Are you over-using your muscles to stay upright? We tend to think that if something isn’t working, the answer is to use more power. More force. Using muscular power without skeletal co-ordination tends to lead to fatigue, and over-compensation. Which in turn can add more tension that we need. Leading to more fatigue. So more … More Forget Force: Move smarter, not harder
This week I was teaching anatomy around the arm. You might be amused to know that the funny bone, the very end of the elbow isn’t actually the humerus bone! Like many, I used to think it was. But the pointy bit of your elbow is actually the ulna. That’s one of forearm bones that runs … More How funny is the funny bone?
In these last weeks, I have been teaching a series of lessons on Anatomy for Musicians. A little anatomical visit to the area, finding it on yourself, and then a Feldenkrais lesson to help free it up. This week we’ve been looking at the chest. As a Feldenkrais teacher who works with musicians, I see … More Can you feel your ribs move when you breathe?
The last week since coming back from Holland has sped past. I wanted to write a little about my experiences. After my travel disaster, (my passport whilst valid, was over 10 years old. Since 2018, this is no longer valid for the EU. And I only found out the day before my flight. Which meant … More What are your limits?
This week, I’m getting ready for a trip to the Netherlands, where I’ll be presenting a session called Feldenkrais in Practice at the ESTA (European String Teachers Association) conference. Each year, ESTA chooses a theme—and this time, it aligns beautifully with the Feldenkrais approach: From the Inside – Out. My presentation is based on a 4-week course I … More How long is short enough for a new practice?
How do you respond when you reach your limits? I was teaching some of my small (6 year old) violin pupils this week how to synchronise the finger notes together with the bowing. It’s one of the trickiest transitions, as you put two things together that a beginner might still find tricky. The difference in … More What are your limits?
This week I gave a workshop on stage presence for a lovely group of A-level students in Saffron Walden. I didn’t make it over in person, I did it online, but it was great to see the changes in how they sat and moved, even by the end of their short session! We talked about … More Plant the seed of your somatic change
These last few weeks I’ve been thinking about emotions as I grieve, how we hold onto them, or allow them to pass through us. I’ve noticed when I’ve been holding myself “up” or “together”, and finding that it isn’t very useful. What’s been more useful has been to let go of those holding patterns, along … More Holding Grief
Some people think that we can’t learn as we age – you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. But we humans are different, we can continue learning our whole life. Last week I played the viola d’amore for a St John Passion. For the uninitiated its a violin/viola with 6 or 7 strings, with as many … More Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
What’s your favourite thing about Spring? I am so pleased March has arrived, and the dark of winter is finally over. Along with the crocuses. For me, the change in light and arrival of blossom always changes my mood. And with that comes a change in body state. I’m not as cold, so I tend … More Sensing Spring
the Feldenkrais Method with Emma Alter 