The Feldenkrais Method is not fitness. It is not an exercise program.

As my daily practice comes along, I’m discovering definitions specific for me.

The only expectation I had when I began this on November 1 was that it may lessen hip pain.

What I have observed so far:

-my body – my joints overall feel “lubricated”; as though what I choose to do can be done more smoothly and with less effort

-I am becoming more quickly aware of tension that is unnecessary – that I’m creating out of habit

-I am making more conscious choices in how I move (more about this in a minute)

-how I use the strength I have has changed

-I am more flexible

My daily Feldenkrais Method practice while not fitness, is, in some aspect, pre-fitness. It is giving me tools to apply to what I do for fitness to make my fitness choices more effective and efficient.

It is also giving me the tools for being more at ease in my body moment by moment throughout each day.

It has given me the patience and attentiveness to learn to play golf!

About those conscious choices…

The hallmark of an Awareness Through Movement® class is the attention we pay to our movements. It is attention not only to the fact that we’re moving, but how we’re moving ourselves. Not in order to judge or determine right or wrong. For the information.

This information is self-knowledge.

Knowledge is power – right?!

I recently took a yoga class. I have a great deal of respect for this practice and while I do not have a daily practice, over the past 20 years it has always been a part of my wellness direction in some way.

This was the first yoga class I had taken since I began my Feldenkrais Method training. I had a completely different experience. My focus was easier to maintain. I was less concerned about whether I was doing it “right” and more aware of how it felt. When it didn’t feel good, I made small changes until I felt more comfortable.

Not all “work” or effort was worthy of the energy. In the warrior asanas, a certain amount of effort was pleasing. In a seated asana that rotated my spine, effort in my left shoulder was greater than it was productive. It was also uncomfortable (not the same as difficult). As a result of my choices, my shoulders were more relaxed after the practice than I have previously experienced.

Strength, next…