Let us read, and let us dance; These two amusements will never do harm to the world.
~ Voltaire
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Amusements →
The Structurist →
Sometimes I have a āthread of interestā that I simply know I will never have the time to do anything with. Instead of simply Ģ\_(ć)_/ Ģing and letting it go, Iām sharing this here so I can feel like I did something with it.
The what now? Oh, this periodical…
https://artsandscience.usask.ca/structurist/
…but the links on that page itself are broken. More searching did lead me to find at least some issues in U Sask.’s online store. But they are not cheap. (If they were single-dollars-each, I might just buy them all.)
They are available on ABE Books…
https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/structurist/
Open questions I had:
Does anyone within the sound of my voice have any issues?
Anyone have any commentary about the periodical at large?
Does anyoneās closest library have any of them?
Is anyone near the University of Saskatchewan?
…have a contact there?
…or any in-real-life means of getting more information?
And also, why arenāt the contents of these online? They seem to be culturally significant.
É
Play with Nick Anastasia →
What motivates and shapes the approaches and philosophies of movement practitioners in how they train, coach, and engage with spaces?
Designing obstacles and spaces inspires exploration and unique physical expression.
It’s just a more, sort of complicated way of, hanging out with your friends and playing with blocks when you’re a little kid.
~ Nick Anastasia (21:10)
The conversation explores the philosophy and practice of movement through structured play, improvisation, and coaching. Nick reflects on his evolution from exploring movement instinctively to intentionally designing spaces and challenges that inspire others. By creating unique and engaging setups, he aims to foster creativity and adaptability in movement.
Topics include the contrast between indoor and outdoor training spaces, with built environments offering dense opportunities for creativity and flow, while outdoor environments encourage exploration and adaptability. Improvisation plays a crucial role, with games and unstructured activities helping practitioners engage with their surroundings in new ways. Coaching philosophies emphasize introspection and learning, not just for the student but also for the instructor.
(more…)Illusion →
The self, the place where we live, is a place of illusion. Goodness is connected with the attempt to see the unselfā¦ to pierce the veil of selfish consciousness and join the world as it really is.
~ Erwin Schrƶdinger
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Dopamine →
Iāve put forward a physiological hypothesis to explain the psychological Opponent Process theory, which I call the Receptor Control Theory. In essence, our pleasure set point or baseline āhappinessā is determined by the density and sensitivity of dopamine receptors in the brain (and elsewhere). In this view, obesity and addiction result from a process of ādopamine resistanceā, whereby receptor down-regulation impairs satisfaction and drives cravings. Conversely, high receptor density and sensitivity promote satisfaction and dampen cravings.
~ Todd Becker from, Retraining the limbic brain to overcome obesity and addiction
Phone use might rise to the level of a literal addiction. Its use can certainly cause dopamine release, which is a strong motivator that plays a role in addiction. I used to think that wasnāt trueā¦ That my phone didn’t cause dopamine releaseā¦ That my phone wasn’t causing manipulation of my motivationsā¦ then I tried to put my phone down for an entire day.
And then I set about separating using my phone as a toolāwhich I can do a lot without it being addictiveāfrom my phoneās use of me as a tool.
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MaryBeth Gangemi: Environment, ‘Natural Movement’, and Breathing →
What are the key insights into natural movement, breathing, and how they connect to overall well-being?
MaryBeth Gangemiās experience as a social worker has had a profound affect on how she approaches her movement practice and working with clients. She shares her own movement journey, from city to country side. MaryBeth discusses the importance of environment, breathing, and play on our ability to move well and ānaturally.ā She unpacks her thoughts on the connections between social work and movement, as well as creating spaces accessible to all.
So you could say, is walking natural movement? [ā¦] But what if you’re walking with your head down looking at your phone, with your mouth open breathing heavy, is that? [ā¦] If we want to focus on return to nature type of idea [ā¦] how about like, really walk with posture up and look where you’re going and look around and see what’s ahead of you? [ā¦] Just not letting all of it pass you by.
~ MaryBeth Gangemi (39:34)
MaryBeth Gangemi is a breath, strength, and natural movement coach, in addition to being a wife and mother. She has certifications in many different areas, including MovNat, Kettlebells, Original Strength, and Buteyko Breathing Method. MaryBeth owns and runs Kairos Strong, where she teaches students to develop quality movement to support all areas of their life.
The conversation explores the profound relationship between natural movement, breathing, and overall well-being. Topics include the importance of posture, awareness, and incorporating nature into daily practices to foster mindfulness. Breathing techniques, such as the control pause, are discussed as vital tools for improving health and managing stress.
Thereās an emphasis on rediscovering play, curiosity, and sensory experiences, like walking barefoot or engaging with different textures in the environment. The dialogue also examines the role of environment in shaping movement habits and encourages listeners to explore new activities when their current routines become monotonous or unfulfilling.
(more…)Sculpting →
The sculptor must paint with his chisel: Half his touches are not to realize, but to put power into, the form. They are touches of light and shadow, and raise a ridge, or sink a hollow, not to represent an actual ridge or hollow, but to get a line of ight, or a spot of darkness.
~ John Ruskin
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A tiny commitment →
To suddenly āgo mindfulā and try to be present all the time is about as easy as running a marathon when youāve never even run around the block. Since most of us are not present the vast majority of the time, occasional stabs at ābeing in the momentā are quickly overrun by the colossal momentum of a lifetime of being lost in thought.
~ David Cain from, How to Make Mindfulness a Habit With Only a Tiny Commitment
Thereās much worth reading on David Cainās Raptitude website. For example, his How to walk across a parking lot, is one of the greatest things Iāve ever read. But the piece Iāve quoted from above stands out as a terrific āhow to…ā for working on mindfulness.
Iāve been actively working on first self-awareness, then self-assesment and finally mindfulness, for many years. (And writing about my journey as I’ve done so.) But mindfulness is still something that comes and goes for me.
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Rewriting →
Rewriting [is] very painful. You know it’s finished when you can’t do anything more to it, though it’s never exactly the way you want itā¦ The hardest thing in the world is simplicity. And the most fearful thing, too. You have to strip yourself of all your disguises, some of which you didn’t know you had. You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone. That is the goal.
~ James Baldwin
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Not in a vacuum →
It can be easy to look at great geniuses like Newton and imagine that their ideas and work came solely out of their minds, that they spun it from their own thoughtsāthat they were true originals. But that is rarely the case.
~ Shane Parrish from, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
There’s a perennial discussion around creativity that gets described various ways: “Steal like an artist.” “Repurpose what’s been done before.” “Creating new from the old.” I like Parrish’s point, (in the article but not the quote above,) that “geniuses” first mastered the best that others had to offer. Then they go onward and farther to create something new.
If the only thing someone has ever done is sample and remix others’ workā¦ meh. But if someone has mastered some fieldāart, math, music, whateverāand then recombines and extends, (or pares down or transmogrifies)ā¦ then, ok. My distinction feels very close to the, No true Scotsman, logic fallacy, and yet I think it’s a useful distinction.
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