elisedance
Active Member
What a sweet gesture... And maybe his hand will dance better now too 
the quantal shift - good to great and fast?
- Thread starter elisedance
- Start date
katandmouse
Member
Here's why.
I'm RE-reading the Zen Body-Being book and am in Chapter 1. My experience is EXACTLY what he describes. (This truly is a universal knowledge and is available to EVERYONE.) Because he and his wife explain it so much better than I ever could, I'll just quote:
"Your perception of the world around you is not necessarily the same as what is actually occurring...Each bit of sensory information that you gather flows through mental and emotional "filters' that may distort or even suppress the message. The fewer the filters, the more clear the message."
That is why we quiet the mind. We're turning off the filters so that our awareness can see things more accurately.
He goes on...
"How well we can perform physically depends largely on the accuracy and sensitivity of our senses."
"Improvement here is mostly a matter of increasing sensitivity... we command our bodies by creating outgoing motor impulses from which we generate movement. Whether our actions are an appropriate response or a knee-jerk reaction depends on our state of mind."
So being in this state of heightened awareness, or RB dominance, is really best for learning as well as performing.
I wouldn't bother to say this again except that many people jump into these threads in the end and miss the important information in the beginning. But I also believe what I've tried to describe as my RB experience may be different from others' experiences shared here. I hope this adds some clarity.
elisedance
Active Member
I suppose a reply might be that input of information is not sufficient for all actions - and I don't think Ralston means to suggest that. I think what it implies is that the actual conscious (LB) thought that you do can be incredibly focused on your task while maximising not only RB sensory input but also RB-controlled actions.
katandmouse
Member
It might be best to take RB and LB out of that comment. It could be confusing. Reason being, LB and RB are filters like Ralston talks about. So when you say "conscious (LB) thought" it may conjure up in some people something different than you intend. And it may not be LB at all. And this probably applies to every LB and RB comment in this thread, then.
But if I understood you right, I'd say I agree.
elisedance
Active Member
I think the secret is to NOT understand it at all - just let it be...
Boy... this tread has been through a few bumps. I am however glad to see that it seems to have gotten back on track again.
OK, a while back it was asked what was meant with leaving the ego at the door. I mentioned about the ego in my very first post on January 1st 2009. Let me explain it a little more. I will have to explain it a couple of ways. The second will be more in depth so if you don't need to know more then the first part please move on after the first explanation.
We all have preconceived ideas, perceptions, habits, paradigms, memories, pictures, images, pride and fixed ideas that we live with every day. These were programmed into us when we were babies by out parents, grandparents, teachers and other authoritative figures in our lives. What my teacher wanted, was for his students to come into the lessons and practice with a clean, clear and blank slate or open mind, ready to absorb everything and anything that you as a student would be introduced to. He said that if your would come in with a clean, clear and blank slate or open mind even the things you have heard before would appear new and different. With this new and different understanding you would have a change to reach a deeper level of understanding.
Let me go deeper now, if you feel the above was enough explanation then stop reading this post right now and move on to the next post.
In the brain we have a part that is called the Reticular Formation also sometimes called the Reptilian Brain. In this Reptilian Brain there is pictures and/or pictures that is accepted by what is often called the "Judge" or the "Arbitrator" (to make this easier, I will say the "Judge" from now on). This "Judge" will look at every new idea, picture or image you are introducing to it. If it doesn't recognize it from previous ideas, pictures or images it will be rejected and throw out as being not good, not right or even dangerous for you to do. It is the Reptilian Brain function to protect you from danger like if you were facing a wild animal you would turn and run, when falling you would grab hold of what ever you could. The Reptilian Brain has probably saved you several times in your life. It can however also stop or be the hindrance to why you are not able to change and/or improve what you want. The "Judge" will only allow what it knows is safe thereby stopping all new input unless you learn to quit the "Judge" or sneak past the "Judge". There are several well known methods to get past the "Judge".
Let me mentions some of them right here.
1. Esteem fatigue
2. Chock to the system
3. Meditation
4. Hypnosis
5. Making things sound and/or feel extremely simple
6. Repetition
7. A severe blow to the head
I know from both posts and pm that some of you have gotten past the "Judge" by one or more of the above methods. Everybody have to find the way past their "Judge" however they can. I do however not suggest #7 but it is one of the well know ways of getting past the "Judge" so I felt I did have to mention it here.
My teacher understood that the "Judge" would not help you learn new and different things. He also knew that most people didn't have enough understanding to know about the "Judge", he therefore took the liberty and called the "Judge" for EGO. He was trying to make it simple...one of the ways to get past the "Judge". The "Judge" is still there overseeing everything. As you proof to the "Judge" that you are safe even doing this new idea, picture or image, the "Judge" will accept into the file of accepted ideas, pictures and images that it is OK to do. Now you have harmony between the new idea and the "Judge" and therefore are able to keep doing it with not interference other the good advise from the "Judge". One could say you learn to become best friends with your "Judge".
I know this may confuse some of you that are in the RB/LB concept. This is a step deeper. If this last part of the post confused you, go back to the first part read that again and leave it at that. It is better to understand something, then to be confused about everything.
Sorry for another very long post. I do however hope this answers some of the question that has come up by the first post I did back in the beginning.
Dancepro
OK, a while back it was asked what was meant with leaving the ego at the door. I mentioned about the ego in my very first post on January 1st 2009. Let me explain it a little more. I will have to explain it a couple of ways. The second will be more in depth so if you don't need to know more then the first part please move on after the first explanation.
We all have preconceived ideas, perceptions, habits, paradigms, memories, pictures, images, pride and fixed ideas that we live with every day. These were programmed into us when we were babies by out parents, grandparents, teachers and other authoritative figures in our lives. What my teacher wanted, was for his students to come into the lessons and practice with a clean, clear and blank slate or open mind, ready to absorb everything and anything that you as a student would be introduced to. He said that if your would come in with a clean, clear and blank slate or open mind even the things you have heard before would appear new and different. With this new and different understanding you would have a change to reach a deeper level of understanding.
Let me go deeper now, if you feel the above was enough explanation then stop reading this post right now and move on to the next post.
In the brain we have a part that is called the Reticular Formation also sometimes called the Reptilian Brain. In this Reptilian Brain there is pictures and/or pictures that is accepted by what is often called the "Judge" or the "Arbitrator" (to make this easier, I will say the "Judge" from now on). This "Judge" will look at every new idea, picture or image you are introducing to it. If it doesn't recognize it from previous ideas, pictures or images it will be rejected and throw out as being not good, not right or even dangerous for you to do. It is the Reptilian Brain function to protect you from danger like if you were facing a wild animal you would turn and run, when falling you would grab hold of what ever you could. The Reptilian Brain has probably saved you several times in your life. It can however also stop or be the hindrance to why you are not able to change and/or improve what you want. The "Judge" will only allow what it knows is safe thereby stopping all new input unless you learn to quit the "Judge" or sneak past the "Judge". There are several well known methods to get past the "Judge".
Let me mentions some of them right here.
1. Esteem fatigue
2. Chock to the system
3. Meditation
4. Hypnosis
5. Making things sound and/or feel extremely simple
6. Repetition
7. A severe blow to the head
I know from both posts and pm that some of you have gotten past the "Judge" by one or more of the above methods. Everybody have to find the way past their "Judge" however they can. I do however not suggest #7 but it is one of the well know ways of getting past the "Judge" so I felt I did have to mention it here.
My teacher understood that the "Judge" would not help you learn new and different things. He also knew that most people didn't have enough understanding to know about the "Judge", he therefore took the liberty and called the "Judge" for EGO. He was trying to make it simple...one of the ways to get past the "Judge". The "Judge" is still there overseeing everything. As you proof to the "Judge" that you are safe even doing this new idea, picture or image, the "Judge" will accept into the file of accepted ideas, pictures and images that it is OK to do. Now you have harmony between the new idea and the "Judge" and therefore are able to keep doing it with not interference other the good advise from the "Judge". One could say you learn to become best friends with your "Judge".
I know this may confuse some of you that are in the RB/LB concept. This is a step deeper. If this last part of the post confused you, go back to the first part read that again and leave it at that. It is better to understand something, then to be confused about everything.
Sorry for another very long post. I do however hope this answers some of the question that has come up by the first post I did back in the beginning.
Dancepro
So, if I can distill this excellent post: for me to make the quantum leap into better dancing, it will help me to keep a child's mind, and learn to respect the snap decisions of my reptilian brain, integrate what's useful, and discard what's not.
Sounds like a plan. And I don't mean that facetiously. I would prefer to quiet the judge without extreme fatigue, or a severe blow to the head, but I know that fatigue and shock are sometimes very useful tools. I just don't *like* them. I have tried meditation, hypnosis, simplicity, and repetition; some work better for me, some not so well, some are essential.
Thank you for this post. It has clarified some things for me.
My teacher would sometimes keep us up for hours (until an hour or two before dawn) and then expect us to be there for his first lesson of the day. I didn't like it at all. I like my 6-8 hours of sleep. I must however admit, I did make some big leaps when he insisted on that. Severe blow to the head....well..I was knocked unconscious one time in a competition, it must however not have been severe enough as I don't remember learning anything other then that, you get a severe headache and very sensitive to light. Chock was one that my teacher would use with the students he really cared about...and I was "lucky" to be one of them. I must amid I didn't like it at the time but today I am really grateful for the chocks. People that are trained in NLP, uses chock in their way of lecturing and teaching.
Just a little suggestion...you might have to trick the "Judge" from time to time by using different methods to get past the judgment.
I am glad it was helpful to you. All the best with your plan.
Dancepro
Excellent post Dancepro! Now I need to get my Reptillian brain to "shut up and dance!".
This explains an interesting method my current coach used once. Now I realize that all he did was either "shock" or "trick" the Judge. Before I even realized the lesson had started, when we were doing our introductory chit chat, he went, "here try this, just for fun. Walk like *this* and do *that* at the end". At this point, I had no clue what dance we were doing, or whether we were dancing at all. We joke around a fair amount, so I wasn't sure if he was just messing around or not. So I did EXACTLY what he showed me without any effort as it was really easy and straightforward. He didn't include any rise and fall or any elements that would give away what he was showing me. After I did it, he goes, "there you go: that's the perfect lead and body position for your fallaway slip pivot! Now do that same thing with your fallaway slip pivot and if you do anything else I'll smack you over the head". Next time I did a fall away slip pivot, I realized that I'm no longer turning within myself. I was also leading my partner into it without any complaints. Then he went, "that will also work for all your left turns". True to his statement, my partner's constant complaints about my left turns ceased for good. That's when I remembered that in the previous lesson, where I had asked him a question about my fallaway slip pivot, he spent a good part of the lesson trying to get it past my thick skull how easy it was. Since I was in "dance mode", he just couldn't get through at the time.
This explains an interesting method my current coach used once. Now I realize that all he did was either "shock" or "trick" the Judge. Before I even realized the lesson had started, when we were doing our introductory chit chat, he went, "here try this, just for fun. Walk like *this* and do *that* at the end". At this point, I had no clue what dance we were doing, or whether we were dancing at all. We joke around a fair amount, so I wasn't sure if he was just messing around or not. So I did EXACTLY what he showed me without any effort as it was really easy and straightforward. He didn't include any rise and fall or any elements that would give away what he was showing me. After I did it, he goes, "there you go: that's the perfect lead and body position for your fallaway slip pivot! Now do that same thing with your fallaway slip pivot and if you do anything else I'll smack you over the head". Next time I did a fall away slip pivot, I realized that I'm no longer turning within myself. I was also leading my partner into it without any complaints. Then he went, "that will also work for all your left turns". True to his statement, my partner's constant complaints about my left turns ceased for good. That's when I remembered that in the previous lesson, where I had asked him a question about my fallaway slip pivot, he spent a good part of the lesson trying to get it past my thick skull how easy it was. Since I was in "dance mode", he just couldn't get through at the time.
Angel HI
Well-Known Member
Sounds like every lesson when my dancers are stressing about what to do, and I say, "Just walk".
! So here I am feeling like I'm reinventing the wheel from scratch when it's already been said and done .
Better make it 2........
This sounds so much like something my teacher would do -- and exactly how he would phrase it, too! He once threatened to hit me over the head with a chair if I couldn't just let go and dance. I was just at the beginning of learning cha cha, and I was stiff as a board, couldn't really move. Steps were there, but no life in them. So, he being the fantastically intuitive teacher that he is, put some completely different music on (disco, maybe?) and told me to just move. And he and I wiggled around the room, and he was right; I was able to let go, and then we went on to cha cha, and things have improved since then.
I have often wanted to get him a small chair, like from a dollhouse, to keep in the studio, so he can hit me over the head with it at will.
I also find laughter will quiet the judge, so I try to find something to laugh about early in a lesson, and things flow more smoothly from there (hope you caught the pun? "smooth"-ly oh nevermind)