Embodied Thinking

    Embodied thinking combines movement and balance of the body to connect with the mind.  Root Bernstein states, "This is body imagination at work, when the feel of of muscle movement or physical tension or touch is enacted in order to think and create,". (Sparks of Genius p.162).  Empathy ties into embodied thinking by viewing the situation from another perspective- feeling what they feel. Our body connects to our moods,which exhibits how we feel.    Connecting your mind and body to  a particular topic sparks imagination and creativity.  Root Bernstein states, "Sensations of muscle movement, body feeling and touch act as a powerful tool for imaginative thinking,". (Sparks of Genius, p.164).    When we allow our body to connect with our mind, we are more fluid with a clearer understanding of the task.  We allow objects such as a paintbrush or piano keys to become mere extensions of ourselves when our minds and bodies connect to a particular task.

       The idea of embodied thinking fits in well with the topic of the fantasy genre.  When we read a fantasy novel, we face characters that represent the elements of good, evil, magic, and supernatural powers.  When these elements are present in the story, their thoughts, feelings, actions, and movements represent the character and clearly impact the plot of the story.    As we read the story, we can feel the characters thoughts and motions as we work towards the climax of the story.  Often we will act out a story to gain deeper understanding of the characters as well as the elements of the story. We place ourselves as those characters and mimic their movements and feelings to gain a meaningful connection and understanding of the fantasy.

    I chose to use an example of a supernatural power, as well as an example of magic to represent embodied thinking.   As characters such as Peter Pan and Superman exhibit the power to fly- they both share with other characters how their body and concentration are reflected in that supernatural power.  Balance, control, equilibrium are just a few of the traits that are exhibited through the body and thought as they are flying.  Their body and mind represent balance and focus.   This also ties in with the second example of magic.  Magic demonstrates mystery, power, control, perception and focus to emulate their response over an object or person.    "All people need explicit practice in moving their bodies, manipulating instruments or tools, and gaining awareness of the kinesthetic and proprioceptive responses, " (Sparks of Genius p. 179) .   Students often choose to use their imagination to embody themselves as a character in a fantasy story, whether it be as sweet as a princess or as powerful and determined as a sorcerer.  They will use empathy to feel and act like the characters they are portraying.   Role-playing sparks creativity and imagination.   Connecting our bodies and minds  to the characters and elements allow us to gain a deeper understanding and perspective of the story.