Dissolving the Pipes
I have just returned from a touching and inspiring weekend
of teaching Continuum in Barcelona. The first thing we noticed as we approached
the seminar venue was a sign next door for “Tecnica
de Fluidos.” I was told this was a company that made pipes.
I mentioned this coincidence while opening the workshop, and
heard myself comparing our intention in Continuum to that of the Tecnica de Fluidos company. They were
constructing new pipes, structures to contain water. We were dissolving the
pipes within us. This became a theme for the weekend.
Constructing and
De-Constructing
Throughout our lives, we develop psychic and physical
structures designed to enable us to function in the context in which we find
ourselves. The workshop last weekend was called, Embodying Embryology. As
little embryos, we begin as one relatively simple egg cell, the largest human cell
there is. Its size is due to an unusually large store of cytoplasm, or fluid. Embryologist
Jaap van der Waal points out that the ovum is the polar opposite of the sperm
with which it unites. The sperm is a particularly tiny cell as it has let go of
as much fluid as possible. Its small size enables it to travel easily and
quickly to the relatively passive egg awaiting its arrival.
After conception, the egg pauses, as if to digest and
integrate the powerful experience of fusion. Then, cell division begins. At
first, all cells produced are the same. Then they begin to differentiate,
ultimately becoming very different kinds of cells: liver cells, skin cells,
muscle cells, etc. Development involves continued differentiation and
specialization. This occurs in part due to the natural unfolding of human
destiny, as deep biodynamic forces operate to create the human form. Our formation
is also influenced by other conditional forces. While the biodynamic forces are
the same for all of us and available throughout life, the unique conditions of
our lives change. Once we have formed in response to a condition, however, we may
remain in that form even if it is no longer appropriate for our current
condition.
An important concept in Continuum is that we can offer our
tissues a different context within which to form themselves. Instead of
continuing to form in relation to our past traumas and other life stories, we
can melt or de-construct old forms and re-form in relation to the current
context. The breaths, sounds and movements of Continuum, as well as our awareness,
offer a new set of conditions. Within this new environment, something different
from our old patterns can happen.
Fluid Resilience
Another enlightening synchronicity occurred on my trip home.
My train once back in England was delayed due to flooding on the line. The
threat of drought seemed to have passed. Now, the train crept carefully through
the extremely fluid environment of lakes that were once fields. Trees rose up
eerily from the waters. I was reminded of the importance of fluid resilience. If
those trees and other plants in the field hold onto their usual habits, they
will die in the flood. If they can adjust, they will survive. Our train also
had to alter its usual style of movement to meet the current, wet context. Like
the egg preparing to grow a full human body, it paused as rail staff considered
the options. At first, they told us to disembark from the train and that an
alternate mode of travel by coach would be provided. Moments later, they
changed their minds, responding to the apparently rapidly changing conditions.
They announced that the line appeared to by drying up and we could continue slowly.
In Continuum, slowing down enables us to develop alternate
movement strategies and perhaps new neural pathways to go with them. If we move
too quickly, we operate on automatic and cannot shift to accommodate the
conditions we encounter. Emilie Conrad, founder of Continuum, speaks eloquently
of the need for rapid adaptability and resilience in a quickly changing world,
where resources we are accustomed to, such as food and clean water and air, are
diminishing.
As we slow down in Continuum, we establish a different
context in which to form ourselves. We dissolve, or de-construct, our old
structures, making it possible to re-form differently. The more fluid we
become, the more resilient and responsive we are. We also seem to be fed and
nourished from a different source.
Conrad also discusses the gel-sol qualities of the
connective tissues in our bodies. Our tissues are
designed to shift state as needed. If an emergency arises, we must be able to
coalesce and run out the door, or away from the saber tooth tiger. Once the emergency
has passed, we are designed to relax, shake out the sympathetic fight flight surge,
and return to a more fluid sol state. In our speedy sympathetically driven modern
culture, we tend to stay in more of a gel state, regardless of need. Being sped
up and dense becomes a habit. Our bodyminds suffer as a consequence. We need to
be able to rest, relax and let go, to return to a sol state, where we can be nourished
and be ready to re-form to meet life as it arises. We need to take time to
dissolve the pipes!
