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By now you may have gathered that Feldenkrais is not
the easiest thing to talk about. That’s because
we’re translating into the verbal something that
is a visceral experience, and trying to capture on a
page a practice that is multidimensional. In class,
I use images a lot to bridge these gaps. Here are a
few:
>> Cheshire cat
If you haven't read Alice in Wonderland or seen the Disney version, hopefully you can imagine a grinning cat whose body comes in and out of focus, sometimes leaving only the smile visible. Our neurological "self image" can be a lot like that, with places in the body that do not feel quite there. One of my students calls it "people becoming strangers to ourselves" because the world is so "obsessed with complex technology and speed." Often we don't pay attention until something hurts. Feldenkrais helps build a new self-image by filling in these nonengaged spaces. Usually, becoming aware of a part of yourself from which you had checked out elicits an "Aha!" experience.
>> River of movement
Ideally, you can start a movement in one part of your
body — say, by pressing the sole of your foot
down as you lie on the floor — and the motion
will flow in smooth sequence from joint to joint through
the rest, feeling a lot like an internal massage. Initially
when you try this, the movement is more likely to feel
dammed up, as if whole families of beavers are in there
gumming up the works. But as you become increasingly
aware of the ripple effect, places that are stiff or
unresponsive stand out in stark relief. Then you can
learn to reorganize your body so as to reach those areas,
too.
>> Rotating the tires
Tires wear down when they stay in the same position for too long. Bodies and joints wear down when they move mindlessly, out of alignment without any awareness of the pressure they're under. Look at the soles of your shoes to see how they are worn down differently like tires on your car. Often people are surprised to make the connection: "You mean, if I stop slouching my pain will go away?" When we hold ourselves with static "posture", it produces problems. When we move differently, with dynamic "acture"—in Feldenkrais's words—many of them balance out.
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