Happy Spring, everyone! Israel is starting to bloom and there is a particularly fragrant tree outside of my apartment. It makes a welcome change from the usual smells of Tel Aviv.
Improvisation is the theme of today's post, I hope that you enjoy it!
Last week, my improvisation class had our final showcase performance to mark the end of our two months of working together. I had so much fun and was sad to see the end of the workshop. But yesterday, I was able to attend another workshop given by a visiting improv-er from Belgium, which was 3-hours of "intense fun."
One of the goals of the workshop was to quiet our inner-dialogues of self-criticism and to trust and follow our physical impulses. One of our first exercises was to walk around the room and every time that we met somebody, we had to look them in the eye and say, "Everything that you do today is good and I trust you 100%" (then they would answer you with the same thing). At first, it felt awkward and forced, but by the end of the exercise, I actually believed what I was saying to people, and vice versa.
We always talk about "yes, and..." in improv, which is the concept of accepting and building off of whatever your improv partner has offered you. By agreeing with whatever word, idea, movement or object your partner has offered, then you are able to continue and build on your scene. Without "yes, and...," you might block a scene from building and make it difficult for your collaborator(s) to understand what is happening in the scene.
Our teacher Uri always reminds us that "yes, and..." can just as easily apply in our daily lives. I have begun to realize that it's not just saying "yes, and..." to those around you, but also saying "yes, and..." to yourself.
Yesterday, I started this month's "Warrior Program" with my friends at Ekhart Yoga. The class was a "circle of Warriors," so we were moving around the mat nearly constantly. As I was resting in a Child Pose, I started to feel pains in my back and my mind started racing with thoughts again: "What if I tire myself out too much with this Warrior class and I don't have energy for the improv workshop? What if I don't pack enough food and I get a headache and dehydrated and get sick? What if I don't know anybody there? What if I can't "perform" as well with new people as I did with my improv class? What if I can't think of anything to say when it's my turn to speak?"
I started to think, "You're being silly, everything is going to be fine," and then I realized that it was my old friend fear speaking these thoughts. I realized that if I just dismissed the thoughts that it wasn't actually dealing with the fear. So I said to myself, "You're right, it is scary. We don't know what's going to happen, and we won't find out unless we go to the workshop." I "yes, and"-ed myself.
My yoga instructors often say that if we are able to truly
relax and accept so-called "negative" emotions, then
we can come out "on the other side of them." For instance, we can come into strength from vulnerability.
Yesterday, for the first time, I felt that I really experienced
this.When I was there experiencing fear, I had so many
possibilities of what to do next. I might have stopped my yoga practice because I was afraid of becoming too tired, or I might not have gone to the improv workshop at all and chosen to stay at home where it was safe and warm and where there was food. Or I might have forced myself to go on to the workshop despite my fears and then "choked up" later when the pressure of performing arose.
After I had acknowledged my fears, I was able to finish the yoga class despite its challenges. I followed up with some more Grinberg exercises to ground my legs, went to the workshop, had a fabulous time, volunteered and participated in the performance afterwards, went out after the show with mostly strangers, and walked 2 miles home with energy to spare. If that's not a true expression of a warrior, then I don't know what is!
Because our workshop yesterday was so focused on not judging what we or others were saying or doing (or thinking), I worried less about what was "right or wrong" and trusted myself more. I spent a lot of time focusing on keeping my legs grounded and my arms relaxed and wouldn't you know it? They knew how to move all by themselves! When I needed to speak, words and sounds came out.
Last night was especially fun because I quite literally got to see how my life might have panned out in a parallel universe. The "professional" improv-ers did a show called "Matchmakers." The show revolves around two protagonists whose characters are based on details drawn from audience members' lives. In this case, another woman and I volunteered and gave them basic information of what we do, what we wanted to do when we were younger, and one positive and one negative quality of ourselves. It was interesting to see my character finding her path towards being a singer despite having many different ambitions and interests. And it was also hilarious to see my character played by Uri.
At the end of the show, the "professionals" invited all of the workshop participants to join in two final games, so we went up for a round of Freeze Tag and "Sex with me is like..." It was really exciting to be "performing," and I felt completely supported by those around me. I also felt that everyone else was another expression of me, had I made different choices. I saw myself as I used to be, timid and wanting to join in but
not knowing how, and I saw myself as I want to be, spontaneous and
completely committed to my words and actions.
I also saw that not everybody needed to be involved with every scene and that it was perfectly fine to just stand back and enjoy the show once in a while.
Well, that is all from me! I hope Spring is making its way into your particular corner of the world.
Love and peace,
Daniella
