Photo by Mark Williams on Unsplash By Dorothy Henning, GCFP, Havening Techniques® Practitioner As the lights dim darkening the circus tent, our chatter descends into a hush. The spotlights bolt on, illuminating the center ring where our eyes dash, riveted to the image of a plumber crouched under a sink. We watch in awe as the ribs on the right …
Thought for Food
Excerpted and adapted from Lavinia Plonka’s book: Playing in the Kitchen It’s 3:57AM. I shuffle toward the bathroom in the dark trying to stay half asleep so that my return to the covers will immediately return me to dreamland. I know I have to go to the bathroom when I start dreaming about toilets in the middle of people’s …
Beginner’s Guide to Feldenkrais Method® Lessons
by Michael Krugman, GCFP The Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education is an innovative method of movement education that teaches you to move with greater ease and efficiency so you can enjoy life more. It’s also one of the most effective approaches to stress reduction around. Regular students of the method enjoy better posture, breathing, and coordination as well as greater …
A Conscious Commute
by Buffy Owens, GCFP Are you one of the many that commute to work every day? I am. My office is nearly 25 minutes from my home. At first, I dreaded the commute. But now I LOVE it! My drive time has become a resource for refining my Awareness Through Movement® skills and building my mindfulness muscles. Plus, all of …
Mindfulness, Bodyfulness, Heartfulness
by Mike Morrell “Try doing less, Mike.” These four words are a frequent refrain I hear in Awareness Through Movement® class. I’m on the floor yet again. Usually followed by something like “What would it be like to be easier on yourself?” I then have the opportunity to move my arms, legs, head or torso more gently, lightly, or slowly …
Enhance the Awareness Through Movement® Experience for People Living with Parkinson’s Disease
by Marg Bartosek, GCFP At least one million people in the U.S. live with Parkinson’s disease. One or more students in your Awareness Through Movement® classes may have this progressive neurodegenerative disease, and have not yet been diagnosed. Often, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is not easy to diagnose. In fact by the time of official diagnosis, the person has usually had …
Flexion, Foundation, and Feet
This recorded Awareness Through Movement® lesson begins with a three-minute talk about what the Feldenkrais Method® is (and isn’t) and how with the Method, our movements are always in service of awareness–even when they resemble traditional exercise. Why build awareness? Because our awareness is what regulates how we behave. Try this lesson now. Nick Strauss-Klein (a 2006 New York FPTP graduate) is the Director of Twin Cities Feldenkrais® …
Becci Parsons Talks about Reclaiming Her Life from Neuropathy
Ira Feinstein: How did you become interested in exploring how the Feldenkrais Method® can help those living with neuropathy? Becci Parsons: I’m a Feldenkrais® practitioner living with neuropathy. Over the course of my active life, I’ve had a number of disc injuries. My original disc herniation was in 1992, a year after I became a Feldenkrais practitioner. I managed pretty well for a …
Mindfulness in Movement: Move Yourself to Know Yourself
by Marsha Novak, GCFP The word “mindfulness” is everywhere these days and often associated with a sitting meditation practice. As we sit and follow our breath, we become more “mindful,” a term Jon Kabat-Zinn defines as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Although sitting meditation is perhaps one of the well-known avenues …
Got Pain, but no Time? Try a short Feldenkrais® Lesson!
Can you remember being Pain-Free When was the last time you got through a day without experiencing any pain? If you’re one of the 100 million Americans who, according to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, deals with pain on a daily basis, it’s possible that you don’t even remember what living pain-free felt like. And then there …