By Megan Quinn
Golden News
January 24, 2008
Eliza Parker has a skeleton, and she isn't afraid to use it.
Integrative movement educator Eliza Parker conducts "Me and My
Body" at Golden Pilates on Saturday, Jan. 12. The class focuses
on teaching pre-schoolers and their parents about how the body works. Class
participants learn through creative movement, hands-on science models, stories,
games and music. Parker dreamed up a unique idea to teach preschool-age kids
anatomy by using her background in the Feldenkrais Method,
which aims to increase human function by increasing self-awareness through movement.
Read
the entire article here . . .
Eliza Parker comments
on her class and the article:
My intention behind
"Me and My Body" is multifaceted. It began out of my love
for preschoolers and for the Body-Mind Centering® approach to learning anatomy.
But it has so many wonderful effects - all that great stuff that happens when
we learn about ourselves and become empowered. Kids hear adults saying "I'm
too fat/short/etc," and the media offers some challenging images of "the
perfect body." Kids can get to know "body" as something that
needs to be fixed, that brings disappointment. Eating disorders, drug use, and
obesity are concerns in our society. These are all learned behaviors - naturally
we are curious, learning, surviving creatures. My passion is to enter before
those behaviors set in, to capitalize on preschoolers' innate abounding curiosity
and facilitate experiences that bring fascination. This fosters their respect
for themselves because they have begun an exploration process on their own terms,
rather than just "the doctor told me," or memorizing anatomy terms
in high school biology class. On this foundation of self-respect, they can build
a positive self image. “My body” becomes a part of “Me”
that “I love.” The class also assists their ability to communicate
about themselves and helps parents talk with their kids about the body.
Watch
a short documentary video about the class, Me and My Body
Requires RealPlayer
