What is the Nowspace?
I like to begin my training sessions by getting out of my head and into my body. I like to call this entering the 'Nowspace' and it is a critical skill not only for success with The Method but the preferred place to be for self-defense.
We use various games and tricks to pull our awareness into our real time feeling state, getting it out of the past and out of the future to focus on feeling what is going on right now. The video below, taken from one of my livestreamed training sessions, begins with entering the Nowspace by linking how various parts of our body feel with the goal of shifting perspective to a point of view from the middle that includes all the parts.
After a few minutes of pulling awareness into the body, we shift to a version of the Earth & Sky exercise that helps focus our awareness on how the flexion & extension of the spine can be used to drive movements in the torso and arms integrated with our lower body movement. Toward the end I give you my take on how to approach training exercises like this that work below the level of technique.
I use the phrase 'Obviation Exercises' to describe what many of these practices are doing.....they help to obviate and aspect or quality we are working to develop in the frame. The first step, of course, is to become aware of that aspect so we can then use that awareness to deepen and/or develop that quality. A simpler way of looking at it is that if you can feel it, you can use it.
Some Key Takeaways on the Nowspace
Here are a few key things to remember about the Nowspace
The Method is an experiential learning process and you must be present in your body for it to work
Spend some time at the beginning of your practice to get into the Nowspace so it becomes a habit and take less and less time & effort to accomplish
Use awareness of your feeling state to not only pay attention to yourself but to feel and be present with the space around you
You can dedicate entire practice sessions to exercises like the one presented in the video and/or use the procedure to finish your training session with some passive standing
More Guided Practice on the Nowspace
In this just over 3 minute clip we go through a few different ways of focusing out attention on how we feel in real time. Click here to watch 'Feeling your way into the Nowspace'
In this two minute clip we use some 'body breathing' to help bring our awareness into the Nowspace. Click here to watch 'Body Breathing into the Nowspace'
In this 7 minute clip we use body awareness to get into our frame for an energizing short training session. Click here to watch 'Gathering into the Nowspace for Clearing & Grounding'
Some Key Takeaways on the Earth & Sky Exercise
We use a number of versions of the Earth & Sky exercise to help with integrating strength because each version helps to 'obviate' certain connections.
Begin by focusing on using the movement of your spine to drive movement in your arms.....resist the urge to use the arms to create the movement.
Next focus on integrating your legs into the movement, slowly extending longer and lower to challenge your comfort zone.
This exercise can be used as a stand alone practice and/or to loosen up after physical activity like hiking or biking.
For a detailed breakdown see my pervious article series on The Earth & Sky Exercise Here