• I help people fully inhabit their bodies and guide teachers to do the same • Get access to exclusive videos, articles and teachings from Domini Anne
Free Your Spine, and the Rest Will Follow
|
There are these moments of glorious inspiration when it’s not that we are creating something of our own design, but the Universe is working through us to bring its own creation into existence. I envision our creative source to be some form of glorious protozoic mess. Somewhere between a smashed lava lamp, a sunrise, and the tenacious bacterial reproduction that insists its existence within our bath towels. My Sewing Studio floor resembles all three . In my role as a movement teacher, I'm organized. I categorize my thoughts, clearly share my strategy, and provide detailed progressions for my students. But as an artist, those lines dissolve completely. When I'm creating, the process becomes a sacred space where materials assemble beneath my hands through a force beyond my control. During this immersion, emotions that were trapped in my body are able to move through, and the original agitation is washed away, revealing an inner layer of clarity. I don’t know exactly how this sacred process happens, but I know that this experience is shared. The reason that Art and Movement are equated with passion, with the divine, and more practically, used as therapy. In the past 5 years, I've transitioned from equally splitting my professional life between sewing and teaching movement. While editing my videos and the immersion into creative writing that my newsletters allow me has largely filled my artistic needs, every so often, I'm called back to the sewing machine, and magic happens. This week, that magic manifested in a special way. My Dad has a big birthday today. One of those milestone birthdays where no arbitrary gift would do. Inspired by the First Nations printed quilting fabric he'd given me for Christmas, I hit the cutting table and spent an evening creating the bedcover of his dreams. The process was everything you could imagine, and the next morning, I woke up feeling 20 years younger. It’s amazing what creativity can do for your soul. Some people make quilts according to a strict formula. Mesmerizing geometric patterns, perfectly organized and hand stitched. Hundreds of hours in the making. Others ( like me) approach the process more organically, like the stonemason constructing a fireplace out of randomly sized slabs, somehow creating order out of absolute chaos. One could easily say this applies to life as well. We can try to keep it organized, structured and categorized, or we can allow it to build and bloom as it sees fit, and do what we can to nurture the process. These examples are not absolutes, it’s a spectrum. We all fit somewhere along the line. Not all of the seams match, sometimes a decision is a guess, and more often than not, our mistakes become the spicy accents that define the entire narrative. This philosophy of embracing both structure and chaos, in movement and in art, is what I aim to share with my students. This week, I have two videos for you that embody this idea: the quilt I made for my Dad's birthday (Happy Birthday, Bui, if you're reading it here first!) and a beautiful alignment sequence for your spine, ( using a foam roller and a yoga block) that will open your heart, shoulders, and neck while strengthening your hips, abdominals, and legs. I'm also thrilled to announce that I've scheduled some upcoming classes: a 2-hour Online Gyrotonic Intensive on May 18 (Progression 7 on the Ultima XS) and a 4-Class Series on the LifePro, "Good Vibes for All," from July 8-11. I hope you'll share this joy of movement with me. This week, I encourage you to unleash your creative force, whether through writing, dancing, writhing, or painting pictures in the sand. Give the Universe a chance to move through you and take the dusty version of yourself out with it. Happy Sunday, Reader Domini Anne |
Domini Anne
• I help people fully inhabit their bodies and guide teachers to do the same • Get access to exclusive videos, articles and teachings from Domini Anne
If you’ve ever worked with me, you’ve met my two assistants. Whether we’re teaching an online class or giving an in-person private session, Zoolander and Big Blue are always ready to help. They announce every arrival, demonstrate proper stretching techniques, and offer warmth and grounding for clients during bodywork sessions on the Galileo. Zoolander, the older and wiser of the two, is more subdued. Before Big Blue arrived on the scene, he would warm up for his day by taking small naps....
Reader You know how it gets at the end of every project, every long journey, every course… Our brains are full, our bodies are tired, and our focus narrows to the finish line. As a result, the advanced exercises taught in those last stages often become the most challenging to retain let alone teach with confidence. On average, we retain less than 50% of what we learn in any given situation, with the exact percentage varying based on factors like our learning style and the amount of rest we...
"When One teaches, Two learn." ~ Robert Heinlein This sentiment perfectly encapsulates one of the most rewarding aspects of my job – the opportunity to learn and grow alongside my students. Creatively designing routines that are as easy to understand as they are effective is an infinite source of inspiration and delight. Each person has their own unique set of needs, background, and physical abilities, and often a solution that I've created for one will show up in different ways throughout...