When we learn about the body, if we do in school, it’s not always that we learn about the nervous system. We can think of our nervous system as our communication system between the brain and the body. Like an old fashioned telephone exchange. The nerves communicate with electrical signal, which can travel up to … More Our nervous system
This week is Mental Health Week, something important to me. As someone who has worked hard to become mentally healthy, and now teaches ways to be healthier to others, I wanted to write a little about anxiety. Last week, I played the violin for an event at my synagogue. Those of you who know me, … More Looking at Anxiety
On Friday I had a shocking email. My Paypal account was being closed. No reason given. I couldn’t pay out, or receive income. And the sum of money that built up over the last few months had been frozen up for up to 180 days. Four whole months.The email came in the early evening, just … More Staying calm under pressure
Habits are created to automate our lives, to make it easier to do more. Whether that’s tying our shoelaces, or running up and down a scale. We need automation for when we need to play or move fast. Which in itself isn’t a problem. However, it becomes problematic when we create difficulties through layers of … More Learn or be instructed?
Some excellent questions came up in one of my last classes, one of which hinged around fear: How do we work with or move past fear, when moving, if we’re concerned about restrictions of movement, or pain? To start with, I would ask where is the realm of comfort for you? Where you can move … More Working with, or moving past fear of pain
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
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?
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 weekend has been quite full on for me. What you might not know about me, is that I’m part of a group of international Feldenkrais teachers who facilitate continued development for my professional colleagues, and am doing an online workshop over the weekend looking at a tool for assessing our work. As I write … More Alone we go faster, together we go further.
the Feldenkrais Method with Emma Alter 