Tending the whole self through movement and attention

Many people are finding that taking time to attend to oneself can be healing and revitalizing.

by Katie Underwood — 

Often when a person is tired, hurt or ill, he or she feels hopeless and worn out from constantly working hard to feel better. Pain and fear can take a big toll on enjoying life.

Many people are finding that taking time to attend to oneself can be healing and revitalizing. It is helpful to find our own internal wisdom and to explore what feels good to us. The Feldenkrais Method® allows each person to be nurtured in developing their own unique ways to find comfort and enjoyment.

Through private sessions (called Functional Integration Lessons® or FI) with a practitioner who gently guides movement and attention through pleasant touch, a person can increase their capacity to find comfort and joy in their lives. The session is designed to help a person notice the places they may hold extra pain or effort and which parts are not enjoying full freedom of movement. Through this method, pain often is reduced or eliminated. People can improve their balance and capacity to move easily.

Group classes (called Awareness Through Movement or ATM) explore intriguing movements and increasing awareness. People often find that increased self-awareness provides greater pleasure in everyday movement. They often leave the classes feeling taller, lighter, more vital and more engaged with life.

The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, an engineer, judo black belt and student of all manners of healing and learning. The method is based on educating the nervous system to more consciously sense our actions, and the other possibilities open to us. When we know what we are doing, we can better take care of ourselves and choose what we want. To find out more see: www.feldenkrais.com.

Katie Underwood is a guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner who works primarily with people who experience movement difficulties and pain. 602 404-1428 or [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 26, Number 1, February/March 2007.