Shona's Response to Chapter 3

[Anonymous]

#579

One particular moment during the composing process is eloquently characterized as the “wordless space” inside the writer (51). This immediately evokes the imagery of potential rather than immanence. I related strongly with the concept of rhythm in this chapter and it seems a continuation in a way, of the notion of recursiveness in writing discussed in “Understanding Composing”.

Here, rather than the circular rhythm of returning back to a previous step, word or idea, the pace is set by the capacity for “pregnant pause” (51), silence, waiting, and the process of patience for a productive step forward again. The rhythm of stillness is a powerful notion in learning one’s embodied knowledge. Accessing felt sense, or bodily cognition it would seem, occurs in part during the process of re-tuning one’s rhythm, such that stillness, silence, the (…) of wordless spaces may become known. To me, apprehending rhythm is helpful in orienting the body’s role in writing; the progression of writing aligns with the processual nature of the human body, its selfhood, and therefore the natural world: sunrise/sunset, inhalation/exhalation, movement/stillness, wordless space/words to come.

The rhythm of patience reminds me of a comparable notion involved in my pedagogical training in the Pilates method, termed “Present Time Consciousness.” This concept is explicit in meaning but in practice requires keen adjustment in the rhythm of cognition, both physically/bodily and intellectually. To be present in one’s body, moment by moment, requires a high level of concentration. Rather than fleeting moments of awareness in one’s body and therefore self, one is asked to exhibit immense control over the rhythm of action and work into a frequency predicated upon patience. The rhythm of patience which leads to greater quality of execution, function, progression and experience takes a great level of present time consciousness.

An unmistakable ease of movement may be discovered through present time consciousness in mindful somatic practice. This reminds me of the “bodily orienting sense” (53), described as a gateway toward ascending the scaffolding of meaningful writing. When we access our felt sense, when we “recognize a kind of bodily rightness; we know when our words originate from felt sense – and when they don’t” (59). The wordless space may be filled with ideas that bloom more effortlessly from an internal awareness of their origin and meaning.

I find my thinking about embodied knowing to be quite well aligned with felt sense, from what I have learned thus far. And, so, I want to pose a question from somewhat of an opposing standpoint which I have come up against (in other academic disciplines) in my postulating on bodily cognition. I ask these two questions because I have tried to find an effective way of addressing this view:

a) What is the response to the contention that (aside from the confines of language), even the physical body is a socially constructed “thing” (and therefore, can never be felt authentically, as it is always already written upon)?

b) What is the response to the idea that speaking of felt sense in one’s body is “making an assumption” that the body one is in is the one they wish to be in?

I put quotes next to wording that has been posed to me in other academic disciplines. I am curious to know how others would respond to these questions?

[Sondra Perl]

#591

Shona, you ask:

a) What is the response to the contention that (aside from the confines of language), even the physical body is a socially constructed “thing” (and therefore, can never be felt authentically, as it is always already written upon)?

b) What is the response to the idea that speaking of felt sense in one’s body is “making an assumption” that the body one is in is the one they wish to be in?

In regard to a, Gene would ask you to focus deeply on that question and see if it rings true to you. He would also ask “where did the thing theory come from? How did it emerge? Someone had to create it freshly — from where?” He would also say they are wrong. Read over my attempt in Chapter 3 to explain why.

In regard to b, I would ask, ‘Is it?’ Can’t one speak from the discomfort of being in one’s body? It’s about paying attention to what is there, inchoately, and allowing words to come to express that….

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