What has yes done for you today?

what has
yes
done for you
today?

has it kept your heart going?
yes!

and your breathing,
 ah
yes
(did you notice, now the breathing
keeps sweeping through
your life?)

and your breathing,

that grand old friend,

so new and fresh each time around,
ah,
the breath,

has it kept your breathing going?

yes

and your smile?
hmm.
well, when you did smile did you
feel good about smiling?

come on, say yes.

and how about saying yes to some no?
huh, like no, I'd rather just sit on this bench
and look at the trees and the sky, then drive
across town to buy something I don't need.

so, that saying no to the rushed life,
is a saying yes to the slow down
and enjoy the trees and the bees and the breeze
and the breathing of you
and the heart of you.

does that make sense?

yes.

and what now,
would you love to say yes
to
and I mean right now,
at this computer screen,
breathing
and having arms and legs and spine
and ribs and pelvis and eyes and ears,
and a room and feet
and fingers
and .....
any of those sound cool sweet kind neat
wonderful
enough to say
yes
to?

sure.
yeah
yes

so, the game is on
if you are

have a yes day night evening morning
and thank yourself for the
kindness of being yes
to the wonderful person

who is you


ciao for
NOW,
Chris

Tango, Dance, Walking, Learning and Love

Most of us learned to walk along the way.

It was hard, easy, fun, amazing.

Mainly, if you think about, or really feel how small the feet are
under such a tall, large thing this body of ours,
you'll see that standing (harder than walking)
and walking (harder than being three or four legged)
are
both almost miracles.

And then, we grow up and want to dance,
and sometimes have fun and then we go to dance classes.

And the teacher, good old teacher, shows the "right way."
Once: we get it or don't.
Okay, the teacher shows it again: we get it or don't.
Then the show the "other" (usually follower) part, once, twice.
People get it or don't.
Put on music and you're on your own.

But every move is right foot, left foot, or some pause with the weight on
one foot or the other.

What if we learned dance as a fancied up walking,
where we get to try by ourselves as the pretend "leader"
a bunch of walking to music variations.
Then we explore, by ourselves, as the pretend "follower",
a bunch of walking to music variations.

Then we pal up, guy and a gal, gal and a gal, guy and a guy, father and a daughter,
mother and a daughter, or son, and so on.

Play around.
Invent some steps.
Learn to float around the floor with the music.


Would this be nice?

I think so.

Come and find out.

Here's the word part of a flyer I have around town on Orcas Island in Washington.

Tango,
Feldenkrais® &
Learning how to Learn
A 4 class series at Odd Fellows Hall
Thursday, 6:15-7:15 PM, June 17- July 8
What if we went about learning Dance (anything)
as a process of discovery,
rather than a determination to “Get it Right?”

Chris Elms is a beginning Tango student and an advanced Practitioner
in the Feldenkrais Method®.

He teaches private lessons to Undo Pain, Relieve Stress,
and Increase Mobility & Skills.

A BABY LEARNS TO CRAWL, NOT BY FOLLOWING ANY RULES, but
by experimenting with hundreds of movements, many of them “mistakes,” then one
day, she puts 30 of them together and crawls, not so show off or accomplish anything,
but to get the toy across the room.

DANCE CAN BE LEARNED AS PLEASURE, EASE, and LISTENING.
Listening to the music, listening to your own body, and listening to your partner’s
ease and movement.

EVERYONE DANCES “LEAD” & FOLLOWER”

IF YOU DON’T LIKE DANCE: come and learn as if walking to music.

IF YOU DO LIKE DANCE: come and treat yourself to a way of learning that
can improve & relax many areas of your life.



That's it.
Let me know, if you are a practitioner,
and want to collaborate on teaching any form of dancing
this way,

or collaborate working with and getting mentored working with,
special needs children.

Chris.