More About Tango

I have been going to tango class twice a week. My teachers, Eileen and Kerry have traveled to meet with both Gammon Earhart and Madeline Hackney, researchers who have been experimenting with the effects of tango as therapy for PD. Eileen is even quitting her job to go full-time into tango therapy.

Today’s class was not a PD class; I am the only one in the class with a health issue. Lately, I’ve been feeling a decrease in the ability to move in the class and am starting to hesitate in going. I might feel differently if others there had my problem.

We were working on the Milonga today, a version of tango that has a certain beat -- bom ba bombom, bom ba bombom— that is like the Habanera in Carmen. The quick-quick step proved very difficult for me. Though I could feel the beat I could not get my feet to do what I wanted. I kept stopping in frustration and was on the point of tears.

Everyone was kind. Each of the three men invited me to keep trying. Jaime told me I did very well (liar), and Shelly made me laugh which helped me relax and do better. After a few minutes of Argentine tango with Norwid I was doing better still. His body is very relaxed and now he is used to my stumbles and hesitations and waits calmly for me to regain my balance. It is amazing to me how at times, I seem to be gliding effortlessly across the floor when I dance with Norwid, who is an experienced dancer.

So with their support and the positive energy of the other women there, I left the class feeling cheerful and looking forward to the next class, though I hope we don’t do the Milonga.

Jin Shin Jyutsu

 

One of my tango teachers, Kerry, is a holistic healer. One treatment she offers is Jin Shin Jyutsu, a type of energy medicine. For about 6 months I was treated by a practitioner of the Donna Eden approach to energy medicine and performed daily exercises longer than that. Qi Gong, which I practice now, is a system of exercises intended to strengthen energy. The PD Recovery team also recognizes energy flow as a component of treatment. I was curious how Jin Shin Jyutsu compares to these other three practices. This month I went for three different hour-long treatments at Kerry’s home.

            At each treatment I lie on a table fully clothed with pillows for my head and knees. Kerry places the tips of her fingers very gently on different points on my body. Sometimes she consults a book during the session. Occasionally, she comments on impressions she receives. During the second session she commented that she sensed a giant awaking inside me.

Today, she began by first putting one hand on the inside of my left ankle while her other hand touched a point on my right hip. She told me that this was the “Skeptic’s” or “Doubting Thomas” hold. When I asked why it was called this she said that it was a very powerful hold and that people who doubted that Jin Shin Jyutsu worked were often converted after experiencing a dramatic shift.

I said I would welcome a shift.

            It just so happened that the two points she was holding were in two areas that were giving me pain lately. After some time holding these points she moved to my left foot and used both hands there. I felt a lot of sensation including a surging kind of feeling, throbbing, and intermittent pain as she touched different points on my foot. She too could feel a lot of movement inside my foot.

            Most of the time, the treatment was gentle and relaxing.

            Unfortunately though, there was no dramatic shift. I went from the treatment to tango class, and amazing to myself, but as usual, I was able to dance, even though I had been struggling to walk earlier in the day.

What a strange enigma.

Honoring the Ancestors

 

On the antique dresser that I so laboriously refinished last summer, breaking a toe in the process, is an assortment of framed photographs. These photos with a large ball candle inherited from my grandma, four clear glass swans passed on to me from my mother and a strand of prayer beads constitute my ancestor altar. There are pictures of those who have passed, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, including my brother and son.

            Each evening before I go to bed, I light the candle while I try to meditate and pray.

            The Buddhists and others around the world have such altars. As I have tried to reach out spiritually to my son and my brother, I have also begun to remember others in my family more frequently. In a crisis that occurred in my household recently, I found myself calling out in desperation to my ancestors for help. When all turned out well, I thanked them. Now, I have a more formal place to remember them. I do feel supported when I think of those who have lived before me, and whose lives so directly connect to mine.

            … In the beginning of the year and when it ends,

                        we remember them.

            When we are weary and in need of strength,

                        we remember them.

            When we are lost and sick at heart,

                        we remember them.

            When we have joys we yearn to share,

                        we remember them.

            So long as we live, they too shall live,

                        for they are now a part of us, as

                        we remember them.

From a Jewish prayer, in Life Prayers From Around the World; 365 Prayers, Blessings, and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey, Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon