NOTE: This was originally published as part of my newsletter in October 2024. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive the next Om Letter direct to your inbox once a month.

This letter is intended as a little declaration of love and appreciation for my two pals Cheryl and Darren. Over the past four years, while completing our Feldenkrais practitioner training together, we’ve simply been known as ‘the three naughty kids at the back.’ Much to the dismay of some of our teaching staff and fellow trainees we’ve had many a laughing fit during lessons where the rest of the old gymnasium was perfectly quiet and made daft jokes during serious group discussions.

People within the Feldenkrais Method are quite interested in Jungian psychology so much ado is made of our ‘self-image’ and how this is shaped by our ability to move in different ways. I would say that being a ‘naughty kid’ was firmly not in my self-image before this training.
Allow me to illustrate this by giving you an example: I was once sent to detention by a substitute teacher and when I showed up there my maths teacher (who was in charge of detention that day) sent me away immediately, because he simply did not believe that I was capable of doing anything untoward.

Even when I went to art school - the most unstructured and lawless part of any university building - I latched on to yoga at the same time, but not just any yoga. I joined one of the most regimented lineages there is: Mysore Ashtanga. Doing the primary series of postures for 90 minutes every day at 6.30am, except on full moons. Did I forget to mention that I have never been a morning person?
So to be thought of as a ‘naughty kid’ or a ‘bad student’ was uncomfortable to say the least. And yet… I somehow couldn’t stop myself. Having co-conspirators certainly helped things along nicely, but at some point something shifted in my so-called self-image. I started to think of myself less as a naughty kid and more as simply being a bit mischievous.

Being mischievous involves figuring out exactly what you might just get away with and taking a chance. It requires an element of creative thinking and playfulness as you find possibilities that were not offered in the original instructions. It’s almost as if finding ways of injecting fun into a serious learning environment might actually be conducive to said learning.
This is substantiated by Dr. Karyn Purvis’ research, which found that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, unless this is done through play, in which case it only takes 10 to 20 repetitions.

Our gray matter (the essential brain tissue that forms the foundation of all mental functioning and determines how well we interact with the world around us) faces a steady decline as we age. The two factors known to increase our gray matter (regardless of our age) are movement and learning new skills. Both of these factors create new neural connections and increase the plasticity of our brain. So to learn new movements in a playful way truly is the be-all and end-all of our cognitive functioning.

Of course, an idea from tantric philosophy comes to my mind: the term leela, is commonly translated as a form of ‘divine play’ that serves no purpose other than to experience pure joy or bliss. So if scientific reasoning doesn’t entice you then maybe you could embrace a daily sense of mischievous curiosity simply for the hell of it.

See you on the testing ground (think, yoga mat) soon mes amis.

With love,

OM x

Thought for October

“A creative life is any life where consistently, routinely, habitually, and constantly you choose the path of curiosity over the path of fear. We live in a passion-fetishising society where people are often given this misleading advice ‘follow your passion,’ which is all well and good if you happen to have one. Here’s what you can always access: your curiosity. Passion is the lightning in a bottle, but every single day you can be curious.”

- Elizabeth Gilbert

October Playlist

A joyous mix of musical influences to keep you dancing through the rainy day

LISTEN HERE

Featured Flow

WATCH HERE

October 2024 | Wayward

Thought for October

October Playlist

Featured Flow

September 2024 | Intercept