When I was preparing my MFA thesis in dance, part of the inspiration and research for the work I created was about a concept that was just picking up energy and excitement: Mirror neurons. When we are observing another person move, that person's movement is firing our neurons. On a fundamental level this is a deeply sympathetic experience, one that brings human beings into a profound social relationship. This body speak - one human form silently passing information to another - is an incredible process, and feeds into our ability to learn, relate, empathize and dream with others. This is the precious and sacred experience of being human.
I have been teaching online for several weeks now, and I am coming into a deeper understanding of this disembodied form. While grateful for the opportunity to continue to connect, it has made me reflect again upon our current time and crisis.
Teaching embodiment practices that are fundamentally about how we fully inhabit the physical form with our mental, emotional and energetic bodies is not easily taught in the virtual space. I am actually not even sure it is fully possible, save by a few great beings who are able to transcend the space time continuum.
This is because when we practice in groups together, we are speaking body to body, energy system to energy system. We begin the process of bypassing the intellect, which in particular in our western culture is so dominant, and we allow for the deeper intelligences of the somatic experience to move to the forefront- the intuitive body based image space. As a teacher, my nervous system is intaking all of the nervous systems of the students in my class, and vice versa. We are literally weaving a web together, a net of shared somatic consciousness that can only truly happen in each other’s presence. This is the foundation of embodiment.
Watching someone move about on a dark screen is a pale comparison to the profound experience of being in someone’s presence. It highlights our culture of isolation even more, how community has fallen completely away, and how we live increasingly lonely lives, underscored by the social isolation that we are now expected to completely adhere to.
What is the larger impact of this disembodied life? How much is this culture willing to sacrifice at the altar of some notion of safety? To live life only in the virtual realm, especially for children, is a bleak and lonely reality. Children, the little ones in particular, absolutely need social interaction, physical play and touch to develop basic skills. These are questions I believe to be incredibly important for us to ponder as our culture descends further and further into a fear-based isolationist model and mind state.
Biodiversity is the basis of health, life and vitality itself, and in order to experience that diversity we must mix, mingle and share with one another. What is the value of holding hands, a dance, an embrace? What is the value of this human life?