Flossing and Feldenkrais: One Good Habit Can Change Everything
Not only does flossing do the obvious and maintain the health of my gums, but it also is one of those habits that reinforces the power of good self-care. For many years I knew I should floss my teeth, but I didn’t.
And it was discouraging that for some reason I just couldn’t manage to cultivate this healthy habit which I knew would save me from unnecessary pain and expense down the road. The dentist told me. My father told me (he’d learned the hard way). I told myself. One day I confided to my psychotherapist that when I started flossing my teeth, my whole life would change. It sounded kinda crazy, but I knew it was true!
One day it finally happened. I flossed. And then the next day I flossed. And the next. And I’ve pretty much been flossing since. Did my life change? Yes, it did. And I’m not sure which came first, the flossing or the self-discipline, but when it finally happened, several good habits fell into place. My confidence increased. My self-acceptance increased. My gums stopped bleeding 🙂 My yoga practice became more regular. I achieved a whole new level of self-love and self-care.
Flossing was a simple, ordinary thing. The basic practicality of it appealed to me. Being special had been important in my home and it had created too much pressure for me. I longed to be ordinary, enjoy ordinary pleasures and feel easy with other people. Flossing was my practical spirituality.
So where does Feldenkrais come in? Over the years, I’ve had many back issues and tried many healing modalities including tai chi, cranio-sacral therapy, yoga, Alexander technique, rolfing, Trager, and Feldenkrais, to name a few. I loved them all, and Feldenkrais was particularly delicious because listening to my body was really all I was asked to do.
Frania Zins, the brilliant Feldenkrais practitioner who treated me, taught me that running my tongue around each of my teeth slowly and thoroughly would release my spine. It was extraordinary. I would lie on her table and while I waited for her to begin, I would trace my teeth with my tongue and feel my vertebrae lengthen as my back muscles released and relaxed.
As my back improved, I happily returned to my busy life and forgot all about Feldenkrais. Until I added oral irrigation to my dental hygiene. One day I went for my cleaning and the oral hygienist was fresh out of school and full of enthusiasm! I got a big smile and a dose of love while she cleaned my teeth. We passionately discussed oral hygiene, since I had learned long ago that it was crucial for me and rarely did I have the opportunity to relish my personal advances with someone so interested.
As we talked she recommended a little-known product called “Shower Floss” that I could get at the local Ace store. She said it was really a waterpick that you attach to a shower head and then you could spray and splash to your heart’s content without spattering your bathroom mirror!
I ran out and got me some “Shower Floss” and to my surprise, as I ran the water carefully around each and every tooth, front and back, I felt my back completely relaxing and elongating. Never was dental care so fully pleasurable. Flossing had actually led me to a form of “WaKrais” (I just stole that from “Watsu” which is water shiatsu–worth another essay 🙂 ). Now I actually look forward to “flossing”! My back is thanking me every day.
What does flossing and Feldenkrais have to do with A Course in Miracles and “How to Use the Body While You Think It’s You”? Combining those two had to be God-given. What an unlikely pair. And how perfectly they fit together. Only my willingness to take guidance from the Holy Spirit could result in such unexpected delight. As God’s Messenger, it is my purpose for the body is to be a clear channel for receiving and transmitting His miracles. The miracle always heals the receiver first and then emanates through her. Try it yourself and let me know what happens for you!
* If you liked this essay, you may enjoy others in my ongoing series, How to Use the Body While You Think It’s You.
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Cultivating your relationship with the Holy Spirit is the simplest, most natural thing in the world. It is the most satisfying relationship you will ever have, and it will result in all your human relationships improving immensely. Though it may seem elusive, this relationship is right here, right now. The key to making contact with the Holy Spirit is letting go of the ego self, or what the Course calls, “undoing,” “unlearning” and “forgiveness.”
2. Tune In. Once you’ve stated your willingness to yourself and the Holy Spirit, consciously choose to tune in. Just as you would adjust the dial on a radio to get clear reception, do the same in your own mind. Focus your attention on the memory of God within you–it is there. The Course calls this memory the Holy Spirit. Draw your attention to something within you that Knows. This can happen quickly–in a holy instant. Trust that your intention is enough to help you tune in, even if it feels like nothing happened.
Throughout the day, I often find that lengthening up my spine creates space between my vertebrae, which invites my head to align over my shoulders (rather than poking forward) and results in the crown of my head tingling. This tingling is a receptive feeling which naturally leads to connection with the Holy Spirit. Tingling is my kinesthetic equivalent to what other people call, “seeing energy or auras.” I feel energy.
Again, for me, at times this has been physical. Doing the Sufi turn, like the whirling dervishes do, has unwound me many times. But if this seems too esoteric, remember as little kids most of us spun around recklessly until, giggling and dizzy, we collapsed on the ground. Don’t rule out anything as a spiritual practice. I’ve also often had the experience of speaking or writing something that was beyond me … the minute the words came out, it was clear they contained wisdom that was not little Amy’s.
Most people have trouble with this until they get the hang of it. It is a fear/control issue. One way to sidestep the fear is to gaze out into the distance and “trance.” This is also something we all did as children. Let your eyes de-focus. Allow the world to grow blurry and recede … there is Something Else in your mind … let it appear. Now listen. Open your mind and receive what is already yours. Receive the Love, Peace and Joy that is always within you. Just for a moment, release control by suspending all judgment. The ongoing Beingness which you already are will arise naturally.
There was a time in my life when I was separated from someone I loved because he had to do military duty in Iraq.
The inner voice patiently explained, “Turn your ‘miss list’ into a ‘wish list.’” My hands understood before I did. Some speedy typing ensued and a second list now read like this:
we use this technique of translation we learn to soothe ourselves and maintain connection with our loved ones, no matter where they are. A Course in Miracles tells us, “Nothing you can do can change Eternal Love.”
Here are some tantalizing quotes about the body from A Course in Miracles:
Q: I’ve heard that the Course is against meditation. Is that true?
A: The Course is not against meditation. Sometimes people misunderstand the passage where Jesus says, “Nor is a lifetime of contemplation and long periods of meditation aimed at detachment from the body necessary.” Taken out of context, that sentence might seem to be against meditation.