Tap Into Truth

January 12, 2023

Ever since I read, “The body is a sacred garment. It’s your first and last garment. It’s what you enter life in and what you depart life with, and it should be treated with honor,” I’ve been intrigued with Martha Graham, the famous American dancer/choreographer (and the author of the quote).

I just learned that Martha Graham created not just dances, but also her very own, very specific, body conditioning method. I’d describe it as an equipment-less, flow-y mat Pilates mixed with slow spirally dance. Here are three key principles (that I’m head-over-heels about and totally in agreement with):

  1. MOVEMENT BEGINS WITH AWARENESS  
    I’ve called it “mind/body connection” but awareness or presence are great words too. Are you aware of how you move? How you carry yourself? Do you “see” the nuances of your own body? Are you giving your body and its movement your full attention? 
  2. THE TORSO IS THE CENTER OF ALL MOVEMENT thus, it always comes back to the spine. Martha said, “Arms attach to the back because they were once wings.” Joseph Pilates gave the spine a biblical term, calling it the “tree of life.” All great workouts help the back get stronger and more supple. They also make spine health the star of the show! 
  3. EVERY MOVEMENT IS A PLAY BETWEEN CONTRACTION/RELEASE...even the breath. I call it stretch & strength or flexion & extension. The yoga world uses yin & yang. Isaac Newton called it action & reaction. Martha called it contraction & release. Embrace the paradox for it’s the truest of dances, making the body ebb and flow, and shuck and jive. 

(Martha Graham, you were spot on about it all, BTW, the body really is a sacred garment…and it really should be treated with honor. What a life! What a legacy! Oh, do I wish I met you!)

Pilates, yoga, tai chi, barre, and the Graham Technique, they all make sense, and while these modalities have their differences, isn’t in interesting that there are no conflicts? I think it’s because they all tap into truth. 💕