In addition to teaching the Feldenkrais Method®, I am a nurse with an expertise in care of the elderly. Currently I work occasionally in the community and in the hospital, facilitating discharges from hospital and ensuring people get the care at home they need. Last week I attended a training session on assessing elders for long term care.
Older people living with dementia often forget how to do everyday activities, such as dressing, eating, grooming. In the training session, an entry in the manual suggested that to help seniors regain function, caregivers should break down larger activities into sub tasks.
I read the recommendation and said to myself “really!”
I have known for a long time how much easier it is to learn new things by focusing on the small pieces and doing a little bit at a time.
That is the crux of the Feldenkrais Method; we learn how to make actions easier by doing thorough, slow, and deliberate explorations of the component movements that make up a larger activity. And we do a little at a time, not assuming that Rome was built in a day.
For example, I suggest to my clients that they learn to do things with their non dominant hand, including using the computer mouse. Most people groan and have many excuses why it is not possible. I suggest they change the mouse into their other hand for 5 minutes the first day and while doing so that pay attention to what changes in the rest of their body, for example how they sit, breathe, carry their shoulders and where they sense tension. 
Try it your self, but only for five minutes the first time, then return the mouse to your usual hand. Try again the next day for a few minutes, repeating for a few minutes each day until it becomes easy. That way you become proficient in doing a usual activity in a different, non habitual way and you develop options. The same thing with eating or brushing your teeth. Eat a few forkfuls with your other hand every day, use your other hand to brush your teeth for 1-2 minutes, changing back to finish.
What would you do if you were not able to use your dominant hand and you hadn’t learned to do these important things with your other hand?
In Feldenkrais classes, called Awareness Through Movement®, we change our habits, one step at a time. A whole new world awaits!
If you want to learn more about how you can make incremental changes, one task at a time, visit our website to see how we can help you.
