paradigm where we separate. Racism, sexism, and any other “ism” are completely predicated on seeing another human as “other.” Climate change and mass extinctions come from the idea that nature exists as something separate from us, something to be controlled and manipulated, which is essentially “othering” nature. <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>The response needed is acknowledging interconnection: feeling it, believing it, knowing it, and living in that truth. </strong></p><p>This is a shift at the most internal, personal level, and fundamental<strong> </strong>change on the personal level expresses itself on the collective level. They both happen simultaneously.This is the change that we need for our own survival. </p><p>It doesn’t even really have to “happen” because it already exists. </p><p><strong>Truth is always here, we just need to recognize it.</strong></p><p>How? That's the question my work engages in. </p><p>Maybe start by slowing down, tuning out the noise, and see what emerges from a clear, authentic, curious & non-judgmental mind/body. Maybe you want to explore the possibilities with me?<o:p></o:p></p><p> </p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/71934482023-04-19T21:01:21-04:002023-04-26T07:51:37-04:00Somatic Interventions for Productivity: Movement<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/6e99d182bb322df5b77ebad985620123290d5fff/original/mobius-4.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" />The mind and body are an integrated mobius strip which influence one another. How we move changes how we think, and recent neuroscience explains this interconnection in ever increasing clarity. As designers, we can integrate this information into our professional environment and work with our biology instead of valorizing and romanticizing the suffering that is all too common in studio culture. This article introduces various simple somatic interventions that can be integrated into our daily routines to help modulate our nervous system and improve our capacity of production. </p><h3>Your Mind on Movement<o:p></o:p>
</h3><p>As landscape architects, we design the built environment, and as human creatures living on planet earth, we are also designed by our environment. Our species has evolved over millennia in response to the environment. Many of these adaptations are innate, although the duality of mind & body, popularized in the 17<sup>th</sup> C. by Cartesian philosophy, has distanced us from our own intuitive somatic intelligence. Fortunately, modern science can now image the inner workings of our nervous system and the findings are shining a new light on the intimate connections between how we move and how we think. <o:p></o:p></p><p>The mind and body are an integrated mobius strip. Each influences the other and neither can be separated from the other. Knowing this, I believe we are missing one of the most profound areas that can affect our designs, and that is the designing of our process, of how we organize our days, of how we occupy and move within our own workspace. By learning to work with our biology, instead of trying to command it by force of will, we can be more creative and productive, live healthier lives, and enjoy ourselves more while doing it.<o:p></o:p></p><p>First let’s talk a little about our nervous system. Everything begins as a thought or idea, which literally occurs in our nervous system. Our nervous system controls everything about us; what we like, what we don’t like, how we move, when we sleep, how we think, what we feel or perceive… literally everything. Your brain consists of billions of neurons, each with thousands of connections to other neurons, which are reorganizing themselves moment to moment in response to our environment. This reorganization is your brain learning. Scientifically, this process is called neuroplasticity. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Recent neuroscience has shown that both optimal learning and creative flow work similarly in our brains <span>[1]</span>. They both happen by literally making new connections between things (ideas, neurons, brain regions) that were previously unconnected. The optimal conditions for learning are also the strategies for finding creative flow. The good news is we can use movement to activate neuroplasticity and put our brains in learning/ creative mode <span>[2]</span>. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Movement catalyzes a variety of physical and mental changes to occur, including the release of neurochemicals that elevate our mood and make us feel energized. Our brain is the most energy-demanding organ in our body, and although it represents only 2% of our total body weight, it accounts for 20% of our energy use <span>[3]</span>. Movement heightens circulation to our brain, which helps increase cognitive function by delivering more energy.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Movement also has another important function: movement is how we learn <span>[4].</span><o:p></o:p></p><p>Our brain is continuously collecting information about motion and spatial qualities to keep us balanced and oriented in space. It can recognize an error in movement and immediately respond to the changing environment by recalibrating itself. Once an error is sensed, it triggers the release of a precise cocktail of neurochemicals that allow neurons to begin changing, responding, creating new connections, and pruning unused ones in an attempt to make sense of the environment.<o:p></o:p></p><p>An example of this is imagining you are reaching for an object underwater. Our visual perception of the object through water is skewed. We reach and miss, quickly realizing that the object is further away than we thought. Immediately, the brain lights up and we start recalibrating to the environment to correct that error in perception. <o:p></o:p></p><p>A similar thing happens when we are going up a flight of stairs and we think there is one more step, when there is none, and we step awkwardly. The brain is instantly triggered into the process of neuroplasticity for recalibration. The exciting part is that once neuroplasticity is triggered, the chemicals start flowing and the brain stays in learning mode for hours afterward.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Now the next question is how to apply and incorporate this information into your daily routine? Below are some simple and effective somatic interventions.</p><p><o:p></o:p></p><h3>Somatic Intervention #1 – Creativity & Learning Mode<o:p></o:p>
</h3><p>[30 seconds - 3 minutes]<o:p></o:p></p><p>Next time you want to get into creative brainstorming mode, or are trying to learn something new, begin by first challenging your orientation system. You don’t need to trip on a flight of stairs, but you do need to challenge your brain. One easy way to do this is to try the following:<o:p></o:p></p><ol>
<li>Interlace your fingers. Look to see which thumb is on top.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Change the thumbs so the other thumb is on top.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Now change over every other finger, so that you are interlacing your fingers non-habitually.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Feel the strangeness. Switch back & forth a few times and feel the difference.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Stay with the non-habitual interlacing and look at your fingers. Wiggle your left ring finger.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
</ol><p>If you had difficulty finding the correct finger to wiggle, then this intervention may have triggered your brain to recalibrate. For many of us, just feeling the non-habitual interlacing is novel enough to trigger our brains. However, if this is easy or familiar for you, then you need to find a new challenge.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The caveat here is that our brains quickly learn to master an activity, and once that happens, it no longer works for triggering our brain. To get into learning mode, we need to keep modifying the challenge so that it stays novel and unfamiliar, and thus, activates the release of neurochemicals needed for plasticity to occur. We cannot rely on what worked the previous time because the more familiar it becomes, the less effective it is. Fortunately to change things up, all you need are small, playful variations on a theme, such as finding a new way to interlace your fingers, and then finding the non-habitual interlacing of that way too.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Some other ideas to try include:<o:p></o:p></p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;">
<li>Changing your orientation in gravity by laying down for a few minutes, or tilting your head to the side or hang your head upside-down<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Playing with hand-eye coordination by mousing with your non-dominant hand<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Playing with errors in perception by walking around with one eye blindfolded<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Walking backward, sideways, or some other silly way<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>HINT: if you are far away from a smile, you are working too hard<o:p></o:p>
</li>
</ul><h3> </h3><h3>Autonomic Nervous System<span style="color:windowtext;"> </span><o:p></o:p>
</h3><p>The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) refers to your system’s state of calmness or alertness. There has been a great amount of interest and research conducted in this area, and you can find plenty of information online. I will just cover the basics here because it’s useful to understand. Briefly, the system is composed of two parts, the Parasympathetic Nervous System, and the Sympathetic Nervous System. <o:p></o:p></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/12c4403431bfb58ec4438f3996c1f73bb171d46c/original/autonomic-gradient.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />The Parasympathetic System is also known as the “rest & digest” system because it is activated when you are feeling calm, chilling out or daydreaming. It is characterized by the body and mind being generally at rest and the digestive system is actively processing food for energy. What’s important to note is that this is our default state. Unless we are activated out of it, this is where the brain and body go automatically. This is home.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The other side of the spectrum, the Sympathetic Nervous System, refers to the stress response also known as “fight, flight, or freeze,” due to the physiological changes that happen to prepare your body to respond to the perceived stressor. Your heart rate and respiration increase as adrenalin pours into your bloodstream and all your organs, including your brain, are affected. Blood literally drains from your brain into your musculature to get ready for action. The measurement of IQ can drop significantly; basically, we get stupid. We also get tunnel vision, unable to process context or see the bigger picture, both essential skills for problem solving. We also tend to make poor decisions and our rate of mistakes increases. And most of all, we get into reflexive or reactive mode where our brains go on autopilot, and we can only do what we already know. It is important to note that this state significantly curtails learning, and blocks creativity.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The takeaway here is that everyone has an optimum window of performance along the ANS gradient. Some people work best under a deadline or some form of pressure, while others need more calm to be productive. Too far in either direction has its issues. If you are too calm, you get bored, distracted, or sleepy. If you are too stressed, you go over the threshold & trigger the stress response. <o:p></o:p></p><p>The good news is that we can influence where we are along the continuum using simple eye movements. This may sound surprising because many people aren’t even aware that their eyes move! <o:p></o:p></p><p>We have six tiny muscles that move our eyeballs in our eye sockets. These muscles are connected to the musculature of our neck, jaw, and shoulders, which happen to be places that typically hold stress-induced tension. Neurologically, our eyes are also connected to parts of our brain that can either help us be more alert and focused or can activate our relaxation response <span>[5]</span>.<o:p></o:p></p><p>That our eyes can induce varied cognitive and emotional states suggests a neurological explanation for what most designers already know intuitively, for example, about the value of the long view. We know people enjoy long views. We know they make us feel good, and most any design will evaluate the site for potential views and incorporate borrowed scenery when possible. Federal public lands in the United States have an entire design system dedicated solely to evaluating and preserving scenic views, and here’s why. Neurologically speaking, the movement of diverging our eyes, literally moving them away from each other, activates the relaxation response in our brain, and so we associate the long view with relaxation, ease and calming. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Additionally, a specific horizontal eye movement, which occurs when we move forward through space, also induces a calming effect <span>[6]</span> by quieting the part of our brain responsible for fear and threat detection. This type of eye movement happens innately as our eyes track passing objects during the visual flow created by moving forward. It’s one reason why we feel calmer after walking or cycling. What’s most interesting about this response is that it is not directly related to perception. You don’t need to be moving to experience this effect.<o:p></o:p></p><h3><span>Somatic Intervention #2 – Calming Eyes</span></h3><p><span>[3 minutes]</span><o:p></o:p></p><ol>
<li>Sit or lay down comfortably, close your eyes and imagine a faraway horizon off in the distance. It may be the ocean, or a great body of water, or a prairie, or a desert landscape. Imagine the horizon line where the land and sky meet.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>As you imagine this view, your breath may start to change. It may slow down, or maybe you take a deeper breath.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Feel your gaze soften, imagine your eyes widening, diverging from each other as you look to the far horizon. You’re not looking for anything, just taking in the view.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>You might also notice the tiny muscles of your face start to soften, your jaw may slack a bit, the corners of your eyes soften, your cheeks soften and your brow releases.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Slowly, begin a small movement of gently moving your eyes left and right along the horizon. You can keep the movement small because you’re looking so far away into the distance that you barely need to move your eyes to look left & right. <o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Attend to the quality of smoothness in your movement. Your eyes trace a small horizontal line in space. Trace the line slowly. If you feel strain, or the movement feels jumpy or choppy, go even slower and make the line smaller. In this intervention, less is very much more.<o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>After a minute or so, come back to the center and pause. Gently open your eyelids as if you are lifting a heavy curtain and gradually let light into your eyes, keeping your gaze soft. <o:p></o:p>
</li>
<li>Enjoy how you feel!<o:p></o:p>
</li>
</ol><p>Other types of eye movements activate alertness and focus, but before we go further, I need to mention the primary importance of having sufficient restful sleep. Although it is beyond the scope of this article, we must acknowledge that our ability to engage in focused alertness is directly related to our ability to regularly get quality sleep. Once you figure out your sleep, then you can augment with alertness and focus-related interventions.<o:p></o:p></p><h3>Somatic Intervention #3 – Alertness<o:p></o:p>
</h3><p>The muscles of your eyes and eyelids are also connected to attention centers in the brain <span>[7]</span>. Directing your eyes upward heightens alertness. The opposite is also true, a lowered gaze induces sleepiness. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Therefore, to stay alert, position computer screens, tablets, or books at eye level or higher. Positioning your device or book in your lap or on a low table where your gaze is aimed downward will cause you to be less alert and will induce drowsiness and may be partly why you get sleepy during zoom meetings.<o:p></o:p></p><h3><span>Somatic Intervention #4 – Focus</span></h3><p><span>[30 seconds]</span><o:p></o:p></p><p>Deep focus comes online gradually, and it is unreasonable to expect to immediately drop into a focused state. It typically takes between 5 and 10 minutes to begin to focus on a task <span>[8]</span>. However, cognitive focus follows optical focus, and we can speed up this lag time by practicing optical focus.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Our ability to focus relies on the release of a cocktail of neurochemicals in our brain <span>[9]</span>. When our eyes converge on an object with the intention of focusing, it initiates the release of those neurochemicals and helps jumpstart our brain into focus mode.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Before you begin your focus task, set yourself up for success by reducing or eliminating any possible distractions. Turn off notifications, close email and put a <i>Do Not Disturb</i> note on your door. When I work from home, I put a sticky note on my front door for neighbors and package delivery drivers that says, <i>Do Not Knock – Recording in Progress</i>. Mainly this keeps my dog from going into a barking frenzy which can be distracting to say the least.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Now that you are set up for your task, begin by selecting an object to focus on. Hold your visual focus on that object for 30 seconds. You can blink of course, but stay visually engaged with the object and attend to its details, color, texture, form, reflected light and shadows, etc. Then go back to the original task you want to focus on. You have just primed your brain for focus mode.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Practicing this simple intervention can help you get into the focus state quicker and can help you re-focus after a distraction. Maintaining a narrow visual window, by wearing a hoodie for example, can also help you stay focused by narrowing your visual window to minimize visual distractions.<o:p></o:p></p><h3>Studio Culture<o:p></o:p>
</h3><p>Working both individually and collaboratively in the studio setting is essential to the design process. The studio is a place where we work iteratively, synthesizing interdisciplinary information and testing many solutions for a particular design problem. This process, albeit fruitful, can also be time consuming and incredibly stressful. This is particularly true when faced with tight deadlines and hard critiques, both of which are inherent to design education and practice. Studio culture is characterized by stories valorizing and romanticizing the suffering of working incredibly long hours, self-imposed sleep deprivation, lack of adequate rest, and poor eating habits, all of which compound the effects of prolonged stress.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Stress itself is not the enemy. On the contrary, stress is inevitably part of our biology, and, in moderation, short-term stress improves cognitive alertness and performance <span>[10]</span><a name="_ftnref10" title=""><span>.</span></a> However, stress is cumulative, and the negative physical and mental effects of prolonged chronic or intense stress are well documented. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Unfortunately, there seems to be an assumption that creative design must be made under these conditions, either because it is considered a rite of passage, or because there is no experience of alternatives. Perhaps it is in part due to the pervasiveness of the myth of the suffering artist, or our cultural bias of overvaluing struggle, fight, and dominance. How often have we heard, “no pain, no gain,” or that we must, “do more,” and “work harder,” in the face of challenges? Yet, science and anecdotal experience shows us that by understanding our biology, attending to our natural rhythms and tendencies, and modifying our environment to suit those tendencies, we can literally “work smarter, not harder,” for optimum performance without the struggle.<o:p></o:p></p><p>We can get so accustomed to working in our sympathetic stress zone that we start to equate effort and suffering with value. If something comes together easily, we question its worth. If we are not working hard, we feel like we are slacking. Often, in our professional culture, practicing self-care is seen as a subversive act, but it is proven that no one can do their best work when they are constantly working under duress. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Recently, many firms and educational institutions have acknowledged the high volume of designer burnout, mental health issues, and physical deterioration that come with studio culture, and they have attempted to ameliorate the negative effects by creating institutional policies that prioritize rest, health, and a work-life balance. Yet, sustained stress, burnout and diminishing returns remain ubiquitous. <o:p></o:p></p><p>I believe what is missing is not the knowledge that things need to change, but how do we go about implementing change? <span> </span>It is my hope that by teaching tangible strategies and interventions that can fold into the design process, we will begin to address the question of what a change in studio culture might look and feel like.<o:p></o:p></p><p>It's time to revisit the culture of design that valorizes and romanticizes suffering. How we care for ourselves has bearing on how we are toward others, including our clients, colleagues, friends, and family. Using self-awareness and simple somatic interventions backed by neuroscience is one way to reimagine the environment of design, avoid burnout, and be optimally engaged, productive, creative, and resilient.<o:p></o:p></p><p><br> </p><div style="mso-element:footnote-list;">
<hr>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn1"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[1]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> Hamilton, Audrey [Host]. Speaking of Psychology: The neuroscience of creativity, Episode 10, Interview with Dr. Rex Jung, [Audio podcast episode], <span>American Psychological Association, </span></span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/neuroscience-creativity" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/neuroscience-creativity</u></span></a><span style="color:#2474a6;">.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn2"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[2]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> Feldenkrais, M. (1985). </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Potent_Self/LXihqvZs-q8C?hl=en&gbpv=0" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>The Potent Self</u></span></a><span style="color:#404040;">. Somatic Resources.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn3"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span style="color:black;"><span>[3]</span></span></a><span style="color:black;"> </span><span style="color:#404040;">Sugar and the Brain. </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain</u></span></a><span style="color:#404040;">. Accessed Sept 20, 2022.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn4"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[4]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> <span>Feldenkrais, M. (1990). </span></span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Awareness_Through_Movement/jUKGQAAACAAJ?hl=en" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>Awareness Through Movement</u></span></a><span style="color:#404040;">. Harper-Collins.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn5"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[5]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> Huberman, A. [Host]. (2021, June 14). Huberman Lab Podcast. (No. 24) [Audio podcast episode]. </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-vision-eye-health-and-seeing-better/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-vision-eye-health-and-seeing-better/</u></span></a><span style="color:#2474a6;">.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn6"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[6]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> de Voogd, L. D., Kanen, J. W., Neville, D. A., Roelofs, K., Fernández, G., & Hermans, E. J. (2018). Eye-Movement Intervention Enhances Extinction via Amygdala Deactivation. The Journal of Neuroscience: The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 38(40), 8694–8706. </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/40/8694" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>https://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/40/8694</u></span></a><span style="color:#404040;">.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn7"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[7]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> <span>Huberman, A. [Host]. (2022, January 31). Huberman Lab Podcast. (No. 57) [Audio podcast episode]. </span></span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://hubermanlab.com/optimizing-workspace-for-productivity-focus-and-creativity/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>https://hubermanlab.com/optimizing-workspace-for-productivity-focus-and-creativity/</u></span></a><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn8"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[8]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> Ibid</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn9"><p><a class="no-pjax" href="#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span style="color:#404040;"><span>[9]</span></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"> Ibid</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote;" id="ftn10"><p><span>[10]</span> <span style="color:#404040;">Jaret, P. (2015). The Surprising Benefits of Stress. Greater Good Magazine. Greater Good Science Center. UC Berkeley. </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_surprising_benefits_of_stress" target="_blank"><span style="color:#2474a6;"><u>https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_surprising_benefits_of_stress</u></span></a><span style="color:#404040;"><u>.</u></span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
</div>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/71649422023-03-04T13:48:21-05:002023-06-15T20:33:31-04:00The Trouble with Capitalism<p>Sometimes internal work goes external, and vice versa. I tend to focus on individual development and self-care, but lately it's systemic change that has been occupying my thoughts, because the internal and the external are not so different. [More on that in a future post]</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/789fe0fcf8d7b1e124c2693fa8e7f3f6d0857af4/original/stipend-cash.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p><p>I am not the first nor the smartest writer on this topic, [check out my reading list below, or <a class="no-pjax" href="https://medium.com/@MikiKashtan/why-capitalism-cannot-be-redeemed-bc07e628082f">Why Capitalism Cannot be Redeemed</a>, by Miki Kashtan for some real knowledge] but here are my reasons, and one thing I am going to do about it.</p><p><strong>Capitalism inherently separates us from each other and from the natural world</strong>. It’s insidious and fundamental to the culture we swim in. It lives in our thoughts, ideas and words. Even calling it “the natural world” demonstrates the idea that we are something separate from nature. </p><p><strong>Capitalism makes us feel incomplete</strong>. This is not incidental; it is by design. We are not enough just as we are. Instead, we are constantly given the message that we are not good enough, smart enough, fast enough, etc. We have been told this so often throughout culture via advertisements, religious interpretations, how we play sports, by our parents, who learned it from their parents, etc. This idea of imperfection is internalized and reinforced at every turn, until we really believe it.</p><p>The follow-up message is that we can find that missing something in the next something we purchase. The system<strong> cleverly motivates consumption and consumerism by making us feel bad about ourselves</strong>. </p><p>Plus, it <strong>stokes fear and insecurity by promoting scarcity</strong>. <span> </span>Scarcity drives up value, so it’s in the system’s best interest to make people feel that if they don’t “act now,” they will miss out later. Scarcity, urgency and mistrust of the future and of each other, are all driving forces of Capitalism.</p><p>Capitalism, by its very nature, <strong>glorifies greed</strong>. It's about taking more than you give and accumulating wealth for the creation of profit. Profit, by definition, means taking out more that you are putting in. In a finite world, (which this is BTW) this is also the definition of being unsustainable.</p><p>None of this is news. The next questions are what to do about it? </p><p>What is the alternative? Are you a communist or something?</p><p>If that’s where your thoughts went, then (1) You are not alone, and (2) You’ve been hoodwinked by the neo-capitalist rhetoric, which became popularized in the 1980’s Reagan & Thatcher era, that capitalism is the best and only economic and cultural option. The neo-cons equate capitalism with freedom and democracy for all, but here we are, just a few decades later, and we can clearly see that this path has ridiculously exacerbated the divide between rich and poor, is quickly causing irreversible harm to the environment, and the brunt of the social and climate repercussions are being felt by the most vulnerable populations. </p><p>If you believe there is no alternative, then the feeling of overwhelm will freeze any activism in its tracks, and the system self-perpetuates until nothing is salvageable.</p><p>So, <strong>alternatives… we must be creative</strong>. Plus, we can't simply imagine what post-capitalism might look like, but we need to start now by practicing, so that once capitalism implodes, we have alternative systems and new cultural skills to fulfill our needs. </p><p>Fortunately, there are a lot of intelligent folks out there in the world already doing this. One idea that I like a lot is engaging in the <strong>Gift Economy</strong>.</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://mikikashtan.org/"><span>Miki Kashtan</span></a><span style="color:black;"> from the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://nglcommunity.org/join-us/"><span style="color:#4472C4;">Nonviolent Global Liberation Community</span></a><span style="color:black;"> says it best:</span></p><p><span style="color:black;"><i>“Operating in the gift economy means that what we give is neither given for free nor in exchange for anything. It is given <strong>freely</strong> in complete willingness and trust that when we share what it is that we need to thrive, within a group of people who share our vision, resources will organically flow to meet those needs. This is the fundamental trust that drives all those who choose to embrace the gift economy.”</i></span></p><p><span style="color:black;">The gift economy is <strong>based on trust</strong>. Trust that there is abundance, enough to go around, and that your needs will be met as they arise. No hoarding for the future necessary. </span>Most indigenous cultures are based on the idea of trust, gratitude, abundance, and reciprocity, and knowing that <span style="color:black;">true freedom is to be free from worry and fear. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">I have been playing with this idea over the last few years and I think I am going to start again, offering lessons on a pay-what-you-want scheme, although in the past, it confused the heck out of folks. </span></p><p><span style="color:black;">If you feel thrown off by it, maybe that means you just need to spend a little more time disentangling how the culture of capitalism has influenced your thinking. </span>Capitalism is only about 500 years old. Humans have lived in civilizations for thousands and thousands of years. Maybe we can re-learn something from our ancient history.</p><hr><p><strong>READING LIST</strong>:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books">Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer</a> This whole book is about reciprocity and the gift economy described through the lens of indigenous wisdom. </p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.jasonhickel.org/less-is-more">Less is More: How Degrowth will Save the World, Jason Hickel</a> A South African economist’s lens on the history of capitalism and his take on what it might take for a sustainable, equitable and achievable future.</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/71026922022-11-15T11:52:22-05:002022-11-29T19:13:35-05:00Feldi Principles for Lessons... and Life! <p>Listening is necessary to connect, communicate and understand. To listen, we must find quiet... and that takes time. In a culture where time is often perceived as scarce and is equated with money, taking time is an act of defiance. Yet, this is exactly what is needed for change to happen.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/533467/775f017d4dc1b2bf2c6176fbd0dee3ef5e3faa0c/original/peck-lake-vie-sm.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<hr><p><strong>Feldenkrais<sup> ® </sup>principles that apply to anything we do:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Listen</strong> to what's really happening, internally and externally.<br><strong>Honor</strong> what is, without immediately jumping to judgement <br><strong>Cultivate</strong> curiosity and wonder <br><strong>Attend</strong> to both the details and the big picture <br><strong>Pause</strong> often - making space for reflection, integration and allowing something new to emerge <br><strong>Look</strong> <strong>for variation</strong> - exploring multiple paths towards accomplishment <br><strong>Play</strong> - find delight in everyday things <br><strong>Encourage</strong> <strong>&</strong> <strong>Hold</strong> patience to resist the culture of urgency </p>
<hr><p>Start small, finding a few seconds to sit, rest, breathe between your Must Dos. Our nervous system is very agile and can respond and recover with just a few seconds of pausing, sensing and grounding. Surprise yourself!</p>
<h4>Change starts from within</h4>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/70988102022-11-09T15:38:11-05:002022-11-10T12:17:55-05:00Work Smarter, Not Harder<p>Neuroscience has come a long way in the last decade. We know so much more than we ever did about the mechanisms of how our brain thinks, perceives, calculates and comes up with new ideas. It's time to apply some of that information into our everyday lives.</p>
<p>That's the premise for a new workshop I'll be teaching <a contents="Thursdays in January" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://buenomovementanddesign.com/event/4775770/609550894/creative-productive-you" target="_blank">Thursdays in January</a>. There'll be some Feldi- inspired movement and some drawing and writing... some basic neuroscience and lots of interactive practice folding this information into your unique process. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/533467/3fa75a37997a2543bb0fa4bd2958789f84d7a88d/original/joy-448-by-camdiluv.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I'm really excited about this one folks! I hope y'all will join us. </p>
<p> </p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/70835972022-10-18T10:13:56-04:002023-05-28T15:06:41-04:00SOURCES: Brain Hacks for Productivity & Creativity<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/b4ef19ae3daacb7f8e8a7e6c8506bdbd5bc1bde1/original/coverart-mind-blown.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Let’s debunk the myth of the struggling artist and talk about applying the latest findings in neurobiology to get the most from our design process!</p><p>I am delighted to present a lecture on the intersection of neuroscience, perception & creativity for the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.aslaconference.com/" data-link-type="url" contents="2022 Annual Conference on Landscape Architecture">2022 Annual Conference on Landscape Architecture</a>. It's called Brain Hacks for Productivity & Creativity in the Studio / Office. </p><p>In the talk, I introduce proven neurological interventions for you to create a toolbox of strategies to incorporate into your professional (and personal) life.</p><p>My source list is extensive and I couldn't include it in the presentation itself, so if you are interested in where I got my info, just scroll down.</p><p>If you want to learn even more about this stuff (there's a whole lot I couldn't cover in 1 lecture) I'm doing a 4 week workshop on this very topic in January called <a class="no-pjax" href="https://buenomovementanddesign.com/event/4775770/609550894/creative-productive-you" data-link-type="url" contents="Creative, Productive You">Creative, Productive You</a>. Check it out!</p><p> </p><hr><h3>SOURCES</h3><h4>JOURNALS & PUBLICATIONS </h4><p>Beaty, R.E., et. al. (2018). Robust Prediction of Individual Creative Ability From Brain Functional Connectivity. PNAS, 115 (5) 1087-1092. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1713532115" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1713532115">https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1713532115</a></p><p>Brown TM, Brainard GC, Cajochen C, Czeisler CA, Hanifin JP, Lockley SW, et al. (2022). Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults. PLoS Biol 20(3): e3001571. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001571" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001571">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001571</a> </p><p>Brucks, M.S. & Huang S. (2020). Does Practice Make Perfect? The Contrasting Effects of Repeated Practice on Creativity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. 5(3), 291-301. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/does-practice-make-perfect-contrasting-effects-repeated-practice?undefined" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/does-practice-make-perfect-contrasting-effects-repeated-practice?undefined">https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/does-practice-make-perfect-contrasting-effects-repeated-practice?undefined</a></p><p>de Voogd, L. D., Kanen, J. W., Neville, D. A., Roelofs, K., Fernández, G., & Hermans, E. J. (2018). Eye-Movement Intervention Enhances Extinction via Amygdala Deactivation. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 38(40), 8694–8706. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0703-18.2018" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0703-18.2018">https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0703-18.2018</a> </p><p>Jaret, P. (2015). The Surprising Benefits of Stress. Greater Good Magazine. Greater Good Science Center. UC Berkeley. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_surprising_benefits_of_stress" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_surprising_benefits_of_stress#:~:text=The%20stress%20response%20is%20designed,and%20performance%20and%20boost%20memory.">https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_surprising_benefits_of_stress</a></p><p>Jung, H., & Huberman, A. D. (2018). An Unbiased View of Neural Networks: More than Meets the Eye. Neuron, 100(5), 1019–1021. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.038" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.038">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.038</a> </p><p>McCorry, L.K. (2007). Physiology of the Autonomic Nervous System. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, v.71(4);2007 Aug 15. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/</a></p><p>Meyers-Levy, J., & Zhu, R. The Influence of Ceiling Height: The Effect of Priming on the Type of Processing That People Use. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/71190.pdf" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/71190.pdf">https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/71190.pdf</a> </p><p>te Kulve, M., Schlangen, L.J.M. & van Marken Lichtenbelt, W.D. Early evening light mitigates sleep compromising physiological and alerting responses to subsequent late evening light. Sci Rep 9, 16064 (2019). <a class="no-pjax" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52352-w" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52352-w&nbsp;">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52352-w </a></p><hr><h4>WEBSITES </h4><p>Use the Science of Ultradian Rhythms To Boost Productivity, Energy, and Willpower. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.bluezones.com/2020/06/how-taking-breaks-can-increase-productivity-boost-energy-levels-and-help-you-show-up-in-your-life" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://www.bluezones.com/2020/06/how-taking-breaks-can-increase-productivity-boost-energy-levels-and-help-you-show-up-in-your-life">https://www.bluezones.com/2020/06/how-taking-breaks-can-increase-productivity-boost-energy-levels-and-help-you-show-up-in-your-life</a>. Accessed September 14, 2022 </p><p>Avoid Burnout and Increase Awareness Using Ultradian Rhythms. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://betterhumans.pub/avoid-burnout-and-increase-awareness-using-ultradian-rhythms-5e64158e7e19" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://betterhumans.pub/avoid-burnout-and-increase-awareness-using-ultradian-rhythms-5e64158e7e19">https://betterhumans.pub/avoid-burnout-and-increase-awareness-using-ultradian-rhythms-5e64158e7e19</a>. Accessed September 14, 2022 </p><p>Does Thinking Burn Calories? Here's What the Science Says. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://time.com/5400025/does-thinking-burn-calories" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://time.com/5400025/does-thinking-burn-calories">https://time.com/5400025/does-thinking-burn-calories</a>/. Accessed Sept 19, 2022. </p><p>Sugar and the Brain. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain">https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain</a>. Accessed Sept 20, 2022 </p><p>Does Practice Always Make Perfect? The Surprising Answer. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90575495/does-practice-always-make-perfect-the-surprising-answer." target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://www.fastcompany.com/90575495/does-practice-always-make-perfect-the-surprising-answer.">https://www.fastcompany.com/90575495/does-practice-always-make-perfect-the-surprising-answer.</a> Accessed Oct 18, 2022.</p><p>Neuroscience Research Reveals Creativity's "Brainprint." <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/201802/your-brain-creativity#:~:text=There%20isn't%20one%20%22creativity,the%20early%20stages%2C%20are%20remarkable." target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/201802/your-brain-creativity#:~:text=There%20isn't%20one%20%22creativity,the%20early%20stages%2C%20are%20remarkable.">https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/experimentations/201802/your-brain-creativity#:~:text=There%20isn't%20one%20%22creativity,the%20early%20stages%2C%20are%20remarkable.</a> Accessed Oct 18, 2018.</p><hr><h4>PODCASTS </h4><p>Hanson, R. Being Well Podcast. Episodes S2: 24, S3:176. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast">https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast</a>.</p><p>Huberman, A., Huberman Lab Podcast. Episodes 1, 7, 28, 37, 57. <a class="no-pjax" href="https://hubermanlab.com" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="https://hubermanlab.com">https://hubermanlab.com</a>.</p><hr><h4>BOOKS </h4><p>Hanson, R. (2020). <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.rickhanson.net/books/neurodharma/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="Neurodharma">Neurodharma</a>. Harmony Books.</p><p>Feldenkrais, M. (1990). <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Awareness_Through_Movement/jUKGQAAACAAJ?hl=en" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="Awareness Through Movement">Awareness Through Movement</a>. Harper-Collins.</p><p>Feldenkrais, M. (1985). <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Potent_Self/LXihqvZs-q8C?hl=en&gbpv=0" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="The Potent Self">The Potent Self</a>. Somatic Resources. </p><p> </p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/67501942021-09-17T21:00:43-04:002022-11-29T19:07:46-05:00Learning How To Learn<p style="text-align: justify;"> "I am going to be your last teacher. Not because I'll be the greatest teacher you may ever encounter, but because from me, you will learn how to learn. When you learn how to learn, you will realize that there are no teachers, that there are only people learning, and people learning how to facilitate learning." - Moshe Feldenkrais</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/533467/2391dc297be699b4c1cc78576582173eaf66787e/original/iff-moshe-feldenkrais-circa-1957-2-h.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>And so began Feldenkrais' first North American training in 1975. This is truly the essence of the modality named for him and the legacy he left. It's so much more than bodywork. It's a way of being in life, in any situation. I've uploaded his short manual, called <a contents="Learning How to Learn" data-link-label="Learning How To Learn" data-link-type="file" href="/files/1142984/Learning%20How%20To%20Learn"><em>Learning How to Learn</em></a>, so you can read it in his own words. It'll help you get the best results from the lessons, and maybe it'll influence how you think about stuff in general too.</p>
<p> </p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/67359732021-09-04T14:45:04-04:002023-06-15T20:37:16-04:00Resting While You Work<p>I don't know about you but I've got a number of balls in the air. I can juggle a bit, but I'm not great at it, and I also have a limited amount of energy so I need to be judicious with how I dole it out. Which means, this fall is an excellent experiment in how to rest while you work.</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/c9c628cf0260194fafc983225e5b4b16120bf200/original/17120175501.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>I've been playing with this idea for years now, after a lifetime of fighting for most of what I've accomplished, and realizing that m.o. was now bringing diminished returns. My most recent take away... reframing the idea as less of a "battle" and more of a collaboration.</p><p>When you collaborate, you don't get everything done exactly how you expected, but you do get something new and most times better, and always more interesting than if you had pushed your ideas forward alone. It's a delicate balance negotiating with fatigue, brain fog, and even pain. I give them what they require - acknowledgement, respect, and frequent short rests. I also push them a bit, gently testing the limits. Knowing when to stop is the biggest challenge.</p><p>Resting before you think you need to requires a keen sense of inner listening. I am driving more now that school is back in person, and I ask myself questions as I sit. How hard do I need to hold the steering wheel after all? Can I adjust my legs for more comfort? The mirrors? The seat? I also do this when I am standing, teaching in front of a room or waiting for a cashier at the grocery. I look for places in my body to rest. My jaw, shoulders, arms. How am I arranged over my feet? Can I find more support from my bones vs. my muscles. When I'm working from home, 10 minutes laying down on the floor can extend my productivity by hours.</p><p>Sometimes I forget to check in and listen, and I get knocked back a bit, needing to take a day or 2 off. But when I get it right, I can find a few minutes here, and hour there, to rest, recharge and continue. Folks don't even notice I am resting. It's my undercover, ongoing collaboration with an immune system that tends to have it's own agenda.</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/66997492021-07-27T19:39:33-04:002023-07-24T12:47:00-04:00How Creative Are You?<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/533467/13737f064990a2101b41bdd4d04578c6b98e96e4/original/cover-art-creative-brain-desaturated.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><p>Check out this <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.datcreativity.com/task" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="quick test">quick test</a> that measures divergent thinking, a key component of creativity. </p><p>After you get your score, you can learn more about the test <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.datcreativity.com/about" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="HERE">HERE</a>. </p><p>And if your divergent thinking can use a boost, never fear... </p><p>There's a <a class="no-pjax" href="/class-descriptions" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Class Descriptions" contents="creativity series">creativity series</a> lined up for October, because how you move can change how you think... AND how you create!</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/66851462021-07-11T22:30:41-04:002021-07-11T22:35:16-04:00Strandbeest!<p>Check out artist/ inventor Theo Jansen's walking contraptions that transcend what anyone thought was possible with zip ties and PVC tubing.</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="LewVEF2B_pM" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/LewVEF2B_pM/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LewVEF2B_pM?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/66851112021-07-11T21:35:07-04:002022-11-29T18:48:37-05:00Anti-Racist Resource Guide<p>So, as an American person living inside a light brown body for 5 decades, I have experienced innumerable incidents of bias, micro-aggressions, and overt racism, and I've also been accused of not being black or Latina enough, and I have "passed" as white and I have had many white friends and lovers that even forget that I was not white like them. This is all to say, I've looked at this issue from many angles, and it's all confusing and visceral and overwhelming and exhausting. </p>
<p>If you are anything like me, you may welcome having resources to answer some questions, to help with difficult conversations, to assist in your self-education about this issue, and to help you get some answers. So here are some of my resources:</p>
<ol> <li>
<a contents="Abolitionist Hall of Fame" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org/anti-racism-resources.html">Abolitionist Hall of Fame</a> (located right here in Central NY!)</li> <li>
<em>My Grandmother's Hands</em> by Resmaa Menakem (buy it from a <a contents="black-owned bookstore" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://lithub.com/you-can-order-today-from-these-black-owned-independent-bookstores/">black-owned bookstore</a>, not Amazon)</li> <li>
<a contents="Learning Anti-Racism through Feldenkrais®" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://feldenkrais.com/creating-community-with-students/">Building Anti-Racist Community through Feldenkrais</a><sup>®</sup>
</li> <li><a contents="Seeing White Podcast" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/">Seeing White Podcast</a></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/66851012021-07-11T20:57:25-04:002022-11-29T18:23:50-05:00Are Your Habits Serving You?<p>We all have habits. Some are healthy, like flossing, and some are less so, like smoking. But when you think of all that you do, the real question is, what do you do that is NOT a habit? How you hold a pen, how you reach for a glass, how you brush your teeth or stand or walk... these are all habits. </p>
<p>Anything we do without giving it much thought is a habit, and in and of themselves, habits are neither good nor bad. They are simply the result of past success. We tried something once and got the result we were seeking, so we repeated it, and it must have kept working because we kept repeating it until our nervous system made it automatic. </p>
<p>You've probably heard the phrase, "Neurons that fire together, wire together." This refers to our nervous system's patterns of connection. Neurological links get strengthened with every use, which means the more we repeat something, the more likely we are to repeat it again. </p>
<p>Thing is, we can outgrow a habit's usefulness, yet we continue doing it because it has become easy, automatic and mindless. Often we don't even realize our habits, because they become so deeply ingrained they seem like a part of who we are. Good thing our nervous system is also primed for learning.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/533467/8a457b01f1504765f7b2736ef31a1bc263d972be/original/cover-art-creative-brain-desaturated.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>And what is learning, really? </p>
<p>Learning is the process of making new connections between things that weren't previously connected. Neurologically, it's creating new links between neurons; literally forging new paths and making new patterns. If the new connections have better, more efficient results than our old connections, then we are likely to repeat them, and eventually we create a new habit. </p>
<p>Neurological connections also operate under the use-it-or-lose-it principle. Although they may never completely disappear, by not using the old connections, they eventually become weak and fade away. </p>
<p>It's important to note that <strong>we can't give up an old habit until we find something that serves us better to replace it with</strong>. </p>
<p>So how do you know if what you're doing is the easiest, most efficient and best way to do it? </p>
<p>That's where the Feldenkrais Method<sup>® </sup>can help. The lessons shine a light on your hidden habits and allow you to explore new options, which trigger your nervous system into learning mode so it can rewire itself in the best, most efficient way possible. </p>
<p><a contents="Check out a lesson " data-link-label="Audio" data-link-type="page" href="/audio">Check out a lesson </a>and see for yourself.</p>Bueno Movement and Designtag:buenomovementanddesign.com,2005:Post/66162442021-04-28T13:55:13-04:002022-11-29T19:13:35-05:00Learn Faster through Failure<p>Here's an excellent podcast by a Stanford neuroscience professor that is (so chock full of info it is almost too much) about how to optimize your brain's ability to learn. It basically hits every strategy that we find in a Feldi lesson including:</p>
<ul> <li>Using failure as a means of triggering plasticity</li> <li>Challenging the vestibular system to improve balance and trigger learning</li> <li>Confusion (he calls it frustration) as a precursor to learning</li> <li>Using focused awareness</li> <li>Keeping bouts of learning short</li> <li>Resting often between bouts of learning</li> <li>Plus the neuroscience behind this stuff</li>
</ul>
<p>Huberman also has a whole lot of other fascinating episodes, all delivered in plain language for normal people. This podcast is one of my faves!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hx3U64IXFOY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Bueno Movement and Design