Traped with no way out

I had to be trapped in a large jack-o-lantern and I had no idea what to do. I invisioned that i was in one i just could not imagine it actually happening. I just pushed on the walls and tried to get out through the eyes and mouth. I had to do it a few times but each time i did not feel that i did anybetter. I do not know why I could not do good but i just could not imagine it happening. I know that if i was in a play the writer could write this happening but i would have more time to practice making it look real. I could also maybe learn more about the texture and the way it would feel to be inside a pumpkin. I thought that everyoen else did well and I did not even think that I would get something like that to do.

Relax

At first I thought today's exercise was not going to be that hard for me. I have insomnia, and I do progressive muscle relaxation almost every night. The first part of the class, the relaxation part, was not that difficult. But then we got to the visualization part and i began to have problems. It was not that I could not see the things I was suppossed to see. I did see them. But because I knew logically that they were not real, i sort of pulled away from it and pulled myself out of the exercise from time to time.
I was still fairly successful at visualizing things. When we were asked to open our eyes, it seemed weird that we were still in a classroom and there were other people around because in my mind I was not in a classroom and there were no other people around. For a few hours after class was over I still had this weird floating feeling. I know this is not normal because I do relaxation/meditation stuff fairly regularly. I would be interested to know what part of the exercise effected me this way.

I think that the reason we did the relaxation activity today in class was in order to get in-tune with our body and mind. I think that this activity opened our minds and enabled us to imagine so deeply that we actually put ourselves into different situations. Instead of pretending we were somewhere, our body and mind actually believed that we were there. For example, standing on the beach and walking through a thick substance.

Personally, this activity put me out of my comfort zone. I can think of a couple different reasons why. First, I think that I was uncomfortable because the actions I was doing were things that I do not normally do. Even something as simple as laying on my back on the floor was something that I felt uncomfortable with. Secondly, I am usually in charge of my own body. I am not used to not having complete control. When we were being told what to do it was a different experience for me. I actually did a shorter version of this activity in yogalates class once and also felt uncomfortable then. It is ironic how these activities are suppose to be relaxing because even though my muscles feel relaxed, there is still something inside of me that is tense due to me being uncomfortable.

Relaxation

I am not sure why we did the relaxation activity in class today. I was trying to figure out the purpose of the activity while we were doing it (I know I was not supposed to be thinking!), but I could not figure out the reason behind it. The one thing I did notice is that focus was very important for this exercise. When I was totally focused on the activity I could visualize the images Professor Polanco was saying. When my mind would drift off and I became unfocused, that is when I began to question why we were doing that activity. I have no idea what the point of the exercise was or what we will be doing on Thursday, but I am interested!

Relaxation and substances

Class today was very interesting to say the least. It took me a while to focus, to really concentrate on breathing and just being still. However, once I was able to focus, I was totally relaxed and was able to visualize what was going on. When I stood up and opened my eyes, it was much harder to still see the substance; but I think that was just because I hit the boundary of my comfort zone. I was surprised that I was able to relax so much, because I am the type of person that is always worried about stuff. I am very interested to see where this exercise goes on Thursday. I haven't yet figured out the reason for the exercise, but not knowing will drive me crazy.

Trapped Exercise

I really enjoyed this exercise. I was really able to think about this one because I can be a bit claustrophobic at times. I have a problem with small spaces and being stuck it one would make things ten times worse for me. This helped me react to the situation better because I just thought about how scary it is to be stuck in a small space.

Trapped

I thought that it was pretty weird doing the entrapment exercise. When I was doing the exercise I had to imagine actually being trapped and it was hard for me to do because being trapped in a coffin is a little bit random. I do believe that the entrapment exercise was a lot easier than the entanglement exercise just because everybody has been trapped at some point in there life. I think in order to be good at the entrapment exercise you have slow down and really think what you would do to get out and the more you think about what your doing and the more different things you do to get is what makes the audience believe you are actually trapped.

It snowed a little bit this morning, that's the first I've seen and I liked it. Also, I think that entrapment was easier than entanglement because it was easier to imagine a box around me for instance than things on my legs. Maybe props would help that, but that would probably defeat the purpose of doing it in class.

past couple of classes

when we were doin the entanglement and entrapment exercises ini class it was very esay to see who was tryin real hard to show us the entrapment /entanglement insted of actually being trapt. i also found that it was very easy to become entangled by not doing alot of other extra motion. i think everyone is becoming more comfertable in class and its becomeing easier to express the objective they are assinged.

Emotions

What I've found most interesting and challenging in the past two classes is the incorporation of emotions in our exercies. We have to be scared without acting like we're scared...which is really realy hard to make seem real. I think it's cool that we've past simply making movements and paying attention to detail and we;re now concentrating on how our faces look and what we are actually feeling. Also, I stil think it's crazy how true the statement less is more is in this class. Sometimes I feel like I'm not even doing much and it turns out that I'm doing really well or I'll be watching other people and it really is true that the less people do and the less they try to make me believe them, the more I actually do believe them.

Class on Thursday was interesting. Learning how to act entraped was different. It's hard to go through all the steps of fear. When someone is trapped, they don't actually realize at first. They think that something might be jammed or out of place. But once they realize that getting out of the situation is going to be tough, they begin to panic. It's hard to panic without over doing it. The key is to truly believe that you are in that situation.

Entrapment Vs. Entanglement

For me ,it is a little bit hard to distinguish between entrapment and entanglement. They feel like pretty much the same thing to me. Both are negative things. Both involve a similar reaction mentally and physically. I suppose entrapment is worse than entanglement, but it really just depends what you are entrapped/entangled in. Maybe I am analyzing this to much, but i feel like these exercises are some of the harder ones to just get up and do because I don't quite know how to react to them.

Entrapment

Well this exercise I thought was going to be harder than what it really was. When I first drew the piece of paper out of the pumpkin, I wasn't sure exactly what to do. So I sat there and thought to myself, what happens in all the movies when someone is being hunted down by some crazy animal. Outside of that, I was just hoping it would look alright and I guess it worked. I think the exercise would have been more fun if we had more variety of entrapment items rather than mostly boxes and coffins.

And I was happy to see Bill finally lose at Whizbang.

Class

I was not in class on Thursday so I did not get to do the entrapment exercise. So i thought i would just talk about the class. At first i really didn't know what to expect from this class but now i really enjoy it. I love the fact that everyone has warmed up and is not to shy anymore while doing the exercises. It makes for a comfortable and relaxing environment. Also i find it rather interesting see how people have improved by being more aware of their surroundings and small detail. Overall this class is exciting and fun and I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a fun or a different kind of class to take.

I really enjoyed class on Thursday. I liked pretending that I was trapped in something; it was much more interesting to do and to watch. I liked that there was more of a dramatic response with fear, pain, or uncomfortableness, it added an element of excitement to the exercise. I thought Aaron did an awesome job pretending that he was trapped by a dangerous animal. He really looked scared, and he moved very slowly and carefully. This was so fun to watch. Everything we do in class builds on each other, I can't wait to see what we will do tomorrow.

trapped

I feel that the being trapped exercise was really hard and  scary! When you are trapped in something and cannot get out that is one of the most terrifying things at least to me! I am claustrophobic and if i was trapped in something confining... like a coffin i would be freaking out! My trapped situation was in a car, and in that situation i would not be freaking out for at least 20 mins. of trying, and i feel when you are trying to act out a situation like this you need to really act like its happening to you in order for it to feel real to an audience.

bloggeroo

I agree with Rhea that being trapped in something was more scary than being tangled in something. Sure, being tangled in a rope for the rest of your life might be embarrassing but being stuck in a a coffin or a giant jack o lantern could kill you, which is much worse. I like that we are quicker to both volunteer and finish our exercises in one class. In the beginning it was hard to go to class knowing that you had not gone yet and you had already forgotten what it was you were doing.

Entrapped

Sorry I accidentally pushed enter after I entered the title the first time I tried to post! Anyways, I thought the entrapment exercise we did in class on Thursday was easier than when we did the entangled exercise. I was trying to figure out why it was easier for me to do this activity. I figured out that being entrapped is a fear of mine where being entangled does not frighten me. I am not a fan of closed, tight spaces. It was much more real for me to act like I was trapped in a box than entangled in a spider web.

Entrapped

Thursday Class

This class was spent acting like we were trapped. It is extremely noticeable that the students in class have learned that less is more when it comes to acting. Almost everyone in class did only what was necessary when acting trapped. There did not seem to be any exagerration or over-doing during this activity. It is obvious that we are all improving. Hopefully we will continue to improve and gain confidence!