The word Inspiration means “to breathe in”. When we breathe in or take in with awareness, we become receptive and we connect to the body. We are ready to “act”. We will feel the impulse to act because we are connected to the body. We are inspired to act. With only the mind involved there is only your WILL pushing you to ACT. This is not inspired acting. Inspired acting involves the body. By simply breathing in you become receptive, open and available to any and all stimuli.
“Never underestimate the healing power of breath.” – Claudia Black
Michael Chekhov, Jerzy Grotowski, Jacques Lecoq all understood how to help the actor express themselves through the physical body.
When we don’t include the body in the actors training, we are left with only head acting. Truthful behaviour is motivated by both mind and body.
One cannot be separated from the other. Yet many actors are ‘split’ between mind and body. Acting class is the place to mend the split. But how? We begin learning to act by learning to breathe and receive and then to respond. Without this basic acting training the actor finds himself in a predicament. She has built up blocks to expression. He feels as if he is pushing and cannot connect to his inspiration to act. She doesn’t understand why she cannot land the audition. There is hope for the “trained actor”. And it’s never too late to go back and find the missing piece in your acting training. Everything you know in your mind will only be enhanced by dropping into your body and practicing this kind of Embodied acting. Make sure your acting class includes the body, the heart and the soul…as well as the mind.