Resistance
Life Lessons from the Body
I have been interested in exploring words from a dancer’s lens since noticing how certain words feel in my body. In my piece “My Angry Mob vs Flash Mob Philosophy,” I refer to the use of the word ‘resistance’ as it shows up in social and political change movements.
I was so exhausted by this word. It felt relentless and unforgiving. So I set out to explore it through the body. If I’m being honest, I set out to prove that ‘resistance’ is not the right word or concept to bring about social or political change.
But of course (and luckily), it’s more nuanced than that.
I recruited a dancer-friend who was up for some experimental improvisation and went to the studio to explore the qualities of resistance in the body. To begin, I prompted her to find resistance. She instinctively reached her arm out, placing her hand on a nearby windowsill and leaning the weight of her body into her arm. Her body was off balance and at an angle.
She narrated her experience as she went.
Resistance is pushing against something and having it push back. Here, it’s actually stabilizing, because I need that opposing pressure to brace myself.
Stabilizing! Wait what? But what about the exhaustion and dread I was expecting? She went on.
It can also feel like a struggle of being held back by something. Being attached to it prevents me from finding new pathways, unless I can move the location of the resistance.
From here, she went from having one hand on the wall to her whole arm, then her upper back, then her back, torso, and head.
We went on to investigate what happens when we change variables. I asked her to press as much of her body as possible against the wall while maintaining sustained resistance. Then, to keep only the tip of her finger in contact with the wall. She found both those extremes very limiting in their own ways.
I asked her to leave the wall entirely and try to move without resistance. She noted that gravity is always present, but after a minute or two, the lack of resistance became exhausting. She continued to narrate: Without feedback or pressure, the possibilities are too open. I’ve had this body my whole life, so I can’t help but revert to all the movement patterns I am bored with.
I asked her to create her own resistance, bringing tension to her muscles and movements without any external force, but she concluded that it felt manufactured and unnecessary.
After 20 minutes or so of exploration, it felt like we had uncovered some fascinating insights.
Embodied Resistance Key Takeaways:
resistance can be stabilizing, giving you a foundation or focus to build off of
no resistance leaves you without sensory feedback to guide you and make whatever you’re doing feel more intentional or meaningful
too much resistance shuts you down and uses all your energy
mild resistance acts as a gentle guide, whereas more intense resistance requires you to focus only on exerting enough force to counteract it
static resistance exhausts you and limits your innovation, whereas resistance that can move around invites you to follow your curiosity towards new opportunities
external resistance is more satisfying because there is an interaction with something else, whereas internal resistance feels manufactured and keeps you stuck in your own patterns
We did this experiment back in November, and I can report that these takeaways keep ringing true for me across a wide range of contexts.
In relationships - romantic, family, friend, colleague - I am seeking the sweet spot of resistance. If someone is a pushover (no resistance) I question their authenticity and ability to set boundaries. If their boundaries and mine are clear (mild resistance), we get to enjoy the stabilizing effect of pushing against a firm surface.
In politics, intense resistance as a relentless static force is exhausting and keeps the focus on counteracting it. On the other hand, resistance that can be moved or explored helps us better understand what we value and why.
In fitness, weights (external resistance) can make you stronger, but they can be too much if you have an injury and need to develop aligned movement patterns within your own body first.
My final note on this exploration is that the body knew these universal truths before the brain did.
What ideas, narratives, or topics would you be interested in asking the body about?