Conductive sport for all

 "Last of the summer blooms?" by Susie Mallett, 2011

Here is a comment that I have spent my lunch hour trying unsuccessfully to post on:

http://blog.jordanklausner.org/2011/08/it-isnt-always-painless.html

I am sorry Ralph,  but I could not even leave a small note for you  to say that I have posted this on my blog. Perhaps you will read it here and can then transfer it yourself  to your blog if you so wish.

A picture to head this posting will follow after work!

No, it is not always painless, I agree, probably rarely so, either for the body or the soul!

I think if more conductors or parents got on the plinths or on the mats and did the programme too they would never say that it is easy and that it does not hurt. I discussed this with my client only today, deciding that with both of us the carrying out of any movement to the extreme is going to make something stretch and ache a bit. But it is definately all worthwhile when we achieve something new.

When someone is working at any sport training, a fitness programme, cycling long distances or even doing piano practise and is pushing themselves to improve, then now and then, probably more often than not, something will hurt, there will be bruises, tiredness, someone will fall over and sometimes even break a bone.

Achieving fitness of body and soul is always hard work and we all learn how to do it in a way that is best for us and our life style with as little discomfort to our bodies as possible but still achieve results.

It does not really get easier the more we do because we are always striving to succeed and reach new aims but perhaps we do get used to the hard work, establish a routine, and hopefully the knocks and the pain become more bearable as the achievements gives us pleasure.

I too read something recently on a discussion forum where mothers said that they had heard that CE was painful. I cannot believe that anything that a child or adult with spasticity does to improve movement whether cycling, physiotherapy, riding a horse, CE or one of many other daily activites, does not at some time cause pain. It is part of my job as a conductive educator to teach these parents that it is OK for their children to experience pain, have bruises on their legs and have aching muscles, just like it is OK for us all to experience these, of course always keeping within the limits of what our body and soul can bear at the time.

Ralf, have you written about your experiences at the Petö Institute in one article or in collection in a book? You have occasionally refered to that time here on this blog and you have also shown us photographs, I think it is a very valuable story for us all, it would be good to be able to read it in full.

It is always very interesting to hear about a conductive lifestyle from a client's side. For me it is also especially interesting if I have been involved in the conduction as it so often contains very valuable critical feedback both positive and negative!

We often ask our children and adult clients to describe their experiences to us. It is as important for the future of CE to have these references as it is to have research papers, conference abstracts, etc.