[Music]
I developed a stammer an asthma when I
was nine years old and by the time I was
ten I could barely string a sentence
together I was tied up in knots inside
and I used a lot of energy to hide them
over the years I have developed the
capacity to be able to communicate with
groups of people in meaningful and
stirring ways so I stand here now with
both my love of using words to
communicate and the horror of stammering
it’s a vulnerable choice it occurred to
me as I prepared for this talk that
maybe my stammer hadn’t formed my
fascination and intrigued with the
physical body and what it says and
doesn’t say I’d like you to consider
with me
the value and importance of moving
towards and underneath the emotional
nuances and the subtle messages of what
is attempting to be communicated through
our bodies to me there is an immense
untapped and unvalued wisdom right here
in our fingertips in our elbows in our
ribs in our knees wherever that
knowledge is a pathway to health because
there is a vast rich world occurring
right here inside of me and inside of
each of you I am interested very
interested in fact in the relationship
between this internal landscape and the
health of our planet
this internal landscape and the external
state of the world and how embodied
movement that is movement with
mindfulness and with presence and with
conscious emotional intelligence can
support not just an increased personal
sense of well-being but also a radiant
planet one of the huge benefits that I
received from my speech therapy was an
induction into the usefulness and
importance of of conscious breathing so
why don’t we take a moment just now to
pause shift in your seats a little bit
make some space for what the breath
loves to do which is to leave and enter
and leave and enter while you’re
listening to me you probably have your
own thoughts and feelings going on about
what I’m saying particularly if you have
a speech impediment or if you know
somebody who does
pausing gives us a moment to connect and
to digest
my stammer no longer haunts me it is
still one of my great teachers I now
know that when my stammer shows up it is
a physical manifestation of something
occurring underneath an indication that
there is some emotion or anxiety that is
most likely outside of my comfort zone
and I imagine that many of you will have
a similar experience to that it might
manifest in a different way sometimes
it’s not easy figuring out what’s going
on knowing what’s going on is risky
business it might require that I make
some changes in my personal life in my
lifestyle in my working situation
staying numb or keeping myself none the
wiser sometimes seems like the smartest
way to go I know that when I’m having
trouble speaking literally or in
whatever way my equilibrium might be
disturbed
that the most efficient and effective
way for me to find out what’s going on
is to actually let go of words when I
allow my attention to open to what wants
to be articulated without speech rather
with gesture with permission to expand
that gesture into the physical space
around me I know that I’m at my most
honest my most congruent my most
authentic when instead of trying hard
not to stammer
which takes so much effort I engage with
it something that I’ve tried to suppress
becomes almost enjoyable so much more
than just my stammer is actually
liberated you might wonder why do I care
so much about this the percentage of non
diagnosable and the untreatable
illnesses is on the rise the crisis of
physical health is accompanied by a
surge in mental health issues especially
amongst young people in 2009 there was a
report in the British Medical Journal of
a 55% possibility of significant
psychological distress by the age of 15
for young people in Scotland and that
was eight years ago in The Guardian
article this year quoting data from the
Higher Education Statistics Agency it
was revealed that between 2009 10 and
2014 15 the number of students who left
university early due to experiencing
mental health problems increased by 210
percent as a mother of a 25 year old and
a 19 year old I can assure you I care
and while our physical mental and
emotional health is suffering our planet
is suffering too and I believe these two
things are linked there’s an endless
list of environmental catastrophes in
the news almost every day at the moment
I’m not here to speak about climate
change from a scientific point of view
that’s not my skill set I do believe
it’s happening so what is the link well
we live in a society that is left brain
dot that is left brain dominant we’re
rational thought is valued over
intuition daily life especially in
cities but with the World Wide Web
actually anywhere consists of a
bombardment of sensory stimulation from
morning tonight there is ample
opportunity and even encouragement to
escape rather than pay attention to what
is occurring on our doorsteps embodied
movement accesses and intelligence that
emerges from the right brain and in so
doing contradicts the norm that has been
allocated to us by a left brain
orientated way of thinking and valuing
especially true of Western civilization
and I’m going to repeat that embodied
movement accesses and intelligence that
emerges from the right brain and in so
doing contradicts the norm that has been
allocated to us by a left brain
orientated way of thinking and valuing
especially true in Western civilization
our bodies are an untapped
unutilized resource like a treasure
chest of information admittedly
sometimes it might feel like opening
Pandora’s box when you go to the
doctor’s you’re asked about your
symptoms most commonly the prescription
that is given is to remove the symptom
rather than address the cause in my
worldview the physical body is only one
dimension that I take into account I
operate from the premise that everything
is connected assuming that we are
multifaceted beings then the vast array
of influences on our health are being
massively underestimated if we can
expand our consciousness to include
rather than exclude then the
possibilities for health and healing
expand exponentially we live in a world
that is saturated with words time and
again across the planet I have people
say to me how grateful they are on dance
floors to have the opportunity to
connect with themselves and with each
other without words it seems like it’s a
risk worth taking
pausing in the midst of the mayhem of
daily life opening attention to the
subtle worlds within becomes a creative
gateway for visible expression which
contradicts cultural oppression bet you
never thought of movement like that so
I’m inviting you to join me now in this
contradiction of cultural oppression so
if you would take a moment if you’re
holding on to anything put it down and
just just let your eyes turn towards
your hands wherever you’re sitting and
if you’re watching this at home as well
somewhere then just look at your hands
your attention might go to the skin to
the bones
to the muscle to your nails to your
knuckles you might become aware of the
sensation the texture are they dry of a
sweaty like mine
what do you notice when you give your
attention to your hands do they scrunch
up do they want to stretch out like if
you were to let your hands do whatever
they want to do right now what would
they do anything that they wanted to do
right now that is pleasurable within
this reamer
[Laughter]
so as you give your attention to your
hands just speed it up a little bit just
make it a little bit faster add a little
bit more breath oh that feels so good
even from over here and then slow it
down a little bit and now if you will
just turn to somebody next to you they
might be behind you it’s okay if it’s
two or three people and just take a
moment to show each other your hands and
have a little conversation without words
without words it’s hard to let go of the
words I notice says the dance teacher in
me what do your hands want to say how do
they want to touch what did they have to
communicate without words and then
return your attention back to your own
hands
thanking whoever that you were just
playing with and then can you return
your attention back to me please
and I’m wondering if you can feel a
shift in the room there’s a bit more
joyfulness a bit more ease it seems to
me utilizing the power of our bodies as
an instrument for expression can result
in us feeling more empowered it becomes
more obvious what choices support health
and invariably a healthier me
equates with a healthier us and a
healthier us is a healthier earth when I
honor the wisdom of my body an
inherently feminine choice as far as I’m
concerned regardless of gender I’m
choosing to respect my internal value
system distinct from my inherited value
systems all those that have been pushed
upon me for example by the media as a
woman each time I choose to listen to my
body and say yes to the freely available
internal wisdom and innate knowledge of
how to stay well I’m taking a stand not
just for my well-being not just for my
physical mental and emotional health but
for the planet as well to me there is no
separation
we can choose to identify I know what
it’s like to feel parched I’m sure you
know what it’s like to feel ripped apart
to be flooded with thoughts with
feelings with sensations when I consider
my body’s needs when we consider our
body’s needs we are implicitly attuned
to the earth when I take the time to
connect engage and Express I risk
caring
and in caring I liberate myself from the
self-imposed niceties that I swallowed
as a child all the societal pressures
that I’ve grown up with we have agency
over our bodies
however shy however awkward
however bold or juiced up this is free
speech thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
I developed a stammer an asthma when I
was nine years old and by the time I was
ten I could barely string a sentence
together I was tied up in knots inside
and I used a lot of energy to hide them
over the years I have developed the
capacity to be able to communicate with
groups of people in meaningful and
stirring ways so I stand here now with
both my love of using words to
communicate and the horror of stammering
it’s a vulnerable choice it occurred to
me as I prepared for this talk that
maybe my stammer hadn’t formed my
fascination and intrigued with the
physical body and what it says and
doesn’t say I’d like you to consider
with me
the value and importance of moving
towards and underneath the emotional
nuances and the subtle messages of what
is attempting to be communicated through
our bodies to me there is an immense
untapped and unvalued wisdom right here
in our fingertips in our elbows in our
ribs in our knees wherever that
knowledge is a pathway to health because
there is a vast rich world occurring
right here inside of me and inside of
each of you I am interested very
interested in fact in the relationship
between this internal landscape and the
health of our planet
this internal landscape and the external
state of the world and how embodied
movement that is movement with
mindfulness and with presence and with
conscious emotional intelligence can
support not just an increased personal
sense of well-being but also a radiant
planet one of the huge benefits that I
received from my speech therapy was an
induction into the usefulness and
importance of of conscious breathing so
why don’t we take a moment just now to
pause shift in your seats a little bit
make some space for what the breath
loves to do which is to leave and enter
and leave and enter while you’re
listening to me you probably have your
own thoughts and feelings going on about
what I’m saying particularly if you have
a speech impediment or if you know
somebody who does
pausing gives us a moment to connect and
to digest
my stammer no longer haunts me it is
still one of my great teachers I now
know that when my stammer shows up it is
a physical manifestation of something
occurring underneath an indication that
there is some emotion or anxiety that is
most likely outside of my comfort zone
and I imagine that many of you will have
a similar experience to that it might
manifest in a different way sometimes
it’s not easy figuring out what’s going
on knowing what’s going on is risky
business it might require that I make
some changes in my personal life in my
lifestyle in my working situation
staying numb or keeping myself none the
wiser sometimes seems like the smartest
way to go I know that when I’m having
trouble speaking literally or in
whatever way my equilibrium might be
disturbed
that the most efficient and effective
way for me to find out what’s going on
is to actually let go of words when I
allow my attention to open to what wants
to be articulated without speech rather
with gesture with permission to expand
that gesture into the physical space
around me I know that I’m at my most
honest my most congruent my most
authentic when instead of trying hard
not to stammer
which takes so much effort I engage with
it something that I’ve tried to suppress
becomes almost enjoyable so much more
than just my stammer is actually
liberated you might wonder why do I care
so much about this the percentage of non
diagnosable and the untreatable
illnesses is on the rise the crisis of
physical health is accompanied by a
surge in mental health issues especially
amongst young people in 2009 there was a
report in the British Medical Journal of
a 55% possibility of significant
psychological distress by the age of 15
for young people in Scotland and that
was eight years ago in The Guardian
article this year quoting data from the
Higher Education Statistics Agency it
was revealed that between 2009 10 and
2014 15 the number of students who left
university early due to experiencing
mental health problems increased by 210
percent as a mother of a 25 year old and
a 19 year old I can assure you I care
and while our physical mental and
emotional health is suffering our planet
is suffering too and I believe these two
things are linked there’s an endless
list of environmental catastrophes in
the news almost every day at the moment
I’m not here to speak about climate
change from a scientific point of view
that’s not my skill set I do believe
it’s happening so what is the link well
we live in a society that is left brain
dot that is left brain dominant we’re
rational thought is valued over
intuition daily life especially in
cities but with the World Wide Web
actually anywhere consists of a
bombardment of sensory stimulation from
morning tonight there is ample
opportunity and even encouragement to
escape rather than pay attention to what
is occurring on our doorsteps embodied
movement accesses and intelligence that
emerges from the right brain and in so
doing contradicts the norm that has been
allocated to us by a left brain
orientated way of thinking and valuing
especially true of Western civilization
and I’m going to repeat that embodied
movement accesses and intelligence that
emerges from the right brain and in so
doing contradicts the norm that has been
allocated to us by a left brain
orientated way of thinking and valuing
especially true in Western civilization
our bodies are an untapped
unutilized resource like a treasure
chest of information admittedly
sometimes it might feel like opening
Pandora’s box when you go to the
doctor’s you’re asked about your
symptoms most commonly the prescription
that is given is to remove the symptom
rather than address the cause in my
worldview the physical body is only one
dimension that I take into account I
operate from the premise that everything
is connected assuming that we are
multifaceted beings then the vast array
of influences on our health are being
massively underestimated if we can
expand our consciousness to include
rather than exclude then the
possibilities for health and healing
expand exponentially we live in a world
that is saturated with words time and
again across the planet I have people
say to me how grateful they are on dance
floors to have the opportunity to
connect with themselves and with each
other without words it seems like it’s a
risk worth taking
pausing in the midst of the mayhem of
daily life opening attention to the
subtle worlds within becomes a creative
gateway for visible expression which
contradicts cultural oppression bet you
never thought of movement like that so
I’m inviting you to join me now in this
contradiction of cultural oppression so
if you would take a moment if you’re
holding on to anything put it down and
just just let your eyes turn towards
your hands wherever you’re sitting and
if you’re watching this at home as well
somewhere then just look at your hands
your attention might go to the skin to
the bones
to the muscle to your nails to your
knuckles you might become aware of the
sensation the texture are they dry of a
sweaty like mine
what do you notice when you give your
attention to your hands do they scrunch
up do they want to stretch out like if
you were to let your hands do whatever
they want to do right now what would
they do anything that they wanted to do
right now that is pleasurable within
this reamer
[Laughter]
so as you give your attention to your
hands just speed it up a little bit just
make it a little bit faster add a little
bit more breath oh that feels so good
even from over here and then slow it
down a little bit and now if you will
just turn to somebody next to you they
might be behind you it’s okay if it’s
two or three people and just take a
moment to show each other your hands and
have a little conversation without words
without words it’s hard to let go of the
words I notice says the dance teacher in
me what do your hands want to say how do
they want to touch what did they have to
communicate without words and then
return your attention back to your own
hands
thanking whoever that you were just
playing with and then can you return
your attention back to me please
and I’m wondering if you can feel a
shift in the room there’s a bit more
joyfulness a bit more ease it seems to
me utilizing the power of our bodies as
an instrument for expression can result
in us feeling more empowered it becomes
more obvious what choices support health
and invariably a healthier me
equates with a healthier us and a
healthier us is a healthier earth when I
honor the wisdom of my body an
inherently feminine choice as far as I’m
concerned regardless of gender I’m
choosing to respect my internal value
system distinct from my inherited value
systems all those that have been pushed
upon me for example by the media as a
woman each time I choose to listen to my
body and say yes to the freely available
internal wisdom and innate knowledge of
how to stay well I’m taking a stand not
just for my well-being not just for my
physical mental and emotional health but
for the planet as well to me there is no
separation
we can choose to identify I know what
it’s like to feel parched I’m sure you
know what it’s like to feel ripped apart
to be flooded with thoughts with
feelings with sensations when I consider
my body’s needs when we consider our
body’s needs we are implicitly attuned
to the earth when I take the time to
connect engage and Express I risk
caring
and in caring I liberate myself from the
self-imposed niceties that I swallowed
as a child all the societal pressures
that I’ve grown up with we have agency
over our bodies
however shy however awkward
however bold or juiced up this is free
speech thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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