New (Old): Agey Ideas About Knowledge

The idea that we hold a wealth of information 'instinctively' is not completely bonkers. The notion is that words, culture, traumas and other flotsam of civilization get in the way of these stored truths. This notion permeates our mythology, literature, movies…. And yes, there's some science that seems to resonate: there's something compelling about embryology and the way it unfolds an entire organism from near nothing, without anyone teaching it; or about the spinal networks that generate walking and breathing, without consulting the brain.

In my own experience, learning to work with those ~patterns – to pay attention to the more opaque, less wordy parts of my experience – has been useful. This ‘listening’ is an important part of Feldenkrais. But I think if Moshé and I sat down and had a chat about this, we would agree that 'paying attention' – as he barks at people to do so often in his lessons – is only a part of the method. What you innately 'know' is not perfect!