Playing with Balance

May 1, 2012 By

On the weekend while hiking the very beginning of the famous Stawamus Chief trail near Squamish, I was once again reminded of the role balance plays in not only helping us stay upright while climbing or descending a steep hill but its importance for everyday activities such as walking and sitting.

Try the following short movement sequence and challenge your balance:

  • Stand on the floor with your feet hip width apart. Notice the weight distribution in each foot. Are you standing evenly on both feet? Where is your head aligned relative to your pelvis?
  • Cross your right foot in front of your left foot to stand to the left of your left foot. Notice your weight distribution in your feet now. How are your head and pelvis aligned relative to your feet?
  • With your legs crossed, reach up to the ceiling with your right arm, looking at your arm as it reaches upward. As you reach feel your pelvis moving in the opposite direction of the right reaching arm, e.g. to the left. How does the weight distribution change in your feet? What did you have to adjust to maintain balance?
  • Then reach with your left arm and feel your pelvis shifting to the right. Is it easier to reach with this arm? Are you still breathing easily?
  • Reach around yourself in all directions e.g. to the sides, downward and notice how your feet and pelvis support you.
  • Uncross your legs. Stand and rest for a moment.
  • Cross your left foot over your right foot to stand to the right of your right foot. Explore the same reaching sequences with each arm. Notice the differences in this configuration in how your pelvis and feet support you and how you maintain your balance.
  • Uncross your feet and stand as at the beginning, noticing what feels different and how your pelvis, back, shoulders and head feel? Where is the weight distributed in your feet now?
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Learn and be happy

April 24, 2012 By

A recent report suggests what many of us already know: people that are educated and continue to learn are happier and report greater overall well-being.

Generally people with more education have higher incomes. In the report, the authors discuss whether this greater earning power is responsible for the reported higher levels of happiness. They also discuss the impact of being engaged in and liking what you are doing  as a predictor of being fulfilled.

In Feldenkrais classes our focus is on engaging our brains to learn new ways of acting and to do what we know how to do in different ways so we can make them easier to do and we can have choices for action. We know that varying components of a task helps the brain to learn. In each class we introduce several combinations and permutations for each movement so that our brain can experiment and ultimately come up with the most elegant way to do every action where we use our body, and brain, to its fullest.

As Moshe Feldenkrais said, “Learning is the gift of life. Learning that is not conducted through a new way of action is not learning.”

Try the following short movement sequence that works on balance and will help you discover an easier sitting position that puts less strain on your legs and back.
  • Sit on a chair that allows you to place your feet, uncrossed, on the floor.
  • Push your feet into the floor and lift your pelvis off the chair but only as high as needed to slide a piece of paper out from under your pelvis.
  • Return your pelvis.
  • Repeat this movement several times.
  • Every so often change the placement of your feet on the floor to try to make the movement easier and lighter.
  • Lift your pelvis and bounce it forward toward your feet and then bounce it backward toward the back of your chair.
  • Each time you bounce try to make it lighter.
  • Have fun.
  • Stop when you have finished bouncing and get up from the chair. Notice how you do so now. Does it feel different from your usual way of getting up from a chair?
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Pain in the neck

March 12, 2012 By

Millions of people worldwide are using computer tablets and with their growing use more is being written about the associated ergonomic hazards. Last week the LA Times reported on a Harvard study that looked at how different positions assumed by tablet users and various placements of the tablet on a table or user’s lap affected head and neck posture and comfort. Most people bend over to look at and use a tablet, leading to neck and shoulder strain. In contrast, it is easier to adjust the position of a desk top or laptop screen so as to require less forward bending or flexion of the neck region of the spine.

The Harvard researchers found that placing the tablet in what they called the table-movie position, resting at a steep angle on the table, resulted in the closest to neutral organization of the head and neck. They suggested changing positions often and using an appropriate case that facilitates propping the tablet at a steep angle.

Consider as well your own position:

  • Sit on a chair that allows you to place your feet, uncrossed, on the floor and to get close enough to the surface on which the tablet is resting.
  • Notice if you are holding your breath or gritting your teeth and clenching your jaws as you work.
  • Take a break at least every 20 minutes, if not more frequently.
  • Move your chair away from the table, sit at the front of the chair, feet on the floor. Move your right knee slightly forward, keeping your right foot on the floor. This movement will connect through your spine to move your right shoulder slightly forward. Feel your head and eyes turning to the left and your left shoulder moving slightly backward.
  • Reverse the motion by moving your left knee and shoulder forward feeling how your spine turns to allow your right shoulder to go back.
  • Repeat a few times ensuring your eyes are moving in the same direction as your head.
  • Feel the movement of your head coming from the bottom of your spine and not from your neck.
  • Then repeat a few times turning your eyes opposite to the movement of your head to look over the shoulder that is coming forward.
  • As you do these gentle movements, pay attention that you are not restricting movement by holding your breath, gritting your teeth or clenching your jaws.
  • At the next 20-minute interval repeat these movements.
  • Stand up every so often and walk around.

In my Feldenkrais practice I work with my clients to help them find the best ways to use their bodies for easy movement.

Please call us for a consultation to see how we can help you solve the movement issues you are dealing with.

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Relax your face to relax your body

February 27, 2012 By

This weekend we held a new workshop, Feldenkrais® Facial. Rather than applying creams and gels to our faces we did several Awareness Through Movement® lessons related to the face, neck, jaw and eyes.

We evoked several feeling states such as happy, sad, angry and pain and discovered that each sentiment brought forth different sensations in our face, head and neck as well as illuminated connections to our back, pelvis and other areas of our body. Everyone left the workshop feeling their face felt more relaxed and supple and everyone looked much younger!

Here is a sample movement from the workshop:

  • Sit comfortably on a chair with your feet uncrossed and firmly on the floor. If you prefer you can lie on your back with your legs long or legs bent, your feet on the floor or bed, knees directed toward the ceiling.
  • Close your eyes. Bring both hands to your face. Cover your right eye with your right hand and your left eye with your left hand like this: rest your fingertips above your eyebrows with one hand over the other, your palms are on your upper cheeks so your hands form a cup over your eye sockets without applying any pressure to your eyes, they are there just to block the light.
  • Breathe gently for a couple of moments in this position and notice the darkest area in your field of vision. Try to enhance that dark area.
  • Remove your hands from your eyes but keep your eyes closed.
  • Slowly move only your eyes to the right and back to the centre, keeping your head forward. Each time you repeat the movement try to make it easier and smoother, release tension in your face and continue to breathe gently.
  • Then double the speed at which you move your eyes to the right and back to centre.
  • Then return to your initial speed.
  • Stop and pause for a few moments before repeating the exploration with your eyes moving to the left and back to the centre.
  • After pausing, place your hands on your eyes in the same manner as before and notice if the darkness in your field of vision has increased. Can you expand it further?
  • Take a few moments to rest in sitting on lying on your back before opening your eyes and resuming your day.

Upcoming workshops:

Walking Wisely, March 25 (please note new date)
Getting to Know Your Hip Joints, March 31.
Please click here for information on workshops and to register.

Our Spring class and workshop schedule will be available shortly on our website.

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Posture

February 20, 2012 By

How do you feel when you are not standing or sitting as straight as you would like? What do you do to straighten yourself? What does it mean to have a good posture?

A lot of people feel that good posture is a reflection of how straight they are sitting or standing.

Moshe Feldenkrais taught us to think instead of posture as being dynamic, and reflecting how your body rests, arranges itself, and moves from one position to another, minute by minute throughout the day. The ideal is to feel comfortable and not compressed, in all positions.

Try this short sequence to explore how to reduce the slump and feel your spine lengthen to its natural length to help you feel taller and more open.

  • Stand on the floor, feet about hip width apart, knees softly bent.
  • Lengthen your left arm toward the ceiling as if someone was pulling you upward through your arm. Then release it. Look at your hand as you reach it toward the ceiling.
  • Repeat a few times, noticing:
    • How your head moves in response to the lengthening of your arm
    • How the reaching arm connects with your ribs on the left
    • How you are breathing as you lift and release your arm
    • What you notice happening along the left side of your back and at your waist
    • What you sense in your feet and heels
  • Stop and pause for a few moments.
  • Lengthen your right arm to the ceiling, paying attention to the various connections on this side.
  • Stand and notice how tall and open you feel now and how your feet connect with the floor.

 

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Increase sensitivity in your hands and fingers

February 7, 2012 By

We use our hands a lot during the day, especially our fingers for typing and texting and as a result more and more people are experiencing tension and pain in their wrists and fingers. Take a few minutes several times a day to move away from your computer or smart phone.

In Feldenkrais practice we strive  to sense all parts of our body, sometimes in its entirety and sometimes as components. We explore the effects of freedom of movement or of strain in one area on the rest of our self. If we overwork our fingers and hands, the rest of our body, and mind, will be less able to sense, move, act and think.

Try these small sequences to increase the sensitivity in your hands:

  • Sit comfortably on a chair, your feet uncrossed and on the floor.  Place your hands gently in your lap. Close your eyes.
  • Notice your breath and feel how your body responds to each inhalation and exhalation. Shift your attention from your breathing to your right hand and then back to your breathing. Then pay attention to your left hand. What do you notice about each hand and fingers and wrists? What else comes to your attention?
  • Keep your eyes closed and gently and loosely interlace your fingers, feeling the connection between the fingers of both your hands.
  • Slowly and easily slide your fingers closer together, letting each finger slide along its companion on the other hand. Feel the side of each finger. Then draw the hands apart but keep them loosely interlaced. Repeat sliding your fingers together and apart. What do you notice about each hand including the fingers, palms, and knuckles?
  • What does the rest of your body feel like when you move your hands together and apart?
  • Slowly release the hands and rest them on your lap for a few moments.
  • Then interlace them the other way – e.g. if your right thumb was closest to your body switch to have your left thumb closer. Repeat the slow sliding of the hands together and apart.Increase sensitivity in your hands and fingers
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Change Your Age

January 23, 2012 By

How old we feel is often dictated more by our movement habits and our ability to move with ease than by our chronological age. We can unlearn many of these restrictive habits and create new ones to help our bodies and minds feel younger, stronger and more agile and flexible.

Here is a sample movement sequence from the Change Your Age program, based on the pioneering work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, founder of the Feldenkrais Method of Movement Education.

  • Stand behind and to the left of a chair with your right hand holding onto the back of the chair.
  • Bend your right knee only enough to lift your right heel off the floor and then return it. Repeat a few times, keep your left leg stable.
  • Then lift the ball of your foot and feel the weight shifting to your right heel. Continue to breathe easily as you do these movements.
  • Rock back and forth from the heel of your right foot to the ball of your foot. Do not press on the chair. You might feel your right hip moving forward and backward slightly.
  • Walk around the room for a moment and notice any differences in your legs and feet.
  • Return to the chair and stand to the right of the chair with your left hand holding the back of the chair. Repeat the movements with your left foot.
  • Stand away from the chair. What do you notice about your standing balance?
  • Walk around for a few moments. What do you sense about how you are walking now compared to earlier?

 

We are holding a Change Your Age workshop on Saturday January 28. Click here to read more about this workshop.This workshop is suitable for people of all ages and abilities. No specialized equipment or clothing is required.

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Keep Moving

January 10, 2012 By

Almost every day we read articles extolling the virtues of a non sedentary lifestyle.

There is now recognition that children who exercise do better in school and are healthier, no matter what form of exercise they do.

It has long been known that prolonged sitting increases strain on the back and leads to muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. Another article confirms that sitting for long periods is not good for us and can even shorten our lives.

So get moving.

  • Change positions often.
  • If your job requires you to sit at a desk or computer, set a timer and get up at least every 20 minutes.
  • Stand up, feel your feet firmly on the floor, unlock your knees and take a couple of breaths.
  • Keeping your feet in place turn your upper body to look to the left. Feel your right shoulder moving forward and the right side of your pelvis moving forward. Let your neck be free. Breathe easily. Return to the middle and repeat, turning to the right.
  • Take a few steps – first walk forward and then backward. Walking backward challenges your brain to work differently which will introduces new movement patterns to your body.
  • Get a drink of water and then return to work.
  • Take these 2 minute breaks every 20 minutes.
  • And encourage your children to move and to be active.

As Moshe Feldenkrais famously said: “Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.”

The Feldenkrais Method® is a unique form of movement education. We learn to do gentle and easy movement sequences that help change the way we move. The Feldenkrais Method is for anyone who wants to reconnect with their natural abilities to move, think and feel.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® classes we learn how to pay attention to how we move so we can do what we love doing with greater ease and comfort. If you are in Vancouver, check out our on line schedule and consider joining us.

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Walking stairs saves time and is healthier

January 3, 2012 By

Feeling like a slug after all the holiday eating and drinking?

Rather than making one big resolution to get into shape think about starting small and slow.

You could begin by deciding to walk up stairs rather than taking the elevator especially for 3 flights or less. A recent study suggests that it can take as much as double the time to reach your destination when you wait for and take an elevator instead of walking the stairs.

But how you walk up the stairs is important in order to protect your back and reduce stress on your knees and hip joints.

  • Put one foot on the stair in front of you and pay attention to what you do as you bring the back leg to join the front one. Did you pull yourself up with the front leg or did you push yourself forward with the back leg?
  • Start again at the bottom of a staircase. Put one foot on the stair in front of you. Pay attention to the back leg behind you. As soon as you start to lift the front leg to climb the stair think about peeling the back heel off the floor. Feel the back foot rolling from the heel to the ball and then to the toes. Lift it to join the upper foot on the stair. When the upper foot is supporting you on the stair begin to peel it off to go up onto the next stair.
  • This is a propelling motion of the back leg pushing you forward rather than the front leg pulling you up.
  • After you are able to feel the propelling motion, try a few stairs without thinking of the back foot and notice if there is a difference in how you climb the stairs. Feel the difference between the pulling and pushing motions. Which feels easier?
  • Then walk up the stairs at your normal speed, thinking of the back leg.

Winter Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® classes begin Tuesday January 10, 2012. Check out our schedule for more information.

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Listen and learn

December 13, 2011 By

A lot of people speak and write about the importance of listening for good communication. It is important to remember that listening is not the same as hearing, which we do primarily with our ears.

We can learn a lot about someone when we take the time to really listen. And even more importantly we can learn a lot about ourselves when we stop to listen.

Active listening implies that while the other person is talking we don’t talk over them or become distracted by thinking about what our immediate response will be. We stay focused on the person, on her words and body language and facial expressions, which can tell as much as, or more, than the words she is saying.  We look at her in the eye and try to imagine the feelings and thoughts behind her words.

We can also earn a lot about ourselves when we stop to listen.  As you go about your day, can you hear the tapes being played in your head rushing you from one thing to another or encouraging you to do several things at once? Do you listen to yourself as you walk up the one or two flights of stairs and wonder why you are not breathing as easily or why your knee or hip is sore? Or why sitting in your desk chair causes lower back pain and neck tension? Do you listen to your body while exercising and the cues that tell you to change how you are doing an exercise or stop doing it if you feel pain?

In our practice of the Feldenkrais Method® of movement education we learn how to listen to ourselves as we move around in the world. We use movement as the basis of awareness. We pay attention to how we move, what parts of our body we are inviting to participate in each movement sequence, how much effort we use, whether we are breathing easily and if we are clenching our jaws.

Consider how you listen to yourself. We invite you to explore how listening effects your movements and ultimately all that you do.

We have three avenues for you to continue your learning: weekly Awareness Through Movement® classes, weekend special workshops, or private Functional Integration® session.

Please contact us today to find out more.

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