Feldenkrais and Me

I fell in love with the Feldenkrais method many years ago and still enjoy the regular classes I take, but what is it??

Created by Moshe Feldenkrais, it is a somatic practice that asks for a mindful awareness. You perform tiny gentle movements guided by a teacher, in order to become aware of how the movement is created and the sensations that this brings.

To me, it is a deep meditation. We lie on the floor and are asked rhetorical questions about the feelings in our body as we lie there. “What takes your curiosity first.?” “Are you aware of the space between the arms and the body?” “How do you know the feet are turned out or in?” and then gradually and with guidance and constant questioning, we are asked to explore how we can move a body part in a particular direction. It’s not the getting to the end range of the movement, it’s much much smaller than that, it’s the initial brain to muscle connection that is important. This brings awareness to yourself and the understanding of what else has to alter in the body to allow that small movement to occur.

I suffer with a stiff left shoulder. In doing this work, I found a tiny right hip hitch every time I wanted to move my left shoulder. As I now had the awareness, I was able to gradually adjust and free up my hip and now my shoulder isn’t so stiff. Everything in the body is connected and in true balance.

Feldenkrais lessons can be held in a group session, or online. I’ve had classes from Ireland and Edinburgh (I’m in Mid Devon). These are called Awareness through Movement classes. You can also work with a Feldenkrais teacher in person at the therapy room. This work is called Functional Integration.

For me Feldenkrais, takes me to a deeper level, where I can explore how my body works in the most subtle way.

More information contact Feldenkrais Guild UK (Feldenkrais.co.uk).