From the Ground Up (Patreon)

• If you’re new to LMA, start with our table of contents

For us, bottom-up means literally from the ground up.

This activity helps reestablish our relationship with the ground. A significant barrier to easy, confident movement is the fear of falling. The most significant risk in movement activities is falling. But if we no longer fear or ignore the ground and learn to engage with it and appreciate it, we can become better and safer movers.

In this activity, two LMA practitioners begin lying face-down on the mat—feeling and getting used to the mat on their bodies. Their task is to rise to standing, acknowledging (facing) the ground as they do so, and then return to lying on their stomachs, still acknowledging the ground. How they do this is open-ended and self-determined.

One possible cue to guide their exploration is I might tell them to find a baby crawl or table position on the way up and down.

In the second task, both practitioners start lying on their backs—once again getting comfortable and familiar with the ground. When they rise, they must acknowledge (face) the ground. When they lie back down, they must acknowledge (face) the sky. Like the previous task, their Ways are self-determined.

As the training organizer (TO), I act as a guide and referee. I establish the conditions, intervene only when safety is at risk, and prevent the activity from turning into something else. The goal here is simply comfort and familiarity. So long as that's being achieved, it's fine. This activity isn't meant to make expert stunt performers. As a TO, don't try to overcontrol the practitioner's movements.

The work is not to look a certain way but to make the ground (land) your home.

– Sam