As musicians, our physical self is the primary instrument. And I write”physical self”, rather than “body” because the brain and body work together. All of the time. They never act separately. It’s simply not possible. And whether you’re a musician or not, every movement we make is together with a thought, an emotion, and a … More The brain and body work together.
Over the weekend, I’ll be teaching at Limmud, in Birmingham. It’s a Jewish learning festival, usually held over the Christmas period, where I started introducing Feldenkrais 7 years ago. It’s a festival that has it’s own flavour. There is a massive range of topics, and sessions run alongside each other. One of ideas is that … More Learning
How do you think of posture? For many people, it’s a thing. Good posture or bad. People with good posture have their shoulders back, and head up. Bad posture is associated with slouching. Good is a perfect ratio between the head, neck and shoulders. Something to get, to have, to keep. Shoulders and head not … More On Posture
Shoulder problems are one of the common reasons people come to see me. The shoulder joint is a work of art. It’s fixed to the skeleton via the collar bones at the front. And has a large range of fascia and muscles attaching it at the back, sides and front. It’s massive range of movement … More Exploring the Shoulders
The other day, I saw some of my favourite Heifetz pictures. They’re photos taken with a light at the end of his bow. And you can see the sheer amount of different movements he makes to move the bow in different patterns. And I assume, different pieces. Sadly he had passed away, so I never … More Movement in every moment
Today I went to a klezmer jam. A folk session of Jewish folk music. It’s by ear, so there’s no music. Which isn’t my usual way of doing things. But it had felt like a while since I’d enjoyed playing with others just for fun, so I put my violin on my back and pootled off. … More Strategies for Learning
This week I’m in Palermo, Sicily. I came to do part of my child development course. Whilst I was here wanted to see a little of the city. Yesterday we went to the Catacombs of the Capuchin Monks. In Sicily in the 18th-20th centuries mummification became a big thing. People mummified their family members after … More Ease with the Skeleton
This year I’m doing some additional training looking at the early years of child development. In order to inform my work with adults and children. It’s interesting how stages missed out in early childhood show up in our movement habits and even the way we look. One of my colleague’s children is at the moment … More Power of the Pelvis – Part 2
If you can’t feel where your hip joints are, you can’t organise them well. We need to be able to locate to control. It’s why body mapping is part of what we improve in every Feldenkrais lesson. What distinguishes Feldenkrais from other methods is the use of movement to help you sense yourself in movement. … More Finding the hip joints
This week is half term. I’m attending the International Feldenkrais Federation conference in Germany this week, as the UK representative. It’s a usually a really interesting conference, with representatives from all the countries who have official Feldenkrais Method Guilds. It’s an opportunity to share how different countries meet the same challenges and questions, as well … More Half Term – International Feldenkrais Federation Conference
Transform how you move, feel and live 