New Movement Possibilities Evolve
Printed from http://www.bodytalksystem.com//learn/news/article.cfm?id=1183 on May 02, 2024.
Jul 06, 2023
By Bonnie Kissam
Sherry, aged 28, came to me for an initial visit, reporting upper back pain. Curious about the potential benefits of the Feldenkrais Method®, she sought to explore its applicability to her situation.
During our initial conversation, I discovered that she actively participated in yoga classes, enjoyed hiking in New Hampshire, and engaged in paddleboarding activities in Florida. She had a surface understanding of the Feldenkrais Method® related to stretching and posture. She worked in the organic foods industry, regularly lifting and carrying heavy boxes.
Through several questions that required kinesthetic knowing, I was impressed by how astutely she sensed that her right buttock contacted the chair more than her left. I explained that the Feldenkrais Method involves recognizing habitual default patterns and expanding the range of options available to her.
Throughout the session, we both focused on attentively listening to her sensory experiences. With nonverbal and verbal cues, I observed and guided her as she effortlessly described the subtle changes she noticed. This collaborative approach enabled her to discover how she could move and support herself with less effort by avoiding her habitual movement patterns, whether it was moving her arm, positioning her leg while lying on her back, or engaging in other basic daily movements.
For her session, I followed one of the many Awareness lessons developed by Moshe Feldenkrais. These lessons offer a blueprint for relearning basic functional movements that were natural to us as children. The aim is to reawaken the movement part of the brain, encouraging a more integrated use of the entire self.
I believe we possess a "use it or lose it" brain. If we neglect to use a particular body part, such as a broken wrist, the corresponding "image of action" in our brain fades until it is reintegrated. Similarly, when we only rely on our arms for reaching without engaging our legs and pelvis for support and force, these "missing parts" become absent from our image of action. As many of us spend prolonged periods sitting in front of computers, our upper back tends to be absent from our image of reaching.
As our session progressed, Sherry began to breathe more fully. She developed a sense of support in her head and shoulders by sensing her inner bones and the support that came from the spine, pelvis, and legs. This newfound awareness made her feel taller and stronger. As she departed, she commented, "I came because I was curious and open-minded. I got much more than I expected."
So, what exactly is the Feldenkrais Method®? To me, it represents a willingness to embrace a new, neurologically informed perspective on how students learn when teaching movement, facilitating rehabilitation, or helping individuals reconnect with their embodied selves. It involves helping yourself, as well as your clients, in recognizing the potential for subtle differences in everyday movement patterns and exploring alternative, more comfortable ways of moving. With curiosity and the belief that knows "there is another way," each student becomes their own therapist and educator.
Our nervous systems are continuously reacting and learning, although we often overlook them until they malfunction. We tend to focus on fixing the body or structure, neglecting the mind-body connection and the brain's remarkable capacity for natural learning through sensory perception and adjustment if we allow it. As our sensory experiences change, so do our thoughts and emotions.
By encouraging clients to explore new and different variations and supporting them in adopting a new, more effortless way of being in the world, we facilitate their nervous systems' receptiveness to new possibilities as they unfold.
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