We all have habits in everything we do. They’re an essential part of being human. They allow our brains to not think through every single thing we do all day long. They’re a survival mechanism. However, it’s important to question them now and then to make sure they’re serving us well, and get curious about how we might change them if they aren’t.
Read moreQuarantine and Kindness
I spent Friday evening in a Feldenkrais workshop on presence - presence with yourself, presence with others, and being present with both at the same time while keeping boundaries clear. The original plan was for a full weekend workshop, but obviously that didn’t happen, so the trainer, Donna Blank, offered a short online version. In the beginning of Donna’s work, she asks you to close your eyes, feel your contact and support from your chair and the floor, and look for a “felt sense” of the experience of just being there - sensory cues that tell you how you are rather than thoughts or emotions. It turns out, for me, that this is a very scary thing to do while dealing with quarantine.
Read moreWhy Try Awareness Through Movement® Classes?
If you’ve never tried an Awareness Through Movement (ATM®) class before, they can seem entirely mysterious and strange. Even many classes in, they can feel mysterious. What are these small gentle movements doing? Why do I feel so much taller, more grounded, more mobile, when it seems like I barely did anything for an hour? The answer is in the name - awareness.
Read moreMoving On From Injury and Trauma
It's a universal desire when we have a problem to want an easy fix and a solution. We all look for easy fixes for all kinds of problems, and often there is one. When it comes to somatic questions, however, there isn't always a fix. I don't mean for that to sound depressing. Instead, I'm offering a perspective shift.
Read moreA Still Small Voice: The Jewishness of Feldenkrais
Unlike the American New Year, the Jewish New Year turns in the fall, based on the lunar calendar. Like all New Year’s celebrations, it comes with a party and a ton of food, but it also brings with it a time of thoughtful quietness in the form of Rosh Hashanah (New Year's Eve) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The 10 days between them known as the Days of Awe are considered the holiest days of the Jewish calendar.
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