“Art is the literacy of the heart”  --Elliot Eisner

In my writing, I often take personal experiences to help relate to others, offer insights and most important, establish connections I would not otherwise have consciously designed. With all of the intellectual work that goes into writing, formulating coherent thoughts and aiming to connect with one’s audience, I had rarely stopped to take the time to focus on the rest of my Self – the body, the spirit – that connects our thoughts to actions. Only recently, after much thought about how to approach my life differently, did I tap into the need to engage beyond the mind for insights and clues to a more integrated way of being.

My ongoing movement and body work practice with the Studio Anya community have crystallized, for me, the blaring importance of movement – both big and small - for improvement of the healthy mind, for clarity of thought and for me, true alignment to what we think we want and what we actually need. The feeling of tightness in my hands after a long day of writing or the curious pull of strained energy in my left leg could be a result of a long day of sitting. That would have been my original conclusion a year ago.

Now, with the insights from my movement and energy work, I consider other possibilities. Maybe these body signals are curious clues into a different way to express my art that I may not have considered. Perhaps I need more space, a more aligned way to sit when I write, which will inspire new forms of creative energy and thought. Perhaps my body is signaling that there’s an opportunity to be more fluid, less strict, in the methods through I express my art?  These are the questions I’m currently having fun with.

For me, these are the ongoing playful questions to help inform a healthier life design, of gathering clues, of considering the heart’s alignment with a more colorful personal truth.

Written by Laura Cococcia
Body Banter