The gap between body and mind, considered normal by so many of us, leads to a way of life where we do not listen substantially to our bodies.

Many ailments - such as exhaustion, depression, chronic injuries/pain, even stroke - are due to ineffective communication between body and mind. Many of the protective messages that come and go between the central nervous system and the rest of the body are not received consciously so the body is forced to turn to extreme means of communication: pathology. Before we end up in pain or illness our body has sent innumerable warning messages: the less these are heard the "louder" they become.

The functioning mechanisms of the body and their communication systems with the mind are multiple and the way they collaborate is astonishing. The functioning mechanisms of the mind: the psycho-mental mechanism (thought, emotion and behaviour processes) and the linguistic mechanism (the definition and understanding of everything through the word) operate very differently to those of the body.

For example the logic of dualism (hot/cold, open/closed, good/bad) and the linear logic of the psycho-mental/linguistic mechanisms do not suit the logic of the body where everything tends to coexist without being experienced as opposites. The prevailing idea that the mind must dominate the body accentuates the differences of their functioning principles and makes them incompatible. This type of hierarchical relationship between body and mind leads to their ineffective communication and results in a dysfunctional body.

So we end up with disharmony within the body, between the body and mind and between the individual and the environment. An example is the fragmentation of the body and the senses, such as:

• the over-emphasis on the use of hands and eyes and the neglect/inactivity of the rest of the body
• our over-active perception of the outer world through sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell; and our under-active sense of our inner selves through kinaesthesia, sense of position in space, awareness of bodily organs.

Bodylistening is an amalgam of various techniques of dance and movement (such as Release, Axis Syllabus, Flying Low, Passing Through, Contact Improvisation, Yoga), techniques from various body and therapeutic methods (such as Pilates, T' ai chi ch' uan, Alexander, Feldenkrais), improvisation and choreological study. It includes movement, contact and improvisation exercises that cultivate detailed perception, awareness and management of the muscular/skeletal/respiratory/circulatory/neurological system. Also it offers techniques for autonomously maintaining this ability in continuous development. The course is designed according to the needs and the development of each individual. In general however bodylistening functions on three basic levels:

• the diagnostic level: researching the body and its communication in-depth in order to locate the essential causes of each difficulty.
• the therapeutic level: a) radically rearranging body and mind to progressively and methodically give solutions that remain adaptable and effective with the passing of time or under unfavourable conditions; b) offering techniques and knowledge for dealing with future difficulties.
• the preventive level: consolidating body/mind techniques to promote essential communication between body and mind, thus maintaining general health and preventing pathology.

By cultivating our bodylistening skills we can re-connect with the precious wisdom that we embody naturally - particularly precious because when the wisdom of the body is in a harmonious coexistence with the psycho-mental/linguistic mechanism (not under its sovereignty) then it has an innate tendency towards health and self-healing.