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?
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
I read a great quote last week that I wanted to share with you: “You grow up, mature, stop looking for people to give you validation. It’s got to come from within” Appropriately for the last weeks of football fever, these are the thoughts of Raheem Sterling, one of the England football team, one of … More Our unavowed dreams
So often people come to me with sore shoulders, or tension in their shoulders. And they’re looking at where the problem is in order to find a solution. Which in my experience is usually the wrong place! Our shoulders are amazing, both flexible and and strong. And their flexibility comes from that they are only … More Shoulder support…
I’ve always been interested in sound. Perhaps because I was born deaf, and learnt to understand sound later than most. Whilst I couldn’t hear I had a massive amplifier with headphones, (it was the end of the 70s) that I would apparently drag and heave to the dinner table so I could hear the conversation. … More Creating the sound in your head, out loud:
I took part in a plenary session today of Specialist Music and Feldenkrais teachers today, after our successful week’s event- Daily Feldenkrais for Musicians. One of the questions that came up was an interesting one. How do we as musicians incorporate or involve Feldenkrais in our instrumental (or singing) practise? Even if you’re not a … More Feldenkrais and Practice Part 1: Start Small
Transform how you move, feel and live 