"Health is measured not by the capacity to stay standing but by the ability to be knocked down
and then return to standing." - Moshe Feldenkrais
and then return to standing." - Moshe Feldenkrais
MY GIFT TO YOU - A TASTE of FELDENKRAIS as related to SITTING
Welcome
Please find yourself a quiet place to sit, within hearing distance of your computer/IPhone/IPad.
The AUDIO lesson below is suitable for any age and any physical condition. You will be directed to make small gentle movements, so follow along as best you can, doing ONLY what is comfortable in the moment.
There's no right or wrong way; just paying attention and allow your intentions to be clear before you move into action. You'll find your own, best, most comfortable way to move!
I suggest you close your eyes to 'listen with intention' as you follow this short and easy movement study.
Once you have a 'body sense and awareness' of the movement sequences and timing you can apply it to absolutely any situation in your life.
After you have completed the lesson you may think more clearly, move with less pain, feel taller, lighter, more grounded, balanced or more aware and alive!
Why is this important?
Because to MOVE WELL in a coordinated effortless manner always feels better.
When you feel better, you can DO better.
Whatever you notice is absolutely fine, each person's body is unique and responds according to their past learned history of adaptation and compensation.
Please remember these lessons are NOT get fit exercises, yoga poses or pilates!
You'll be amazed what is possible when you move SLOWLY, MINDFULLY and within the comfortable range. 'My Gift' is to awaken your curiosity and support your return to the natural flexibility, flow and co-ordinations familiar with your childhood, no matter your age ... I hope you enjoy!
The AUDIO lesson below is suitable for any age and any physical condition. You will be directed to make small gentle movements, so follow along as best you can, doing ONLY what is comfortable in the moment.
There's no right or wrong way; just paying attention and allow your intentions to be clear before you move into action. You'll find your own, best, most comfortable way to move!
I suggest you close your eyes to 'listen with intention' as you follow this short and easy movement study.
Once you have a 'body sense and awareness' of the movement sequences and timing you can apply it to absolutely any situation in your life.
After you have completed the lesson you may think more clearly, move with less pain, feel taller, lighter, more grounded, balanced or more aware and alive!
Why is this important?
Because to MOVE WELL in a coordinated effortless manner always feels better.
When you feel better, you can DO better.
Whatever you notice is absolutely fine, each person's body is unique and responds according to their past learned history of adaptation and compensation.
Please remember these lessons are NOT get fit exercises, yoga poses or pilates!
You'll be amazed what is possible when you move SLOWLY, MINDFULLY and within the comfortable range. 'My Gift' is to awaken your curiosity and support your return to the natural flexibility, flow and co-ordinations familiar with your childhood, no matter your age ... I hope you enjoy!
Discover how to support yourself through your own internal scaffolding- your skeleton!
Check out your sit bones!
Below as a gentle reminder of body movements and awareness's we played with during our 'SitSmart- Lift Your Bottom Line' Feldenkrais Workshop.
OK lets start with your 'SIT BONES'!
You can see them clearly on the image to the left!
Once again we will use awareness of your sensory feedback to continue to 'wake up' your 'inner self image'.
Many people don't ever consider their skeletons, the boney scaffolding we all have within us and without which we would be nothing but a heap of crumpled wet flesh, somewhat like a wet coat when it's fallen to the ground from it's coat hanger or support person!!
Awful thought eh!
What's worse is that most people who experience muscular tension, tightness and joint pain, walk around as though they don't have a skeleton and instead 'greatly over work' their muscles to not only hold them up and balanced, but also swing their limbs.
Exhausting to say the least!
Are you one of millions who carry your skeleton around using muscular effort and brute force and wonder why the heck you hurt, feel tired, lethargic and irritable. It's little wonder that the next step for many is medication and worse still surgery, followed by a sad withdrawal from activities and sports you love?
It breaks my heart when I hear stories like this, how others have withdrawn from expressing their passions due to discomfort, tension, limitation and pain,
As we demonstrated in our workshop there is light at the end of the tunnel whatever your journey has been. We have lots to teach you to inspire and support you to re-discover the freedom and comfort you have been looking for.
Our revolutionary approach, known as The Feldenkrais Method gives you direct access to re-embody your 'inner' scaffolding in harmonious relationship with your nervous system and muscles in a fresh new and connected way, just as they are designed.
The 'job' of your skeleton is to be a powerful and flexible 'inner' structure that is beautifully designed to carry and transfer the weight of your soft tissues, organs and body fluids easily and efficiently, all within the field of gravity and connected to the ground.
Makes good ol' common sense doesn't it?
The following Awareness Through Movement Lesson builds upon lessons we explored during our SitSmart Workshop.
Please schedule quiet time to play and enjoy. Find yourself a comfortable space, take your phone off the hook, let others know you do not want to be disturbed and come to sit. Pause and scan your body. Notice where there is discomfort and enjoy the following lesson.
Lesson are designed to help you become more aware of your body, to learn how to use your body more intelligently by using your skeleton to support you rather than your muscles.
So put into plain English, it’s about moving smart, easier and freer.
This is a “lesson” and not “exercise”, and for this reason, it is essential that you do all of the movements slowly and gently. Think of it as an exploration and allow yourself to sense what you are doing - make it possible for yourself to discover new and different ways to move.
Always move within the range of movement that is easy and comfortable for you.
Pain is counter-productive.
In fact, the more slowly, gently, and care-fully you do the movements, the more you will learn, and the more you'll enjoy learning.
OK lets start with your 'SIT BONES'!
You can see them clearly on the image to the left!
Once again we will use awareness of your sensory feedback to continue to 'wake up' your 'inner self image'.
Many people don't ever consider their skeletons, the boney scaffolding we all have within us and without which we would be nothing but a heap of crumpled wet flesh, somewhat like a wet coat when it's fallen to the ground from it's coat hanger or support person!!
Awful thought eh!
What's worse is that most people who experience muscular tension, tightness and joint pain, walk around as though they don't have a skeleton and instead 'greatly over work' their muscles to not only hold them up and balanced, but also swing their limbs.
Exhausting to say the least!
Are you one of millions who carry your skeleton around using muscular effort and brute force and wonder why the heck you hurt, feel tired, lethargic and irritable. It's little wonder that the next step for many is medication and worse still surgery, followed by a sad withdrawal from activities and sports you love?
It breaks my heart when I hear stories like this, how others have withdrawn from expressing their passions due to discomfort, tension, limitation and pain,
As we demonstrated in our workshop there is light at the end of the tunnel whatever your journey has been. We have lots to teach you to inspire and support you to re-discover the freedom and comfort you have been looking for.
Our revolutionary approach, known as The Feldenkrais Method gives you direct access to re-embody your 'inner' scaffolding in harmonious relationship with your nervous system and muscles in a fresh new and connected way, just as they are designed.
The 'job' of your skeleton is to be a powerful and flexible 'inner' structure that is beautifully designed to carry and transfer the weight of your soft tissues, organs and body fluids easily and efficiently, all within the field of gravity and connected to the ground.
Makes good ol' common sense doesn't it?
The following Awareness Through Movement Lesson builds upon lessons we explored during our SitSmart Workshop.
Please schedule quiet time to play and enjoy. Find yourself a comfortable space, take your phone off the hook, let others know you do not want to be disturbed and come to sit. Pause and scan your body. Notice where there is discomfort and enjoy the following lesson.
Lesson are designed to help you become more aware of your body, to learn how to use your body more intelligently by using your skeleton to support you rather than your muscles.
So put into plain English, it’s about moving smart, easier and freer.
This is a “lesson” and not “exercise”, and for this reason, it is essential that you do all of the movements slowly and gently. Think of it as an exploration and allow yourself to sense what you are doing - make it possible for yourself to discover new and different ways to move.
Always move within the range of movement that is easy and comfortable for you.
Pain is counter-productive.
In fact, the more slowly, gently, and care-fully you do the movements, the more you will learn, and the more you'll enjoy learning.
TO BEGIN YOUR FELDENKRAIS AWARENESS THROUGH MOVEMENT LESSON CLICK AUDIO BELOW-
SITTING AT YOUR HOME, WORK OR PLAY-
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1. Find a comfortable, stationary chair, preferably one with a flat, horizontal seat pan.
Place it far enough away from your desk that you can extend your arms without hitting anything. Sit on the front half of the seat, any way that you like as long as you are not leaning on the backrest. Place your hands in your lap and your feet on the floor. Take a few moments to notice how you sit. Notice how your buttocks make contact with the chair. ASK youself... do you place your weight more on the right buttock or the left? Do you sit more on the rearward portion of your buttocks, nearer to the backrest, or more on the forward part, near your thighs? Don't change anything; just observe how you're sitting right now. Continue observing your seated posture. Is it easy to hold your head up? Or does your neck and shoulders feel like they are working overtime? Do you feel that you are sitting tall, or does your body feel cramped and contracted? Slowly turn your head to the right and left. Is that easy to do, or does the movement feel stiff or limited in some way? Notice your breathing. Do you breathe freely, or do you tend to hold your breath? Sit back and rest a minute. |
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2. Slouch and look down
Sit as before. Slowly round your back, slouching, lowering your head as if you wanted to look at you belly button. Then slowly raise yourself back to your starting position. Repeat several times only going as far as is absolutely comfortable. How do you do this movement? Feel the bending movement in the neck, the collapsing of the chest, the sliding downwards of the sternum and the tilting back of the pelvis. What are you using to round your back? Sit back and rest a minute. |
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3. Arch and look up Remember you are only exploring easy movement! Sit as before. Gently, as if to explore all the places in your back, start to arch your back a little, as you raise your head and eyes to look upwards. Repeat several times starting off small and only going as far as is easy. Feel all the places that are involved in this, including lower back, the raising of the sternum and the rolling forward of the pelvis on the sitting bones. Sit back and rest a minute. |
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4. Rounding and arching including breathing
Sit forward again and start to gently round and then arch your back. Slowly co-ordinating the looking down and the looking up. Repeat several times breathing out as you round and breathe in as you come up.
Don’t overwork your neck - just let it be a continuation of the curve of your back. Think of lengthening your back as you slouch and lengthening your front as you arch. Take your attention to the different places of your back, chest, ribs, pelvis, neck as you do this. Notice how the shape of these places changes.
Sit back and rest a minute.
5. Turned rounding and arching. Left.
Again come forward to sitting. Turn your head and shoulders comfortably to the left, resting both hands on your left knee. In this position start gently rounding and arching and repeat many times slowly.
Notice how weight is distributed over your left and right buttock throughout the movement. Relax your jaw and don’t forget to breathe with the movement.
Rest.
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6. Turn round and arch to the Right.
This time turn your head and shoulders sweep to the right. Put your right hand on your sternum in the middle of your chest and your left hand on your belly just under your belly button. In this position, go ahead and repeat the rounding and arching. Use your hands to give you feedback as to what is being involved in this movement. How do you coordinate the rolling of the pelvis, the movement of the lower back, the chest, the breathing and the looking? Sit back and rest. |
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7. Movement of the lower back and pelvis.
Sit forward and slowly arch and round your back a couple of times. Rolling forwards and backwards over your sit bones. When your whole back is rounded, with your pelvis tilted backward and your head hanging down and your chest collapsed, pause in this position and feel the shape and length of your back. Place your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your belly. Then, slowly and gradually, start tilting your pelvis forward, slightly arching your lower back only. Go only as far as it is easy and you can “see” the movement and then round back to your slouched position. Repeat this several times – can you make it easier? Remember that your chest stays collapsed, and your upper back and neck remains rounded. Remember to Breathe! Sit back and rest. |
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8. Move your upper back, chest and neck.
Sit forward and slouch – rounding your whole back as before. This time put your left hand on your abdomen or belly and your right hand on your chest. Now, keeping your lower back rounded, start to slowly raise your chest and eyes as you slightly arch your upper back. Come back down. Repeat this. Your left hand stays where it is and your right hand raises and lowers. Breathe in on the way up and out on the way down. Don’t strain! Don’t hold your breath - don’t hold your jaw. A millimeter of movement without strain is better than an inch with strain. Your ribs can be soft and your sternum or breastbone can slide up and down. Sit back and rest. |
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9. Simply round and arch Sit forward and simply round and arch your back a few times. Notice how your pelvis, your feet, lower back, chest, upper back neck and eyes. Does more of your back feel more available now? How do you breathe with this now? Come back to what is the middle for you and notice how you are sitting. Is your contact with the chair any different? Are you sitting taller? Notice the balance and support. How dynamic does this feel and how easy is breathing now? Look around at your new environment. Note: There is no need force yourself to sit in any particular way. Just do what comes naturally to you. Your posture and movement will begin to change spontaneously, when you are ready. After a couple of days, you can do this lesson again. It may feel quite different to you the second time around. |
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-As we discussed in the workshop all our Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Lessons are accumulative in nature.
As you attend different teachings your brain will naturally build upon the awareness developed in previous explorations.
As your body-mind integrates and embodies a fresh new way to move, you will naturally find yourself moving organically with the freedom, ease and aliveness you had a young child. No matter your age!
I look forward to you joining our 'quirky' and curious explorations please call me for a chat.
Here's to Feeling Great
Sandy
0419-923-413
As you attend different teachings your brain will naturally build upon the awareness developed in previous explorations.
As your body-mind integrates and embodies a fresh new way to move, you will naturally find yourself moving organically with the freedom, ease and aliveness you had a young child. No matter your age!
I look forward to you joining our 'quirky' and curious explorations please call me for a chat.
Here's to Feeling Great
Sandy
0419-923-413