In group classes you will be
directed through a series of gentle, non-invasive movements that grow
increasingly complex. At the same time, you are asked to pay attention
to specific sensory feedback focusing on your exploration of movement,
breath, muscle tone, and skeletal alignment.
This type of learning de-habituates the familiar sensory-motor pathways in your brain. It provides new coordination and skill while leaving you relaxed, refreshed, and focused.How do these lessons work?
Often the lessons are like puzzles in which you figure out how to move around fixed constraints. This prompts the nervous system
to activate a different muscle pattern than what you usually use. As a
result, habitual muscle tension releases and you sense
the
stability of a balanced skeleton. Your breathing becomes freer, walking
lighter, and eyes clearer. New kinesthetic perception is acquired, and
you find you can move
in ways that you previously thought
were restricted.
In
fact, moving with minimum effort and maximum ease happens not through
muscular strength, but through increased awareness of how the body
works. Your
attitude of curiosity and exploration can bring about a major change in
your habitual movement and experience. It can also improve your ability
to perform daily tasks, whether you're lifting
up your child, putting
away the dishes, or training for a marathon.
Why does being curious help?
Have you ever watched a baby learn to roll over? Children learn to move by exploring their environment, not
by saying to themselves, "today's the day I'm going to roll over!" As adults, we have forgotten this curiosity. Usually
, we tell ourselves to "sit up straight!", "quit hunching!", or "hold your head up!"
However, improvement does not happen through a top-down edict
issued to yourself from the front of the brain. Telling yourself how to
move is like saying, "Okay, 1-2-3 relax!" It doesn't work if your
habit, protective pattern, tension, or injury, is saying otherwise.
In
Feldenkrais, your nervous system doesn't learn if you are mean to it.
Here, you will use your ability to sense your own skeleton to uncover the logical connection between your center of gravity and ease of movement--all without engaging the same old habits!
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