On touch
Touch has been in the background of my attention recently.
All over the news has been this story of Yo-Yo Ma who gave an impromptu performance after receiving his second vaccine in Pittsfield. How does music relate to touch? Last summer in an interview, he said:
"Our skin is our largest organ, and how much we respond to touch — during covid, that has been taken away from us. You can’t touch, you can’t hug, you can’t shake hands. But what music does, its sound moves air molecules. So when air floats across your skin and touches the hairs of your skin, that’s touch. That’s the closest thing to actually someone touching you. It’s as if you were miniaturized and you’re in the middle of a lake. But that lake is a bowl, and you’re in that bowl and that vessel is holding you. That’s what music can do.”
There is this concept of 'touch hunger' (also called 'skin hunger' or 'touch deprivation') that acknowledges the serious effects on our mental and physical health when we go without social touch for extended periods of times.
"During the Covid-19 pandemic, a time in which we need more than ever to relax, reduce stress and boost our immune system, it seems ironic that we should be deprived of hugging in order to protect our health." - Agnese Reginaldo, Losing Touch
This short video from the BBC contains an overview of the how touch effects childhood development, bonding amongst primates, and improvement in mood. It also covers the effects of being deprived of touch and how we've all been learning not to touch during quarantine. (That feeling when you're watching a movie and the actors touch and you have a visceral reaction that they should not be doing that!)
The video from the BBC also asks the question: How will we relate to social touch after the pandemic?
Something we can all do now is work with ourselves using our own touch wisdom.
In the upcoming series, we will focus on exporing lessons that guide gentle do-it-yourself touch for your wellbeing. We will be working with the face, the arms, the breathing, and more. I will also teach lessons for releasing the jaw which has been my other recent interest.
Check it out-
Experiential learning with Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons from the comfort of your home over zoom
Thursday April 1st 6pm EST + Sunday April 4th 5pm EST
Ready to register for the full ten week series?