Being a pretty active gal, I like to think of myself as a fairly good mover. But every now and then I am reminded by chronic neck tension or little aches and pains that there must be something I’m not doing right movement-wise. Is it my form when I exercise? My breathing? The way I sit at my desk? All that time spent on a PC? My sleeping position? I’m not one to get massaged or adjusted much – but what to do? Well, today I want to talk about a solution I’m currently exploring: the Feldenkrais Method.
What is it?
It’s a movement-based therapy which enables your brain and nervous system to get reacquainted with your body and how it moves. It benefits everyone from normal folks with bad posture to athletes and stroke victims. Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) was a world-renowned physicist and engineer who was famous for his work with Frederic Joliot-Curie at the Curie Institute in Paris. He was also extremely well-respected in the martial arts world as a judo instructor. In his forties, he was injured and as a result could no longer walk. That’s when he used his expertise and knowledge in science and sport to study the relationship between movement, feeling, thought, and learning. He retrained himself to walk again and went on to make revolutionary discoveries around these topics. And the Feldenkrais method was born.
My experience with Jade Wood
Last week, I attended a workshop at .body//HACK:, conducted by Jade Wood, a globally renowned yoga teacher and craniosacral therapist. Jade is very experienced in bodywork and mindful touch, traditional Chinese medicine, elemental yin yoga, embodied anatomy and somatic movement. She also happens to be midway through her 4-year Feldenkrais diploma. During this workshop, she took us through an Awareness Through Movement (ATM) Feldenkrais class. It focuses being relaxed – meditation-style – and being guided to perform conscious, deliberate movements. It isn’t hard. You don’t push, stretch, make your muscles burn or outperform yourself: you move and draw attention to how it feels. Example: “Lie down, draw a half circle with your arm on the floor and notice which parts of your body feel something when you do that. Notice what parts of your arm are actually touching the floor, how you are breathing, etc.” It’s about bringing really detailed awareness to your body. Really basic stuff, right? Well, yes…but getting back to basics to that degree is actually quite novel nowadays. Read my interview with Jade to find out more.
WM: How did you become interested in the Feldenkrais method?
JW: I didn’t always like slow-paced movement methods. For many years, I was a professional circus performer, a dancer and was incredibly active. I am also a trained Shiatsu and Thai massage practitioner, so was constantly doing physically-demanding work. One day, I totally burned out. That’s when I decided to explore less “active” performance-based forms of movement and decided to to embark in yoga training. I also worked for quite a while here in Dubai at the Osteopathic Health Centre where I learned about craniosacral therapy, which totally fascinated me. So much so that I went on to study craniosacral biodynamics for 3 years. During this time I had also developed my own yin yoga program trainer training and found that in general, clients benefited a lot more from moving mindfully into yoga poses themselves rather than having me “force” them into them. I was really interested by this idea of owning and understanding movement; that is how I discovered Feldenkrais and began my studies in that.
WM: How would you describe the Feldenkrais method?
JW: It is an embodiment practice. A system of movement that takes out the achievement concept often found in most systems of exercise. It is not built on always doing more, stretching more, improving speed, improving breathing capacity, etc It is built on doing less, feeling more, stripping away all the extras and learning about yourself.
WM: What do you mean by embodiment?
JW: Embodiment is being with yourself when you are moving as opposed to doing what you are told. It’s about fully receiving the sensation and finding pleasure in the movement and learning through that. The more we feel the more we heal – it is the opposite of the “no pain no gain” concept, which involves ignoring the body’s signs, pushing it too far and maybe making it stronger but without listening to yourself.
There is this huge thing in our society about getting active, not being lazy, being “better” than what we are. There is this almost self-flagellating tradition of “if I treat myself in a harsh way in my workout, then I am not being lazy, then I’m doing the best that I can for myself”. The problem with this sort of thought process is that it creates a modus operandi in our nervous system where punishment is seen as reward and where stress is the baseline operating system. However we can do things that delight our nervous system – self-care practices like truly relaxing, taking a bath, being in nature, etc – healthy living isn’t just about strenuous exercise, it is also about spending time with the whole of yourself. It isn’t prioritized enough in our culture, many of us feel pressured to be “high achievers” and “high functioning” people in society and this includes in sport. Very very few sports prioritize pure pleasure where you actually think “Ah…this feels so good”, a bit like a shavasana at the end of a yoga session. In fact – imagine an hour-long shavasana with a few slow guided movements added it to it: that’s what a Feldenkrais session feels like.
WM: Feldenkrais is often associated with people who have had injuries and who are forced to slow down, but how can it benefit others? Athletes for example?
It allows athletes to continue being their exuberant, athletic self while also letting them include aspects of reflection, receptivity and rest to help with their nervous system, digestive system and overall physical healing. The body can’t repair itself if it’s always on the go. For high functioning athletes like triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, those doing any kind of contact sports, getting to know yourself better in the proprioceptive realm – which is understanding yourself as you relate to space and as the way you relate to other people – is so important. If you have more clarity in that, then the way you engage with your sport, whether it’s a piece of equipment or the way you place your body in relationship to other body parts, it is going to become that much more enhanced. It will aslo ensure the nervous system is getting what it needs in terms of self-reflection because we can’t grow unless we self-reflect. There is only so much we will get from constantly trying to increase performance. Most fitness athletes know that if they keep going, going and going, they will hit a plateau – and this is where the “no pain, no gain” theory starts falling apart. And then age happens, tiredness happens: we start to physically decline. And that’s when it gets super hard for athletes because they start pushing themselves, expecting more, injuries start to happen and then the nervous system goes on edge. However, if we steady out that plateau and quietly engage with ourselves by doing a practice like Feldenkrais, we can get a smooth sense of improving and enjoying our craft, without the detrimental side effects of pushing too hard an denying our age and evolution.
The method also benefits anyone with post-traumatic stress, migraines, chronic tension, chronic cramping or systemic contractions, digestive issues, any form of inflammation as well as sleep issues.
WM: You mention aging, but isn’t “40 the new 30” and “50 the new 40”?
JW: However wonderful it is to see people wanting to stay healthy and fit, there is also a certain humbleness that we can cultivate about our mortality. The only way to accept and become peaceful with that is to listen in to our evolving body and selves. And this is the nice thing with Feldenkrais. You can do the Awareness Through Movement programmes – which are the guided classes – on one day, and that day your lense of experience might be that you are stressed from work, tired, got into an argument with your husband, have a cold, etc and you might be stiff in the shoulder, neck or have less range of motion. Do it 3 days later, with a more positive state of mind, and you will experience it very differently. It always changes. We are always changing and it’s important to acknowledge that. This method is a great way to check in with yourself and understand how external things such as family, work, nutrition, health, sleep, etc directly impact the way you imagine, receive and sense yourself in your body. It is a good reminder that everything we experience is through the avatar of the body and if we take time to listen, attend to it and gain a deeper understanding on the way the world affects us, it will reveal our tensions and help reduce them.
WM: How does someone practice it here in Dubai?
JW: Ideally you would need to find a practitioner and do a session with them. I’m not based in Dubai, but can do Skype sessions and there are also a number of ATM classes on youtube as well as some excellent podcasts. If you pick those options, I would just say that it is really important to not let yourself be interrupted – by the phone, email, kids, etc. You need to show up for yourself and shut everything out.
WM: Some people have a hard time getting into slower-paced classes. What would you suggest they do?
JW: Going straight into Feldenkrais is challenging because the rewards aren’t immediate – we aren’t used to systems of intentional, non-achievement movement. The first few classes, some people might find it too slow – especially if their baseline of experience with movement is fitness-based, where they want to push, “achieve”, “burn”, etc. In these cases, I would suggest they first start with Yin Yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Qong as these are methods that can get you on a good path to then transition into Feldenkrais when you are ready. Either way, stick with it because these sessions give you the opportunity to get into conscious relaxation, which is so rare these days. We spend our time being super active and when we want to relax we either zone out in front of our TV/Internet or go to bed. Feldenkrais and other such practices allow us to gently plug into ourselves without falling asleep. This is the essential part of the human experience that has been taken away from us in the pasthttp://jadewoodyoga.com/ 20-30 years. I am a firm believer that we need some boredom, it’s how we dream and create, and we don’t get enough of it.
Interested by Feldenkrais? Have questions? Feel free to contact Jade:
Jade Wood
Email: jadewoodyoga@icloud.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadewoodyoga/
