The Thinking Practitioner

140: Embodied Attention: Contact Improvisation and Bodywork (with Nita Little)


Listen Later

🎙How does touch shape our perception, our movement, and our connection with others? In this fascinating conversation, Til Luchau welcomes movement pioneer Nita Little, a foundational figure in Contact Improvisation dance, for a deep dive into the world of touch, movement, and attention. Join them as they explore the ways that touch is a language, why attention transforms both bodywork and movement, and how embracing uncertainty can expand our understanding of presence and connection.

Their conversation also touches on the challenges of aging, the importance of imagination, and the potential of touch to expand our identity and sense of self, and offers transformative insights for bodyworkers, dancers, and anyone curious about human interaction.

🌟 Key Topics:

•The Origins of Contact Improvisation Dance (02:21) – How Nita’s work with Steve Paxton helped shape a new movement form.

•Reflexive Action & Improvisational Touch (07:13) – How instinctive movement informs our interactions.

•Touch as a Language (10:36) – Understanding touch beyond technique, and instead, as a dynamic dialogue.

•The Eternal Moment & Presence in Touch (17:23) – How touch can alter our perception of time.

•Boundaries, Social Norms, and Touch (35:09) – Expanding our understanding of what’s possible.

•Proprioception & The Mind-Body Connection (44:18) – Exploring movement beyond conscious control.

•Aging & Touch (55:39) – How embodied attention supports lifelong movement and adaptability.

---

đź’ˇ Join the Conversation: How has embodied attention, dance, or improvisation influenced your practice? Share your thoughts with us!

📌 Sponsored by: ABMP and Books of Discovery

✨ Rate, review, and share! Help others discover The Thinking Practitioner podcast.

📄 Get the full transcript at Til or Whitney's sites! 

  • Whitney Lowe’s site: AcademyOfClinicalMassage.com 
  • Til Luchau’s site: Advanced-Trainings.com 
  • Resources discussed in this episode: 

    • Nita's site: https://www.nitalittle.com/
    • Sponsor Offers: 

      • Books of Discovery: save 15% by entering "thinking" at checkout on booksofdiscovery.com. 
      • ABMP: save $24 on new membership at abmp.com/thinking. 
      • Advanced-Trainings: try a month of the amazing A-T Subscription free by entering “thinking” at checkout at a-t.tv/subscriptions/,.
      • Academy of Clinical Massage: Grab Whitney's valuable Assessment Cheat Sheet for free at: academyofclinicalmassage.com/cheatsheet
      • About Whitney Lowe  | About Til Luchau  |  Email Us: [email protected]

        (The Thinking Practitioner Podcast is intended for professional practitioners of manual and movement therapies: bodywork, massage therapy, structural integration, chiropractic, myofascial and myotherapy, orthopedic, sports massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, yoga, strength and conditioning, and similar professions. It is not medical or treatment advice.)

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store

        The Thinking PractitionerBy Til Luchau & Whitney Lowe

        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9

        4.9

        169 ratings


        More shows like The Thinking Practitioner

        View all
        Stop Chasing Pain by Perry Nickelston: Stop Chasing Pain

        Stop Chasing Pain

        200 Listeners

        FoundMyFitness by Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.

        FoundMyFitness

        5,297 Listeners

        Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman by Katy Bowman

        Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman

        598 Listeners

        Align Podcast by Aaron Alexander

        Align Podcast

        893 Listeners

        10% Happier with Dan Harris by 10% Happier

        10% Happier with Dan Harris

        12,513 Listeners

        The Proof with Simon Hill by Live better for longer

        The Proof with Simon Hill

        2,602 Listeners

        Dhru Purohit Show by Dhru Purohit

        Dhru Purohit Show

        3,520 Listeners

        Heal Thy Self with Dr. G by Heal Thy Self

        Heal Thy Self with Dr. G

        1,546 Listeners

        You Are Not Broken by Kelly Casperson, MD

        You Are Not Broken

        928 Listeners

        The Optimal Body by Dr Jen Fraboni & Dr Dom Fraboni

        The Optimal Body

        489 Listeners

        The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession by Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals

        The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession

        101 Listeners

        Hit Play Not Pause by Hit Play Not Pause

        Hit Play Not Pause

        717 Listeners

        Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

        Huberman Lab

        28,304 Listeners

        We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle and Audacy

        We Can Do Hard Things

        41,337 Listeners

        The KRUSE ELITE Podcast by Taylor Kruse

        The KRUSE ELITE Podcast

        20 Listeners