The Head as a Balloon
The magic of ideokinesis; the use of imagery to create fluidity in the body.
The body is the puppet on a string walking through a fashion show of our unconscious landscapes. The subtle influence of unconscious thoughts can be seen with eyes that are trained to see.
From head to toe.
Head and neck.
Arms and shoulders and hands.
The spine.
Ribcage.
Abdomen.
Pelvis.
Legs and feet.
All these body parts communicate to us how they feel about the world.
The world being us.
The way we talk to ourselves is how we speak to our bodies.
Let’s travel to Mabel Todd’s imagination, the founder of “Ideokinesis”, who wrote the book “The Thinking Body”.
The doctors saw her as a hopeless case in the early 1900s.
She was paralyzed.
All she could do was to use her imagination.
And travel to far and near galaxies through her active imagining.
She eventually taught herself how to walk again, with better coordination than before the paralyzation!
Doctors surprised. Butt burnt.
Her imagination planted the seeds for many other people who needed healing.
They came to her and she helped them remember how to use the fuel hidden within.
Eventually, the “Ideokinesis” became a somatic education tool for dancers and health professionals.
Ideo = thought in Greek, just like the word “idea”!
Kinesis = movement as you might know it from the words “kinesiology” and/or “kinetic energy”.
Every image we think of is a potential healing symbol for our body.
Imagine that your head is a balloon.
Lengthening behind the neck.
Pulled upward towards the sky.
The string of this balloon is attached to the top of your spine, pretty much on the same line as your nose.
Invite the feeling of floatation.
Imagine yourself getting lighter while gently pushing your shoulders down.
You can even give your head slight traction by pulling the sides of your skull back and up with your palms, super gently.
Let this balloon be stacked on top of your spine.
As your head flies, tuck your chin slightly.
Voilà!
You just created a pathway between your mind and neck through your imagination.