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  • The Thinking Body by Mabel Elsworth Todd book cover
  • The Thinking Body by Mabel Elsworth Todd book cover
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The Thinking Body

by Mabel Elsworth Todd

Physiology and the imagery of movement

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Physiology and the imagery of movement

First published in 1937 and reissued here as a facsimile with the original illustrations, *The Thinking Body* presents Mabel Elsworth Todd’s approach to neuromuscular coordination. The description connects her method to anatomically based visual imagery and consciously relaxed volition, placing the book at the intersection of physiology, movement, and somatic education. It also situates Todd’s work in the history of Ideokinesis, noting that later practitioners Lulu Sweigard and Barbara Clark developed her ideas. The volume offers a historical account of how attention and intention were brought into discussions of bodily movement.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in the history of somatic education and Ideokinesis
  • Dancers and movement professionals exploring early approaches to coordination
  • Readers studying physiology in relation to movement and body awareness

Themes

Physiology of movementNeuromuscular coordinationSomatic educationVisual imagery and attentionHistory of Ideokinesis

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

2017 Reprint of 1937 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Complete with all Illustrations from the 1937 edition. Mabel Elsworth Todd is considered the founder of what has come to be known as 'Ideokinesis', a form of somatic education that became popular in the 1930s amongst dancers and health professionals. Todd's ideas involved using anatomically based, creative visual imagery and consciously relaxed volition to create and refine neuromuscular coordination. Lulu Sweigard, who coined the term Ideokinesis, and Barbara Clark furthered Todd's work. Todd's work was published in her book The Thinking Body (1937), which is now considered by modern dance schools to be a classic study of physiology and the psychology of movement. Her work influenced many somatic awareness professionals of her day, and is often cited along with The Feldenkrais method for its focus on the subtle influence of unconscious intention and attention.

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