When we are anxious it affects our breathing. It becomes shallower, faster. We hold our chest still. Then the ribs can’t move with the breath. Often we’ll hold the low chest muscles, stopping the movements of the diaphragm. Again, stopping the lungs from expanding. Very useful if we want to pretend we’re dead whilst a … More Breathing and Anxiety
This question came up in my last MU session, and I wanted to address it here. This one is the crux of many questions I’m asked. Feldenkrais is an experiential learning method:Which is what’s tricky about explaining it. I can describe to you what a mango tastes like. But no matter how detailed my description, … More What is the point of Feldenkrais?
One of my class members today mentioned her bad posture in passing. I didn’t have enough time to talk about it in the way I wanted during the class, so I’m writing about it now instead, What do you think about your posture? Often people tell me they have “bad posture” in lessons. I usually … More Rethinking Posture
The New Year is often a time we think of restarting, of making better habits. And as those of you who come to classes regularly know, Feldenkrais is a practice, like tai chi, or yoga, where coming regularly over time is what makes a difference. It’s a time outside the cut and thrust of normal life, … More What are your dreams?
The 13th of October was World Sight Day. For those of us who have sight, a massive amount of brain power is taken up by the visual cortex: the part of the brain that interprets the light, shapes and colours that come in through our eyes. It’s not a part of our selves that we … More Seeing is believing
It’s interesting to me that touch is often equated with being emotionally moved: “I was touched by his musicmaking.” As a musician I aim to move our audience simply with soundwaves reaching their ears. Touch, being touched, and connection is a basic building block of being human. I think one of the things so many … More Self care: Feldenkrais for Performers
Today is Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of Atonement. It’s a day on which we fast and and repent, and symbolically hope we behaved well enough to be inscribed in the Book of Life this year. Actually, the first service of Yom Kippur starts the evening before, and ends just before sunset, called Kol Nidrei. It’s … More Habits of Gratitude
This week my film-loving partner was horrified to realise I hadn’t seen the cartoon Inside Out. Some hours later, once work was finished, and dinner plates were in the sink, we curled up on the sofa to watch it. Perhaps you’ve already seen it! If you haven’t, I can recommend it. It’s a beautiful cartoon that looks at … More The Body Patterns of Joy
I’d like to talk a little about touch. It’s interesting to me that touch is often equated with being moved: I was touched by his gift: I was emotionally moved. Touch is something we communicate with before we have language. I think one of the things so many of us have found difficult in the … More Finding ways to be touched.
This week was Mental Health week across the UK, something of a hot topic after a year of isolation, non-touch and Covid-19 complications. When we’re under physical or mental stress over any long period of time, our nervous system responds by preparing: to run, to fight or to freeze. In all of these there is … More The body patterns of fear: shifting it the easy way.
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