During any physical interaction with another person, if you accurately sense your own body then you'll have embodied self-use. Add to this the accurate sensing of the other person's movements, then voila!, — you'll be able to effectively respond to them! Strangely, few people seem to know that this level of physical attunement exists. High-level athletes instinctively practice it, and this gives them a tremendous competitive advantage. Yet they're rarely aware it results from Effectively Relating to both themselves and another, — they just do it!

I’m confident that any person of average ability can develop effective relating skills; as aging blunts our reflexes, they become essential! I've personally needed to use these skills in a self-defense situation, and walked away completely unharmed, with my attacker looking very deflated, — but also unharmed.  This quality of physical listening is often playful and fun, and with my guidance, you'll maximize your potential and see improvements in other areas of your life. After all, We’re always relating to someone or something, — especially to ourselves!

For those interested in the martial/interactive side of things, my weekly “Effective Relating Skills for Martial Artists” class [watch the video] focuses on that. We use many interactive partner exercises from Western Boxing and Tai Chi Push Hands, but the emphasis is always on growing our ability to move with and respond effectively to another person, while maintaining relaxed and balanced physical alignment. Class always begins with some self-sensing work drawn from Feldenkrais, Chi-Gong, and other internal practices. This is a safe, win-win environment, and with both classes, there’s literally no limit to your possible improvement!