
I am very pleased to be able to return to hands-on sessions from the 3rd August.
These will be from my teaching studio in Bloomsbury.
Although the Government has allowed face-to-face work once more, there is a risk involved in working in close contact indoors.
It is important that you weigh up the level of risk involved for each appointment, and if your needs could be met online (either in classes, or one-to-one sessions), to consider those alternatives.
In order to see you in person, I will be asking (via email) each client to read and answer the questions, to reply and agree to the guidelines I have requested below before the session.
I agree to these statements:
- I understand that there is a risk involved, for which I take sole responsibility, and still wish to come.
- Even with the below precautions that both parties take, my safety from infection cannot be guaranteed, and I take sole responsibility for any outcome.
- I have read, and agree to abide by these guidelines/protocol until Government requirements change.
Questions to answer:
- Do you have, or have you had, a cough, temperature, loss of smell or taste – or have you been feeling otherwise unwell in the last 14 days (eg. ache-y, tired, headaches)?
- In the last 14 days have you been in the company of someone else who has since had to quarantine for Covid-19 or possible Covid-19?
If the answer is yes to either of those questions we will need to postpone your session.
To consider:
- Are you in the vulnerable or shielded groups for your age or a health condition?
- Do you live with someone who is vulnerable or shielded?
- Do you work at an external place of work (as opposed to home)?
If so, are there good hygiene and social distancing measures in place? - Do you regularly travel on public transport (e.g. for work )?
- Do you spend time in in crowded indoor spaces such as bars?
- Have you come back from an area with high infection levels in the last 14 days.
Please consider if your answers to these questions make the risk of you coming too high for yourself, me, or others.
To reduce our risks of exposure:
- If its possible, consider not coming on public transport.
- Please wear long trousers, long sleeves and bring socks to wear.
- Please wear a face covering/mask.
- NB If you choose to wear gloves, you must not wear latex gloves, as I am highly allergic.
- Please be on time, as there is no waiting room. Sessions will end promptly as I also need to leave a minimum of 30 minutes between appointments to air and sanitise the rooms.
- Please use the hand sanitiser on arrival and departure. There is only one toilet in my flat, and it is advised that you do not use it unless you urgently need to. If you do, please sanitise everything you have touched, (sprays/wipes will be provided) and use the blue paper towel to dry your hands, not the cloth towels.
- Please bring your own water.
- Please pay by internet/bank transfer before your session. If you need a different payment method, please get in touch.
- Please change your clothes and wash your hands when you get home.
My precautions and practices to keep you safe include:
- I will cancel appointments if I answer ‘yes’ to either of the first two questions above.
- There will be half an hour between clients to sanitise and air the areas.
- I will sanitise surfaces with a high grade sanitiser and air the room between clients.
- I will provide paper/face towels for your head, so that you’re not directly touching the table/props.
- I will wear fresh clothing for each client so there is no cross-infection via clothing.
- I have non-latex gloves for touching skin on hands and face if needed.
The Government Guidelines currently stress reduced contact time so I will be keeping time in the studio a hour.
- Booking the next appointment will be by email/text (unless a simple confirmation of ‘same time, next week’).
It may seem a little draconian and distancing, for a process that is about hands-on communication and touch, but due to our unfortunate situation, these measures are required. And like most of us, I also have vulnerable family members I want to keep safe.
I have worked with one client already, and we quickly we forgot that the mask was there. However, if these measures aren’t acceptable for you, or feel too distancing, we can work together via Zoom instead. These one-on-one sessions also work very well, a discovery I have made over the last months!
I realise its not ideal, and wearing masks feels alien for many of us, but sadly, they are required professionally in order for me to work hands-on. So unless you are deaf, and require to see my face in order to lipread, I apologise, but there won’t be exceptions made.
The Feldenkrais Method is about adaption, thinking in new ways, looking at what is real as opposed to what we imagine something might be, so I invite you to lean into these new constraints, into this new challenge and see what we can learn not only despite it, but also from the challenge.
I look forwards to working with you soon.