FELDENKRAIS
Feldenkrais is also known as Awareness Through Movement (ATM). This is a guided, group movement practice where a practitioner verbally directs participants through slow, mindful sequences of movements.
The Feldenkrais ATM’s can be sampled in the monthly workshop.
What Is the Feldenkrais Method?
The Feldenkrais method or therapy, developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, is the application of a gentle mindful movement based on principles of connecting motor development and psychological awareness. Instead of stretching or intense physical conditioning, ATMs (Awareness Through Movement) use gentle movements explorations to help your brain unlearn habits that cause tension or pain.
If in your day-to-day life or hobbies you are troubled by, lifting objects, standing, seating, lying down or walking, running, dancing, cycling, climbing or holding posture where discomfort is felt Feldenkrais can help. ATM’s use specific movement patterns found to improve physical and mentally blind spots in coordination, balance, agility, and strength.
You can expect a class to last somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. You might walk, stand, or sit in a chair, although usually, you will lie on the floor in a variety of comfortable positions: either on your back, front, or side. The teacher guides students through a sequence of movements, encouraging them to move with gentle attention within a comfortable range. You may become aware of unexpected and interesting connections within and between the movements. As you attend to the improving quality of movement, unnecessary muscular tensions throughout the body can reorganize and release. Students are often amazed at the quick and clear changes that occur through the neuromuscular repatterning that happens in an Awareness Through Movement lesson!
The Ethos of Feldenkrais
Feldenkrais promotes the process that there is no one way to do a series of tasks and that each individual will find there way of doing the task explored in the ATM. The accomplishment of a task is how you learn to tackle it not what it looks like according to teacher’s demonstrations or picture image. Thus the Feldenkrais teacher does not demonstrate.
This makes Feldenkrais an excellent choice for novices or people with physical restrictions, who need to or like to find their way through sequences of suggested movements. Students are encouraged to rest when they need to take safe detours to help them accomplish learning with self awareness and self compassion.
Feldenkrais can help you move more freely and with less pain, improve flexibility and balance, ease stress and fatigue, and improve posture. It can be helpful if you have: Acute or chronic back, neck, muscle or joint pain. Arthritis. Including neurological and other medical issues.