fear,
pain,
grief,
loneliness,
anger and
stress.

a prenatal reaction to rock or sway is
undoubtedly related to when a fetus is being
carried in the womb and is subject to a gentle
rocking motion that the mother is unaware
of. subconsciously, in times of high anxiety,
it is possible for one to revert back to or rather
mimic the sensation of being carried in the
womb.

rocking is therefore a universal soothing
technique that spans across every culture.
from being rocked as a baby and child,
humans seem to never loose their sensitivity
to rocking motion. whether by the gentle
lapping of waves on a boat, a swing in
a playground, or hammock in the garden
most people would be able to find relaxation
and comfort.

the motion of rocking makes blood pressure
fall and respiration slow. the physical act
taps into a pleasure centre located in the
brain that produces endorphins and thus
creating a therapeutic affect. it is a self
comforting system in which smooth,
rhythmic changes in linear motion act as
a natural stimulant to the central nervous
system.

interestingly rocking also helps stimulate
our ability of balance, by activating the
system within our inner ear. this also goes
some way to help us be alert and attentive.

spiritual rocking
most of the time we think of prayer as
a static activity. some orthodox jews use a
rocking motion called ‘shukkeling’ when
praying on the ha'shem.
there are mixed explanations of this tradition;
some believe that at the beginning of the
production of scriptures there were few
books for everyone to read so the rocking
motion reflects an old custom of taking it in
turns to look at the pages.
others might say that the motion of shukkeling
is a way of enhancing concentration or
that the words are igniting the soul like the
lighting of a wick and so the body moves
like a flame.

in some cases rocking is a proportional
physical and spiritual response to prayer.
just as we might nod our head or tap our
feet in time with a piece of music,
some find that the saying of prayers
stimulates a physical rocking motion.

the spiritual society of the ‘shakers’ has
the most impressive rocking tradition.
rockers are part of all life stages -
a craddle for the new born; a rocking horse
toy; a rocking stool for work in the
household of the community; a rocking chair
for leisure time, social meeting and reading
of spiritual texts;an adult-size craddle for
ill, weak or aged invalids.
the gentle rocking movement helps to calm their
spirit and prevent from bedsores.
the rocking motion closes the circle of life,
from birth to death!

see the designboom archive

see the designboom rocking chairs poster
http://www.designboom.com/rockingmanifesto.html

the illustrated history of rocking chairs
http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/rocking/origin.html

see the designboom rocking chair competition, 2002
http://www.designboom.com/rocking/winners.html