We meet different rope enthusiasts coming to our classes. We would always start with the introduction and invite the guests to tell us about themselves.
Sometimes there are private couples who want to explore. They speak of emotions: desire and intimacy, letting go of control, trust and geborgenheit, shame and curiosity… They tell us what they want to feel. It’s personal and relatable.
Sometimes there are couples „from the scene“, who have been around, who took countless workshops and classes, and start speaking in ryus, levels, shapes, and names of the teachers. It lands differently.
The same feeling I get when performing for an “unexperienced” audience. What is striking to me is the conversations we often have. This audience sees not the Kata-ashi transition but my trust and vulnerability. Unexpected questions are asked and completely new perspectives shared. I deeply appreciate these encounters.
I must wonder, when did we – people in the scene – lose that innocent – uneducated – perspective on things…?
It’s a known phenomen, definitely not specific to the rope scene. Knowledge creates new pathways, but also with that, it creates bias and boundaries. We are able to appreciate complexity and nuances – but we lose beginners’ sense of wonder. Naivety and excitement.
„In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.“ Shunryu Suzuki
It‘s important to be aware of that. We can try to refocus on the emotional meaning behind the shapes we learn in Levels One, Two, Three…
Judge less, ourselves and others.
Stay humble about “knowing things”. With humility, the discovery goes away.
Find a space to play – create without pressure.
Rather than completing the task, focus on texture, sensations and feelings.
Keep being rooted in what is between you and your partner.
Reconnect to our original motivation. Why did I start doing that in the first place? What moved me to this practice, before I knew how to do it “propely”?
And when you are a beginner and feel desperately confused. Enjoy it. You only get to experience it once.