William James – the nineteenth centure pioneer of Psychology – wrote the following:
Contrary to the perception of an object, which can be perceived from different perspectives or even cease to be perceived, we experience “the feeling of the same old body always there”
– William James
There’s something about the way in which we take our bodies for granted in James’ statement. That we tend to think of our bodies as consistent and constant (rather than fabulous Ships of Theseus).
Yet, in this work – and in much movement work that focuses on sensitising the body as it feels – there is nothing ‘same old’ about it. The feeling is more like an ongoing refreshing of the body in which what is new or different or fresh or distinct (whether it be temperature, position, friction, weight, tingling, movement) manifests a same new body.
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