Request for Q&A Column in The Vital Force

What Would You Like To See In The Vital Force? A Request/Recommendation

“I would like to see a Q & A column in The Vital Force.

I have learned a lot from different people about how to teach students different movements. Take Around The Platter. I can describe it as a round platter, or the face of a clock looking up at me, or a record with a needle attached to the base of my palm while I travel around the grooves. There are so many creative teachers out there; I think it would be interesting to get input from some.

It’s like learning tennis or golf. One instructor can try to help you, then another words it differently, and one says exactly what clicks to allow you to execute it correctly. I try all sorts of verbiage when teaching to maybe hit just the right note with each student.

Anyway, you’d have to start with just questions … maybe 4. And at the next issue, print answers that are not in Justin’s books or tapes … different approaches to certain movements while staying within the principles. Then at the end of the column, add questions for everyone to ponder for the next issue, and so on.

For instance, I have had one student for two years who executes everything beautifully, but she cannot get her hands and fingers to relax. So, for two years I’ve said, “Soften your hands.” She immediately softens, and within a few minutes, she’s back to tense hands and fingers. She’s soft everywhere else. I wonder if someone out there would have another approach that has proved successful.

Also, I have an 85-year-old student who fell over two years ago and has developed dementia. I learned through experimentation what clicks with her. When she first came to class, she was hunched over a walker, then she progressed to a cane, and now (even with snow and salt on the ground) she often walks in with her caregiver. She recently had a three-pound mass removed from her stomach, and I didn’t expect to see her for a while. But her doctor told her to go back to class the same week as her surgery. So I wonder if there is even more I can do to keep her progress going. Maybe someone out there has ideas.

Just a thought … I look forward to each issue, but was thinking of something a little different.” – Dee Burton, Orland Park, Illinois