“Core Movements”
A series of ten Feldenkrais® workshops
presented at the Arlington Center
September 2005 — June 2006
#1) SPIRAL POWER
#2) "THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS THE PELVIS"
#4) HIP JOINT POWER
#6) Uncaging the ribs / unfreezing the shoulder
In short & extended formats
#7) Freeing the Feet
#8) Funny Faces
#9) The Weight-Bearing Hand
In short & extended formats
#10) Power And Grace from the Core
Each of these workshops addresses a fundamental theme in movement. Though the descriptions might sometimes suggest that they address only one area of the body, like an exercise that strengthens a certain muscle group, the reality is that these are just the entry point we will be using that day to engage your whole self.
Each workshop stands on its own, but they also flow into each other. Put together they present an opportunity for profound change in the way you move and feel in your skin.
"Not only did I get feet, but my jaw feels like a different jaw.... Now I don't have to do everything with determination, and I can calk from my whole body!"
-a student after the "Happy Feet" workshop in March
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Scroll down or click on the links above for more info on each workshop.
September 18, 10:30 - 1:00
Core Movements #1) Spiral Power: the mechanical advantage
Long ago, humanity discovered the effectiveness of the inclined plane for making a difficult task easier. Some time after that, we developed the screw, which is essentially a spiraling inclined plane. As is so often the case, nature was there first—all around us and in our own bodies. Not a single bone in our body is straight; even those that seem straight (such as the bones of the arms and legs) are actually twisted in an elegant spiral (or, more accurately, a helix).
In this workshop you will learn to tap into the spiralic structure of your body, discovering how to rise effortlessly from the floor to standing, and to move in any direction with increased ease, power, and grace.
October 16, 10:30 - 1:00
Core Movements #2) The Answer is Always the Pelvis: learning to use your center
We like to joke in the Feldenkrais community that there are no quizzes in our studies, because the answer is always 'the pelvis.' (Well, either that or 'it depends....'). In this workshop you will discover what we mean.
The Pelvis is the largest and heaviest bone in the body, it is centrally located, supports our most vulnerable organs and is traversed by our largest muscles; our nervous system identifies the pelvis as the center of our selves. Developing awareness of the pelvis leads to centered, graceful movement and is an essential element in the alleviation of any musculoskeletal discomfort.
As with so much Feldenkrais work, you are likely to find this centeredness extending beyond the quality of your movement to your mood and state of mind.
November 13, 2:00 - 4:30(!)
The Role of the Eyes in Movement
As human beings, the eyes are our dominant sensory organ and are an integrated part of our every action and function. The coordination of eyes and movement is one of the earliest and most deeply engrained habitual patterns, and as such inevitably becomes compulsive (try turning your head one way while turning your eyes the other!). Unlocking the habitual compulsion of eye movements can be an essential step in the discovery of freedom from a host of habits of moving and being!
In this workshop you will discover how to improve the movement of your eyes, differentiating and re-integrating them with the movement of the rest of your body.
December 11, 10:30 - 1:00
Core Movements #4) Opening to the Power of the Hip Joints: easier snow shoveling, and much, much more!
In this workshop you will learn to integrate the function of your legs and back to open to the natural power of your hip joints.
Where are your hips? Most of us think of the hips as the big bones at the top of the pelvis on either side, rather than the joint that connects the leg and pelvis, deep inside the muscles of the hip. These are the largest muscles of the body, yet the tension that most of us carry around that area leaves us unable to take advantage of the power those muscles can provide.
Figuring out where the hip joint actually is in our body, and learning to balance the muscles that surround it, is essential to any efficient and powerful action, from walking and running, to throwing, serving, swinging, and yes, shoveling...
THE FULLNESS OF BREATH
Sunday, January 8, 10:30 - 1:00
What is the best way to breathe? More in the belly, or more in the chest? Some techniques teach the expansion of the abdomen as you breathe in, others as you breathe out. Which is better? As with everything in the wonderful world of Feldenkrais, if the answer isn't "the pelvis", it must be "it depends on what you're doing."
In this workshop we will explore the options available to us, learn to breath more fully, and discover the effect of these changes on our posture, comfort and actions.
UNCAGING THE RIBS / UNFREEZING THE SHOULDER
Introduction: Sunday, February 19, 10:30 - 1:00
Intensive workshop: Presidents day weekend, Sunday - Monday, February 19 & 20, 10:30 - 4:30
The term 'rib cage' can be very misleading. Though most of us hold this area of ourselves quite rigid, the ribs are, in fact, very flexible. Rigidity in the ribs can result not only in compromised breathing, but also in compromised posture, and inhibited neck and shoulder (and therefore arm and hand) function. Furthermore, the shape of our chest also expresses our emotional self image. Put all of these together and it is not surprising that change in the upper body can lead to profound change in the quality of our life.* Highly recommended for anyone with frozen shoulder, thoracic outlet syndrome, RSI or any back, neck, or arm pain.
Sunday morning is a self-contained workshop introducing the possibilities; the full two days will provide a basis for profound change.
Why two full days?
If you've ever been to a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® class, you've probably experienced the wonderful, at times profound, changes that can take place through this method in your body and your self. Now imagine what could happen over the course of two whole days, as you go deeper and deeper into your senses, and flesh out the map of your self-image. This weekend retreat is modeled on the process used in professional Feldenkrais Practitioner training. We will do at least three Awareness Through Movement lessons each day, allowing time for both rest and discussion between lessons to help you integrate what you have experienced.
'Uncaging the ribs' can be seen as a follow-up to this past summer's 'Work of the Hands' intensive workshop, and will be followed itself by 'The Weight Bearing Hand' over Memorial Day weekend.
* Get a better sense of the issues surrounding the ribs and shoulders in a recent SenseAbility newsletter from the Feldenkrais Guild! Click for Web-page or .pdf
FLEXIBLE FOUNDATIONS: freeing the feet & ankles for healthy movement
Sunday, March 19, 10:30 - 1:00
The overall health of a person's movement can be influenced from anywhere in the body, but it turns out that some places are 'more equal' than others. Our ankles stabilize our upright posture -- often with more tension than necessary. Our feet grip or yield to the floor depending on our emotional state. Both have the potential to move in a graceful, integrated and powerful way as we walk and run.
In this workshop you will experience the effect tat softer, more comfortable and adaptable feet have on standing, walking, and being.
FUNNY FACES: exploring face, jaw, tongue & mouth
Sunday, April 23, 10:30-1
When was the last time you pouted? Puckered your lips? Stuck your tongue out as far as it would go? How well do you feel your face expresses who you are and how you really feel? In our adulthood many of us find our faces becoming a sort of mask, reflecting the stress of our lives and the habits formed by our notions of ourselves and the face we present to the world.
In this workshop we will do a 'natural face lift' of Awareness Through Movement lessons and re-discover the softness and changeability of our faces. See the effect that balancing the muscles of your face, jaw, tongue & mouth has on breathing, your mood, and your life!
THE WEIGHT-BEARING HAND
Sunday, May 28, 10:30-1
Sun-Mon, May 28-29 (Memorial Day weekend) 10:30 - 4:00
Before our prehistoric ancestors stood on their hind legs, the front limbs were used for walking. And before each of us learned to walk, we learned to crawl. The functioning of human hands developed through engagement with the earth, yet for many of us it is difficult to bear weight on the hands. What's more, for many of us the functioning of the hands is compromised.
In this workshop we will re-visit crawling & walking on all fours using patterns from both evolution and child development to rediscover the ability — and the benefits — of the weight-bearing hand. These patterns will be introduced in the Sunday morning introduction and developed, refined and perfected over the two-day intensive.
POWER AND GRACE FROM THE CORE: mobilizing the trunk for healthy movement.
Sunday, June 18, 10:30-1
One of the principles of the Feldenkrais Method® (aside from the principle that there is no principle) is that optimal organization of movement involves even distribution of effort throughout the system. For this to happen, we want the larger muscles in the core of our body to take up more of the work of our larger movements, leaving the small muscles in our extremities free to carry out the refined subtlety of smaller movements. (For example: if the muscles in our arms are working to hold our arms up as well as moving our fingers as we type, those muscles will become chronically tight and tired. If, however, the work of holding the arms up originates in the torso, the muscles in the arm become free to do the smaller movements for which they are better suited.)
In this workshop we will focus on developing an awareness of the functioning of the pelvis, spine and shoulder-girdle in relation to the limbs, so that our movement can become more focused in the center.
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Coming soon:
Meta-movements!
Possible titles include:
Less IS More - the Feldenkrais approach to success
Equal & Opposite - the Feldenkrais approach to challenge
Concrete Abstraction - the fundamental self-image
Inner & Outer space - the sensation of spatial relationships
Initiation - an exploration of the beginnings of action
. . . and more!
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