Hi, I’m Faye, welcome! Here at SPINE, I share my philosophy and practice of movement as a playful path to personal empowerment.
Subscribe for free to enjoy essays, poetry, and occasional movement snacks. Or, join the community with a paid membership for access to twice weekly movement practices, plus seasonal workshop series to support you in embodying your unique purpose and passion.
I’d love to move with you!
Did you know every movement you make as a human being creates a circle or an arc? Even if you are drawing a straight line in the air? Even if you are walking on a balance beam?
Makes sense, right? Life is not linear. And our bodies, the ultimate metaphor, in my opinion anyway, reflect that. To walk in a straight line, our bodies are making a series of arcs. To do anything - to move a finger, an arm, a leg; to smile or frown or raise an eyebrow - it’s all curved motion. Curved as the planets orbiting the sun, the spiraling of galaxies, the process of the spider weaving its web.
The ancient Greek word choreo-sophia meant the knowledge or wisdom of circles, which were believed to have magical powers. I believe that, too.
The prefix, ‘Choreo’ referred to dance, especially dance of any circling motion, as of the stars.
If you ask me, there are only a handful of shapes, patterns, pathways, and concepts you need to embody to open up the world of movement and its potential to become a transformative force in your life. Circles are a wonderful place to begin. Creating circles with our bodies opens our awareness to the range of motion available in our joints, which is a fundamental factor in our sense of both freedom and stability. But don’t trust me, try it for yourself!
In today’s practice, we’re going to make some magic circles of our own.
•••••••••
After you move, you might like to pause and contemplate this:
The tension between freedom and stability (stability could also be thought of as discipline) creates one of the core polarities of life. What is your experience of this tension? Do you feel a balance between the two poles? Are you stuck towards one end? What’s one thing you could do today to start to shift the balance?
I’d love to hear what you come up with in the comments!
xx Faye
The Magic of Circles and a Contemplation on Freedom and Stability