Feldenkrais

Awareness Through Movement

“When you know what you’re doing you can do what you want”

Moshe Feldenkrais

“Make the impossible possible, make the possible easy, and make the easy elegant”

Moshe Feldenkrais

‘Freeing the Shoulders’ classes

This is my first offering as a fourth year / final-year student, and I hope to run regular classes in the future, each with different themes and focuses. This particular series just felt like the right place to start.

I’m a Soft Tissue Therapist with nearly 30 years of experience in the industry. Wanting to bring more movement into my work, but looking for something outside of typical gym-based approaches - I began searching for a method that would suit clients of all ages and fitness levels.

After reading The Brain’s Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, which introduced me to the Feldenkrais Method, and later listening to a podcast by respected movement author and practitioner Todd Hargrove, my curiosity was sparked. Following more research and a taster course, I knew I’d found the right fit.

That decision led me to a four-year training journey in the Feldenkrais Method. I’m now in my final year and excited to begin offering Awareness Through Movement classes as a student teacher.

What is Feldenkrais Method?

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes aim to cultivate skillfull movement through exploration and observation. Each lesson is a puzzle designed to deconstruct habits and tensions that may not always be so useful to us and by paying attention to the details, exploring variations and increasing awareness we can make more efficient options available. This awareness can help improve coordination, ease and range of movement, flexibility without straining, performance with greater efficiency and, since how you move is how you move through life, these improvements will often enhance your thinking, emotional regulation and problem solving capabilities

FAQs

  • Pretty much, yes. The movements are gentle and everyone is encouraged to move at their pace of ease. Most classes can be adapted using bolsters or different positioning and some elements can even be done in our imagination. However if you have any particular medical concerns or difficulties being in certain positions please do contact me for more information.

  • Each class is different, many are done on a mat, some seated or even standing. The practitioner will give a series of instructions verbally rather than demonstrate. This is because everyone should be moving in a way that is their own rather than striving to be like the teacher or another student. It is important each individual feels for themselves rather than copy.

    The movements are always gentle and are often but not always slow. This is to allow the student to notice how they are doing what they are doing. How they are making the journey not just getting to a destination as fast as possible.

  • Just loose comfortable clothing. You don’t need special gym equipment and classes are done without shoes so no trainers needed.

  • What should i bring? A Pilates or yoga mat if you have one, although i have a couple of spares if you forget, a towel or blanket to cover your mat and a second towel or blanket incase you need to make a pillow or bolster at any point, although i have some spares

  • No. Through each lesson you will learn different things that can apply to more than just the shoulder.

    There are thousands of lessons with different themes and even more variations of them. Even lessons that have been done before share a new learning experience each time you do them, a bit like watching a favourite film again.

  • Approx 50-60 mins depending on the needs of the class.

This introductory course is priced at just £7 per lesson, which reflects my student teacher rate.

Classes are taking place on the following dates at the Courtyard Clinic in Dursley (see below)

Sunday 11th May at 9.30am

Sunday 18th May at 9.30am

Sunday 25th May at 9.30am

Sunday 1st June at 9.30am

Sunday 8th June at 9.30am

If you prefer, you can contact me to book your place.

You’ll find us in the Pilates Studio at The Courtyard Clinic, The Old Post Office, Parsonage Street, Dursley, GL11 4DR.