Monthly Archives: July 2015

Seeing Strange: The Horse With No Eyes

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Notre Dame Cathedral, Vieux Port, Montreal

Notre Dame Cathedral, Vieux Port, Montreal

I’m waiting for a friend in Place d’Armes, the plaza in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal’s Vieux Port.

A great place to wait! So much to enjoy!

Narrow cobbled streets, the imposing cathedral, the surrounding historic buildings (which include Montreal’s oldest building: Saint Sulpice Seminary dating from 1687), a guitarist and singer performing under a shady tree, tourists…and of course, the calèches – the horse-drawn carriages festooned with flowers or feathers.

calèche opposite Saint Sulpice Seminary, Vieux Port, Montreal

Three young kids break away from their parents as they catch sight of the queue of calèches, shrieking with delight. They run across the plaza towards the horses, eyes shining, arms open.

Halfway across, the smallest, a boy, freezes, a terrified look on his face. Continue reading →

Waiting: A Writing Lesson From A Samurai Bullfrog

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bullfrog

I should be writing. Instead I’m sitting at the water’s edge of the pond, watching an enormous bullfrog.

IMG_8963

He (she?) is sitting there, immobile. He’s waiting. Like me.

Except he’s waiting for insects and I’m waiting for ideas about how to end the story I’m working on. It’s a little story and I’ve spent far too much time on it, but I can’t seem to let it go.

“Better times come to those who wait.” So they say. Not necessarily. It depends on how you wait!

I’ve never been good at waiting. Usually I get too impatient and try push things ahead – which is when something inevitably goes wrong, whether I’m writing or trying to change a hotel room because I don’t like being next to the ice machine. I take the story somewhere it really doesn’t want to go and find myself blocked; I end up in a room with a brick wall two inches from the window.

But there’s waiting…and waiting.

What about active Continue reading →

Need Some Relief for Neck and Shoulder Pain?

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Once again I’m having problems with a sore neck and shoulder.

I know this is because I sit at a computer for long hours. I also know it’s because I haven’t worked out the correct ergonomic alignment for my body with my desk and chair. Neither is adjustable so I’m always adding and taking away blocks, books, cushions, Pilates cushions, and back supports. (And I carry around bags that are far too heavy!)

Waking up in real pain this morning, I chose a Feldenkrais lesson podcast* at random. I just wanted to focus on something other than the soreness.

“Covering the Eyes” a short lesson given by Stewart Hamblin of the Feldenkrais Guild UK, turned out to be a real gift.

The movements are minimal so you don’t need much space other than a spot where you can lie on the floor.

I don’t want to describe the lesson in detail as that might take away from the immediacy of the experience, but I will say that the first set of instruction for ‘covering the eyes’ turned out to be quite an – ahem – eye opener!

The directions for the eye movements were very specific and detailed, and the usual ho-hum ‘look right’ and ‘look left’ evolved into a completely new experience. These segued into other eye movements I hadn’t done before – the effect on my eye muscles and my neck muscles was quite extraordinary.

If you’re suffering from sore or tired eyes, or from any tension in the neck or jaw, or in fact any tension, do try the lesson. It takes about half an hour, but I’d suggest giving yourself time for a little contemplative break afterwards to take in and enjoy the full effect and sensation of release.

For those of you who do the lesson, I’m very curious to know how you found it. Could you let me know in the Comments Box below?

* Feldenkrais lesson podcasts are available free on iTunes: Feldenkrais Guild UK on alonetone

You might also like to take a look at 4 Causes of Neck and Shoulder Pain