March 2024

24 Mar

The Confounding Magic of Tommy Thompson’s Lessons

by Jeremy Chance

I love Tommy – he’s a great man.

But man, was it hard to sit through his recent workshops!

21 Mar

Japanese Earthquakes

by Jeremy Chance

When my 10th-floor Tokyo apartment sways from side to side, my Japanese friends told me not to worry too much.

Oh, nice.

But then they said:

19 Mar

Devastating News – Or Is It?

by Jeremy Chance

“I don’t want the person to go out thinking about their anatomy—they want to go out thinking about their sense of possibility.”

Tommy Thompson, Zen BodyChance Pro Session, March 17th, 2024.

***

When Tommy said that, I thought to my Self:

14 Mar

Tommy Thompson – “Alexander Was a Monologuist”

by Jeremy Chance

Today, I am with Tommy Thompson at Zen BodyChance in Tokyo.

Tommy manages to combine cranial nerves with identity, cerebral spinal flow with the sap of a tree, a gun with redemption and the atlanto-axial joint with meditation. It’s a dazzling display of ideas and experiences. He’s here till the following Monday.

https://www.bodymindspiritresearchlab.com/workshops/775

10 Mar

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Friday

by Jeremy Chance

I intended to write 20 blogs – Monday to Friday – for four weeks, but then on Wednesday, as I finished writing about Shoko’s lesson, a little voice said to me:

“That’s it. You’re done.”

Since then, I’ve been experiencing some guilt – did I abandon my promise? Is it dishonourable of me?

06 Mar

Down-Dog Asana with Shoko

by Jeremy Chance

Shoko was a trainee at BodyChance.

In the video below, she asks how to manage her back pain while doing a down-dog, followed by a salutation to the sun…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSYyLryues0

05 Mar

Recruitment – Part II

by Jeremy Chance

As I write, the duelling duo of Balance (PSS) & Movement (VMS) are meeting in the recruitment centres of your Central Nervous System (CNS), algorithmically determining who gets to authorise which muscle fibres, and how many, during the next micro-second. Yes, microsecond by microsecond, this process is happening within your CNS and every muscle in your voluntary system.

04 Mar

Would You Invite Your Dog to Alexander?

by Jeremy Chance

Alexander teachers can work with animals.

Years ago, I began to think like this:

“If Alexander really did discover a fundamental movement principle, then it must be an evolutionary process stretching back a long time. Therefore, my Alexander touch should influence non-human recipients.”

01 Mar

Recruitment Part I – What Is It?

by Jeremy Chance

“Strengthening your core” is quite a common movement practice.

I wrote previously about a problem when using voluntary exercises to improve postural core strength. You are not hard-wired to work this way. The ability is there as a backup. You could say it is a secondary or redundant system – meaning it’s there, it works, but your primary design for strengthening your core is quite different.