CSTC Gathering - Improving Skilled Performance with Andrew Gaines
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 09:13PM Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining colleagues at the Sydney pre Christmas gathering of the Creative Skills Training Council.
Andrew Gaines - CEO, Alliance for Sustainable Well Being was our presenter for the evening and he gave us some insights on Moshe Feldenkrais
Moshe Feldenkrais was said to be a genius about the body.
He was actually a genius about improving the operation of the central nervous system. All skilled activity is mediated by the central nervous system. Feldenkrais developed a way of improving the coordination of the central nervous system by working with the body.
His method, however, can be generalised to improving the operation of any complex human system, including how whole societies operate.
The key Feldenkrais question is: How does this system operate to produce the difficulties it experiences? In other words, how do we shoot ourselves in the foot?
When we can answer that question accurately, we can identify points of improvement that can make the system work better.
In the session the Feldenkrais approach to improving function was demonstrated by teaching us how to do an advanced Tai Chi push. Through traditional practice it might take you two years or more to discover the integrated body use that enables you to do this.
We instead were learning systems thinking through the body and were given the basic theory of improving function (it’s quick) and a few problems so that we can try out this way of thinking into the future.
We concluded by looking at how functional thinking applies to creativity and to large-scale social systems - augmented by whatever great ideas you come up with!
Together we can look at social concerns and problems like climate change and sustainability and look for creative solutions that can help.
The workshop left us with a new window on improving human performance that integrates neurology with practical outcomes. It has applications in creativity training, psychotherapy, sports and management.
For more information on Andrew Gaines and his programs, please contact us
Reader Comments (1)
In the session the Feldenkrais approach to improving function was demonstrated by teaching us how to do an advanced Tai Chi push. Through traditional practice it might take you two years or more to discover the integrated body use that enables you to do this.
We instead were learning systems thinking through the body and were given the basic theory of improving function (it’s quick) and a few problems so that we can try out this way of thinking into the future.
We concluded by looking at how functional thinking applies to creativity and to large-scale social systems - augmented by whatever great ideas you come up with!
In doing the exercises I quickly saw my fundamental (and flawed) approach to coping with challenge. I felt it right through my body and felt what was necessary to give myself more options for responding to challenge. I also got to feel my own sense of being centred, being fluid and in control and letting my own power just Be.
I had a sense that I had been given the opportunity to change my responses to a world that I always believe will be hostile towards me. In short I learnt to back off.
The particular challenge I had at that time was how to deal with negative publisher response to the book I had written. I am a professional writer. I’ve had 4 books published and 6 feature-film scripts produced. It was not being rejected for technical reasons. I know the rejections were to the fact that the book is confrontational, challenging and possesses the real potential to change lives. I had 1 small (and nervous) publisher offer on the table and 10 rejections. I seemed to be once again pushing back against a hostile world that was intent upon rejecting me.
We went for a drink afterwards. Sitting there, aware of a quite different feeling through my body - of balance, ability to go with the flow, of a calm centredness - I thought about my publisher problem. Suddenly, a name came up in my mind. A company I and my agent had not considered before. They were not “in the box”, not a major literary house. (ie, the publishers who were giving me grief.) I thought, “We should try them. I know their CEO. She and I worked together on some projects. They’re newer and hungrier than the majors.” I called my agent. “I didn’t think of them,” she said, “Because the last time I approached them they only did International Rights and we need to keep US & UK Rights to sell ourselves. But, if you like, I’ll call them and see if they’re interested and if they’d be prepared to modify their stance.” “Please do,” I said. “I think they have a wider market than the others, younger, and they’re hungrier.”
So, she called. The read the MS immediately. (That in itself is a major achievement.) Their Commissioning Editor fell in love with it. She was passionate about it. She drove it through their weekly publishing meeting. She convinced the rest of the company that they had to go with this book!
That was on Tuesday ,December 16. The next day I met with her and we went through the MS. That evening my agent called me and said, “We have a deal.”
So, I want to pay tribute to the learning I experienced with Andrew. What seemed like a simple set of movement exercises resonated right through my body/mind/spirit and shifted some neuronal pathways, gave me more options for being in the world. (I was going to write, “for dealing with the world”, but that was the old mind/body.spirit set of responses. “Dealing with the world” and “Being in the world” are far, far different ways of Being.)
Yeah. Thank you Andrew and thank you Ralph for continuing to set up these moments of grace.
xx
Josephine Emery