At some point when working with someone, I’ll inevitably smile and say, “Yep, I’m just a one-trick pony!”
This can be both confusing and enlightening. Confusing—because the mind often expects a multiplicity of answers for the variety and complexity of movement problems. Enlightening—because it reveals that, in essence, I’m always doing the same thing.
The hard part is explaining what this “one trick” actually is. I usually don’t try… until now.
When we work together, we are learning not to react to movement, but instead to redirect our energy. If we think in terms of Shape (in the trio of Shape, Connectivity, and Integration), the body appears to have an infinite number of ways to organize itself. The body and mind are beautifully complex, producing such variety in activity that we could easily get lost trying to create a separate rule for every situation.
If we “upgrade” our attention to Connectivity—the relationships between various parts—we begin to notice recurring patterns. One shoulder relates to the opposite hip in a certain predictable way, just as the head relates to the hips. The number of possible connectivities in the body is limitless. It’s truly a wonder.
Then we notice something else: certain relationships—especially those that are naturally antagonistic—actually favor integration in movement. These can be seen in the body’s double-spiral musculature, whether in symmetry or asymmetry.
As movers, we are endlessly creative in answering the questions movement poses—every time we move, we are answering them anew. If we remember that the relationships between various connections often work in antagonism, we are essentially applying the One-Trick Pony Rule.
I didn’t invent this. Frederick Matthias Alexander called it the Universal Constant in Living.
Integral Movement Research Center 