Ease in the Neck and Shoulders
Two mediation themes came up. The first was a reflection on the role of mediator calm in helping to hold the container for the/ with the parties This led to the second theme, the idea of a different paradigm for mediation than the office-y, game-theory infused formal and rational sit-around the table model. In a more restorative mode, might there be permission for a group movement towards a shared relaxation? …Mindful breathing, humming, tone-setting.
Inhabit the Hand
… the most meditative lesson in the repertoire
The first Mediation in Motion class was based on one of the most meditative lessons in the Awareness Through Movement™repertoire, Inhabit the Hand. Here are some thoughts from our mediator discussion:
It feels great!
The ‘bell hand’ is a great way for you, as a mediator, to find your calm place, and it is something you can do under the table when you need it. Very handy.
Reading your parties’ hands (or your own) can be a very interesting complement to reading faces or general posture.
Carie talked a bit about the ‘homunculus’ and the vast amount of the brain that is dedicated to the hands. If you want access to a person’s nervous system, the hands are a wonderful gateway: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/motor-homunculus-model-natural-history-museum-londonscience-photo-library.html See also tons of research here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=hand+massage.
Thinking about inhabiting the hand and inhabiting the rest of the body and how that affects our skills as mediators…
Note: on December 19th the class will be about our second-most-brain-mapped body part, the tongue!