One of my one-to-one clients, a musician and martial artist, told me recently he thought Feldenkrais was the “key” to many different activities and that its real benefit was in teaching you adaptability. Feldenkrais himself said that health was the ability to move in any direction without preparation or hesitation. He meant this both physically and mentally. … More How balanced are you?
This week I’ve heard several people say the same thing: “I just woke up feeling stiff.” Maybe that’s true for you. Perhaps you’ve got a painful back. Maybe you’re feeling anxious about something? For the musicians amongst you, perhaps an upcoming performance. Maybe you’ve just got too many decisions to make. Whatever it is, our … More What’s bothering you this week?
When you’re looking to improve your movement, it’s really important not to miss out the Pelvis. It’s such an important part of us – attached to all the biggest muscles, and at the bottom of the spine. It’s really your motor centre. In many of the lessons I teach, I talk a lot about the … More The secret life of the pelvic floor
This week, someone said something in a lesson that stayed with me. “I felt movement where I’ve never felt it before… and it felt exciting.” I realised afterwards that this sentence could have come from almost any lesson I taught this weekend. The details were different, but the experience was remarkably similar: people discovering possibilities … More A Chance to Choose
This week I had a concert with my young violinists. One six-year-old spent the entire rehearsal in tears. Nothing her mother or I said could persuade her to play. Yet at the concert she walked on stage, played beautifully. Afterwards, her Mum said that ice-cream bribery had been used. (Clearly a useful strategy in the … More Why experience matters
The end of the year is often a time to recalibrate, and make plans for the next. It can be useful to have some questions to focus thinking. I’ve put together a couple for you. What went well (2025) 1. Which moments of 2025 are you most proud of? 2. When things went better than … More Happy New Year
So often I hear people talking about muscle memory as if it’s a thing. Something where the muscles remember movements, and pathways, or levels of contraction. Muscle memory is a myth. It’s simply not true. There is no such thing as muscle memory. If it were people who had accidents and suffered injury to the … More The myth of muscle memory
After a Feldenkrais lesson, you might feel different. Some of you report having more sense of groundedness, breathing more freely, of moving with greater ease, or relaxation. Other people feel their balance or co-ordination has changed. Or something about the way they move or feel about themselves has shifted. Students often ask how can I … More How can you keep the feeling alive after a Feldenkrais Lesson?
This last ten days I’ve been a little under the weather with a cold. Not unusual for this time of year of course. It’s been interesting to think about the experience of having a cold from a movement point of view. And to notice the change in holding patterns that come with illness.The most noticeable … More The adaptive breath: how illness affects breathing and what to do about it
This Summer was a pretty busy one. I was on a training course, continuing the Childspace Training in Italy, performing with the Gabrieli Consort, with their youth choir, who were brillliant, followed by teaching on the London Professional Feldenkrais Training course, who are now in their 2nd year. I did get a little time off, … More How can you keep your holiday feeling?
