Free – form practice, now a book in English too!

When teaching the Paula Method to new students I often find myself debating whether to teach another exercise or direct them towards free-form work. You see, the exercises feel like an anchor. They are more predictable in a way. There’s an action and an outcome of that action. In contrast, free form is abstract; it’s completely unpredictable. It requires establishing trust, developing self-confidence, and allowing self-expression. People often hesitate and doubt whether it can really help them. “But how will it help me?” is a question I have heard many times.

Paula’s book, The Secret of The Ring Muscles, was first published in Israel in 1984. It focused on the exercises of the method and the ability of the body to restore and balance the functions of the ring muscles. Only people who are very familiar with the method will notice that in the chapter about Hands Over Eyes, there is a vague reminder of the body’s ability to self-heal without exercises. However, the book does not reveal many other aspects of the method, especially not the emotional side. Only relying on Paula’s book, one may get the impression that her method is an exercise method, not the rich and complex approach to holistic healing that it truly is.

Twenty years later, a new book was published by Yotam Vardi, a senior practitioner of the Paula Method. He wrote about his personal journey coming across the method and deciding to become a practitioner. In his book he talks about his experience as a student of both Paula and Yoli Magnat, who was one of the most influential figures in his development as a teacher. In addition, he talks in detail about his work with his patients over the years.

What comes up often in Yotam’s book is free-form work and his developing relationship with this practice. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of finally reading Yotam’s book in Hebrew. I asked him if he ever considered translating the book into English. He said, “No, not in this lifetime.” However, shortly after that, I received an email from Yotam, in which he told me he was going to translate the book into English after all. And now, Yotam’s book, The Hidden Ability is available on Amazon!

Here’s a short extract from Yotam’s book about free-form practice:

It can appear as a storm rocking our bodies in rapid movement, moving our limbs and head, rounding off the pelvis, moving it left and right, shaking our palms, rocking the shoulders, knocking heels on the ground, revolving legs inside and out, distorting the face, opening and closing the eyes, speeding up the pulse and breathing, shaking the arms and legs and the entire body, releasing any tight muscle. After a while, it eases, slows down, rounds off movement and caresses the body, leading it towards deeper inner peace.