Unconscious Competence: The Mind in Mind Body Exercise

We hear “mind-body” and “mindfulness” a lot, but what does that mean?  One aspect of mind-body exercise is developing unconscious competence.  When looking at the four stages of competence, there are four psychological states involved in the process of learning a new skill.  

Unconscious Incompetence

At this stage, we have no intuitive skills and are unaware of how little we know; we are unconscious of our level of incompetence.

Conscious Incompetence

This stage is the beginning of recognizing what we do not know. While we still have not acquired the skill, we recognize the value of the knowledge we are striving for.  This is a time for mistakes and corrections.  As Plato writes, “I know that I know nothing” and that is the first step towards competence.

Conscious Competence

Here we understand how to do something, but we must have focus and concentration in order to carry out the skill.  We have to work to consciously demonstrate the skill.

Unconscious Competence

After sufficient practice, we can execute the skill.  It becomes second nature and can be demonstrated easily.  At this point we are able to teach others.

So how does this relate to mind-body exercise and Pilates?  When we become unconsciously competent, we are always engaging our muscles to support our bodies as we move through life.  The skills you learn in Pilates help you perform every movement with grace, balance, alignment and proper posture to build strength and stability.  Whether you are sitting on a bar stool, running, skiing or carrying your child, movement is carried out with strength and support.  When you take Pilates principals into everyday life, you are getting stronger and improving muscle tone when you are doing nothing and are perfectly still.

How do we become unconsciously competent?  One tool that I use and encourage my clients to use is prodding yourself.  Checking in is the best tool; fingers on the ribs, hips and pelvis to make sure things are engaged, in alignment, and stable.   It is important to listen to cues and focus on the movement, slowing it down enough to connect with the body.  This is where our “mindfulness” practice kicks in and we slow down our minds, concentrating on the moment.

It’s important that after reaching the stage of unconscious competence, the instructor continues to introduce more challenging tasks, starting the process over again.  This will encourage growth and eventually you will become a pro!