See our recent newsletter with our winter class and workshop schedule: http://tinyurl.com/yabnl79

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” This quote, by Wayne Dyer, an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development, speaks to a core value of the Feldenkrais Method®.

In each class we do a series of movements, not to achieve a goal but to explore the process of carrying out the movement and returning to the starting place. We bring attention to all aspects of the movement and to how we use each area of our body. Then we change one element, for instance how the fingers are interlaced or which hand we rest the forehead on while lying on the front. The one change creates an effect throughout our whole body and it can feel as if are doing a very different movement. Our attention has changed and with it the connection to our whole body as we move.

But Feldenkrais is first and foremost about changing our perspective, not only in how we move but in how we think about and do many things in our daily lives.

When people come to us for a private Functional Integration® lesson, we ask them what functional activity they would like to learn to do easier. Our approach is that nothing is wrong or needs to be fixed but that all of us can learn how to do things a little differently, a little gentler and with a little more support. We focus on finding support physically through our skeleton and metaphorically through how we perceive what we are doing and its impact on our lives. Small changes in what we do often result in larger changes in how we do things and in our outlook.

Good luck in creating the change you want in your life.

Click here for details of our Feldenkrais classes and workshops for this Fall.

“Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.” – Moshe Feldenkrais

In Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® classes we are often reminded not to work hard and to not focus on achieving a goal. Feldenkrais said that by focusing on the goal we “lose the incentive for learning” and thus accept a level of performance below our potential.

Feldenkrais classes are about learning. Students are guided, through verbal directions and awareness clues and questions, to focus on the process of the movements or as Feldenkrais stated, “the means to achieving.” We are frequently guided to move slower and to stop movements before we feel any hint of strain or tension. Going slowly and observing what we are doing, or not doing, while carrying out a movement sequence or other action, enhances the learning process. When we stop and listen to ourselves we can notice if we are clenching our jaws, holding our breath, furrowing our brows, or tightening groups of muscles, all of which only make what we are doing feel harder.

In our daily lives many of us feel overwhelmed as we begin a new project, start to learn a new sport, or undertake a new endeavor. We focus on the final outcome which can feel like an insurmountable task. It is then that we unknowingly impose these movement restrictions on ourselves.

Learning to be aware of when these arise and focusing on the “means to achieving” will help improve your quality of life.

Click here for more about what is happening at our Centre this Spring as well as a new movement tip.

There is lots happening at the Feldenkrais® Centre Vancouver this month.  Have a look at our March newsletter by clicking here. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming workshop, at a class or for your private Functional Integration® session.