“Make the impossible possible, the possible easy, and the easy elegant.”
Moshe Feldenkrais
EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS
Give yourself the gift of your attention for an hour with an Awareness Through Movement lesson. Slow, small, gentle movements paired with awareness allow more ease and body and mind.
If classes are taught elsewhere, payment of $20 is suggested, but pay as you feel led: PayPal, cash or check in the mail to Shelly.
WELCOME TO THE LESSON LIBRARY
Before we begin to play, here are your responsibilities as a student:
First, if you have any concerns about doing Feldenkrais lessons, please read the disclaimer below and consult your medical practitioner.
DO LESS: This work is designed to facilitate your awareness through small, slow, gentle movements within your comfort. The brain learns by noticing the small differences. We become aware of tension and habitual patterns through the gentle sequences of movements. Do not stretch or strain.
LET YOUR COMFORT GUIDE YOU: Muscles let go of tension when they feel safe and no longer feel a need to protect. If during the lesson, discomfort arises, then make a change to serve your comfort. Do even less, move slower, rest, change your position, or simply imagine the movement. Ignoring pain and powering through will create noise in your system and a need for it to protect itself. Rest and pauses have value in this work allowing your brain to integrate learning.
BREATHE AND MAYBE SMILE: There is depth to this work as Moshe understood there is no clear distinction between the mind and body. Our breath is necessarily intertwined with the two. Every emotion has a muscular contraction, and we can hold onto the past experiences in our bodies. Be kind to yourself as you bump up against puzzles, or old patterns of tension. This work can create many layers of change on and off the mat.
BRING YOUR CURIOSITY: With the wisdom of a child at play, tune in to explore and experiment without judgment. Allowing the process of play to unfold, without goal driven expectations, will serve you in this work. The rich sensory experience can connect us with the nonverbal way a young child learns how to roll, crawl or how to walk. With kindness to ourselves, we can return to the brain’s innate ability to learn through rich sensory experience. Imagine yourself as a curious scientist, experimenting with yourself without agenda. New possibilities for movement with ease and comfort emerge that can translate to daily functions in our lives.
PREPARING FOR A LESSON
Comfortable clothing and a quiet space without interruption is a good place to begin.
Many lessons are done lying on the floor with a soft mat. If lying on the floor is not possible, the lessons can also be done lying in bed. That said, the firm surface of the floor gives feedback that is helpful. Some lessons are done sitting on a firm chair sitting toward the front with both feet flat on the floor.
Gather supports to bring the floor closer to you if needed or folded towels to bring comfort for the floor lessons are also a good idea.
Remove shoes, belt, eyeglasses. Last but certainly not least bring kindness to yourself as you play.
PLAY TIME: A SNEAK PEEK SITTING IN A CHAIR
What do you notice?
I invite you to play in the spirit of a curious, nonjudgmental child. We all have habits. Maybe you are right handed, or your right shoe wears slightly differently from the left, or maybe you have a dominant eye like me. Habits can be illusive for us, and awareness allows us to pause and notice what serves us and what might not serve us well.
Are you ready? You are the playground. If you are sitting, come forward on your chair so your feet are flat on the floor. Notice how your feet connect with the floor and how you yield to gravity in your chair. Is the right side of your pelvis connecting different from the left if you look closely? Could that be related somehow to the wear of your shoes? Make no effort to change what is. Just be where you are.
Turn your head slowly and gently right and then left. Is there a difference in the ease or quality of the movement to the right compared to the left? Could your habits with your dominant eye or hand be related to a perceived difference? Did your mind quiet as your awareness explored your sense of yourself? Did your breath change? This is just a sneak peek into slowing to bring awareness. I invite you to explore the lessons below to learn more and to come home to yourself.
FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION
Contact me if you are interested in Functional Integration sessions.
Mindful Play in Motion 