This exercise develops movement techniques.
Play upbeat music of the team's choice. Have the group
begin walking at their own pace around the perimeter of the room, without
interacting with each other. Switch directions. Now, have them walk in slow
motion, paying close attention to the way that their muscles are working, and
the positioning of their bodies. The body should always be in the motion, never
stopped. Return to the normal pace and then have them interact with one another
without ever stopping.
Explain and demonstrate the five centers of the body: the
head, the chest, the stomach, the pelvis, and the butt. Talk about how each
person has a center that they prefer moving with, but that we all use multiple
centers depending on the circumstance. Do runway-walking to music and have the
group identify each person¹s center. Or, have groups of two runway walk
exemplifying a particular center. Then allow the group to assess what they saw.
Each individual should get to experiment with each center for a moment.
This exercise can be made more tangible if the
facilitator explains how we walk and how we center ourselves depends on the
circumstances that we are in. For example, if your teacher is yelling at you,
you movement is different than if you are walking down the street at night. The
group could talk about and demonstrate how oppression effects their physical
bodies, etc.
Additional
Information:
While the five centers in the body are defined slightly
in a different matter by various theories and spiritual systems, they all
pointing their location pretty close, partially reproducing the chakra
locations:
ü
Intellectual center, located within the brain:
processing of thought; reasoning, logic
emotional center, located in the solar plexus and in the
specific nervous centers of the grand sympathetic nervous system: feelings.
ü
Motor center or the center of movement, located
in the upper part of the dorsal spine: activities of movement, habits, actions
of the physical body.
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Instinctual center, located in the lower part of
the dorsal spine: root impulses and functions of the organism that are not
conscious: digestion, survival instinct, etc.
ü
Sexual center, located in the genital organs:
the root power of creation, reproduction, growth, and much more
Each brain or center is a machine that utilizes and
transforms specific types of energy. When utilized consciously and
intelligently, they harmonize and elevate the human being. Yet, when abused or
misused, great disequilibrium, suffering, illness, and even death can result.
