To be Myself

This passage from Clarice Lispector’s A Breath of Life feels especially relevant to the discoveries you’ve been making in class. Many of you have noticed how much more effort it takes to move when you freeze parts of yourself, or when you clench your jaw just to lift a leg. Feldenkrais called this parasitic effort—the unnecessary work that sneaks into our actions and makes everything harder than it needs to be.

My dear friend Ursula expands this idea to include the wasted emotional effort we bring to situations, particularly those we can’t control. I’ve found her framing incredibly helpful, and I offer it to you in case it resonates.

Together, we’ll continue to notice and release the effort that drains us, and refine the effort that truly supports our movement and our lives.