Finding Quiet Strength
Emotional Intelligence, Embodied Awareness
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Hawthorn Press
Published:11th Jul '22
Should be back in stock very soon
Finding Quiet Strength (FQS) is a practical philosophy that connects to both ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience. Judith’s work enables a calm, confident, and coordinated approach to life, helping us to be centred, grounded and develop a sense of poise and equilibrium.
At some point, most of us need help with the challenges of life. FQS is a practice of being present in a way that develops our emotional intelligence and embodied awareness enabling us to navigate the many ups and downs of being human. The work helps us to develop a deep and gentle self-acceptance. Through this self-acceptance, FQS helps us work on an embodied resilience and become more aware of what we can let go of and change.
A core element of this work is inspired by F.M. Alexander’s principles of inhibition and direction, stopping, thinking and connecting. With practice, we can take a moment to pause and consider how we might be limiting ourselves and begin to notice the interconnection of our mindset with our bodies. Often the patterns of worrying and anxiety that we embody can be below our conscious radar and can start to limit the joy, peace and ease which we find when we feel in charge of ourselves.
Finding Quiet Strength integrates Alexander’s discoveries with Chi Kung and Tai Chi. These ancient traditions help us recognise the signals of threat that trigger old patterns of defence and fear and restore us to a sense of being centred and to regain conscious control. FQS works on the relationship between thinking in stillness and thinking in activity to find a sense of wholeness in whatever we do so we can feel at home with ourselves in all situations and our lives can become more joyful.
'When societal expectations encourage our girls to make themselves smaller to fit in and be accepted, we need to show them how to stand tall and own their space. We need to help them to feel at home in their bodies, to feel confident in who they are. We need to guide them towards finding quiet strength. Only when we allow this shift to happen can we move closer to a more gender equal society.' Abi Wright, founder of She Stands and co-founder of Festival of The Girl: 'I learned a lot from working with Judith Kleinman. She was able to locate in me a stillness and equilibrium I didn't know I had, and that has stood me in good stead for all the vicissitudes of work and domestic life.' Nick Hornby - Author : 'I love Judith's work. The drawings, words and thoughts are just lovely - their message is as calming as it is bursting with positive ideas. Easy to dip into yet rewarding to read, there are some great tools for life in this book.' Arabella Weir - Actor, comedian and writer : 'Her natural facility and fluid figurative lines express movement in the body but also the feelings inside. Some drawings feature unusual and unexpected balancing acts absorbed by quiet strength. Sometimes funny and at times autobiographical but always positive with a message of well-being.' Michelle Franklin - Artist : 'This work has taught me over the years that the very first, and by no means easy task is to notice what's going on inside the body/mind rather than rushing to change anything. This is a profound principle, which counteracts the rather ferocious demand to change our age-old bad habits. As a psychotherapist I get excited every time patients discover for themselves that being able to pay attention to unhelpful patterns is already a sign of change. This work and psychoanalysis have in common that both make us aware of our embodied self in its spatial and temporal dimensions, which connects us to our fellow humans and the world around us. In other words, moving and being moved physically and emotionally starts from a place of stillness. So, this is also a grateful testimony to Judith Kleinman, my teacher of many years, who has taught me - in more than one way - to 'sit well' with myself and my patients.' Lotte Bredt, MBACP counsellor and psychotherapist
ISBN: 9781912480739
Dimensions: 260mm x 210mm x 15mm
Weight: 607g
160 pages