(Written in February 2011)
Kevin was a huge help. I told him about the trouble I’d been having with my right leg — tho it was a lot better when I demonstrated the knee down twist. I told him I thought it was the sort of injury that wasn’t helped by stretching. He agreed. Then he talked about the body’s perception — to the body all the space around me is also body. When I go to make a movement I need to be oriented, to sense myself within the space, and then the movement should be drawn out by the space, not initiated by the brain. That results in isolated movement, the arm moving as tho it was not connected to the body. It reminds me of the alternate way — moving the arm from the center of the body. Both images result in integrated movement. Then he had me sit down on a bench, feet on one of those prickly mats, hands holding two posts on the table in front of me. He talked about the importance of opening the front of the spine. Then he pushed in on one vertebra and I allowed the spine to curve inward from that point. When I had gone as far as I could, he would have me push out at that same point until the spine was completely curved the other way. I remember Caryn doing something similar with me in the fold & then cow & cat. When I walked around afterward the spine felt very strong. Finally I lay down on the table and he worked on my neck. Painful but needed.
When I left I felt energized. Driving down I had been having a hard time finding a comfortable position for my head and shoulders, driving back I just pushed forward with my sternum and everything went into place. When I got back Eleanor said my energy looked great.
There was also a moment, early on, I think I was curving my spine out & in at the table, when my head came up Kevin said I was “glowing.” Suddenly I felt myself shrink & tears behind my eyes, and a momentary flash of that kid coming down the ski trail and calling his mom to look. Then I was angry about how that part of me got squashed by Mother.
O gosh I feel so GOOD. Peaceful and relaxed and yet energized.
Kevin Frank is an amazing body worker in Holderness, NH. See his website.