MINDFUL MOVEMENT: FINDING YOUR NATURAL ALIGNMENT

Discover your natural joy and ease in movement. . .

Transform stress and anxiety into confidence and strength. . .

Release old patterns of body and mind. . .

Through gently listening and paying attention to our bodies we can discover what it is like to feel grounded, confident and refreshed. In this 7-week course of guided movement classes using the Feldenkrais Method™ we will explore simple yet powerful movements to bring about change, allowing you to find your natural strength and alignment.



This series of classes will have a soft focus on movement patterns that benefit scoliosis and other exaggerated curves of the spine.

Classes are suitable for all ages and levels of mobility. They are also supportive for people recovering from illness or injury.

SEE OUR CLASS SCHEDULE FOR DETAILS OF CLASS TIMES AND LOCATIONS

Mindful Movement for Fibromyalgia Awareness Week

May 12th is International Awareness day for ME/CFS and FM. In recognition of this, and as part of their Autumn Tasters Program, the Hobart Women's Health Centre are offering an introductory Mindful Movement lesson on Monday 7th May.

Mindful Movement: A way to reconnect with your body through gentle movement and rest, with Christine and Wendy.

Christine will speak briefly and in simple terms about the immune system, how it relates to Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ ME and how to develop an integrated approach to managing the symptoms of the illness. She will mention her myofascial bodywork, and other helpful approaches. Then Wendy will guide you through a gentle sequence of Feldenkrais movements, as a way to reconnect with your body through quiet movement, attentiveness and rest.

Session Details:

Mindful Movement

Monday May 7th, 2-3.30pm

Hobart Women's Health Centre

25 Lefroy St

North Hobart

Phone 6231 3212 to book a place

Gold coin donation

If you would like to read Julia's story about the benefits she gained by attending Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes, just go to: http://feldenkraisperth.com/stories/feldenkrais-and-fibromyalgia

Why Nod Your Atlas and Axis?

"If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater the effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders—what would you tell him to do?"

"I…don’t know. What…could he do? What would you tell him?"

"To shrug."

Atlas Shrugged (1957) by Ayn Rand

MOVEMENT IS GOOD!!

Embedded in last night's jaw lesson was a subtle downward nodding: encouraging lengthening in the muscles in the the back of the neck, and adding to the feeling of lightness of our head and length in the spine.

. . . In this side view of the skull you can clearly see the notch at the base of the skull that nestles on our Atlas (C1), which moves on our Axis (C2), level with the openings of our ears.

. . . and here, our cervical spine and Atlas (L: Top View, R: Bottom View) in sharp relief!!

Some clarification about this week's Sweater lesson

I've been doing the Sweater lesson again since our class, investigating some refinements to the final sequence: opening the arms over your head. This is worth playing with on its own, if you don't recall the whole lesson.

When your forearms are cupping and resting on your face, or over your eyes, let your forehead take the weight of your arms. Really rest them.

Then gradually think of un-bending the elbow, still resting your upper arm on your face for as long as possible, sweeping your hand in an arc to a comfortable place of openness for your elbow.

Then, as you have done with the other end of your body, allow the weight of your elbow to slide your whole arm to the floor.

Reversing the movement, allow your elbow to draw your upper arm to slide onto your face, bringing your hand back in a arc and rest your whole arm, cupping your face.

If you are continuing the return journey of your arm/s to the floor beside you, remember to pause as your hands reach your shoulders,find rest for your arms on your chest, and let the weight of your elbows sink them to the floor, allowing your hands to follow to a soft resting place beside you.

No more problems with THIS, then!

Jewel in the hand plucking a peach: audio

This simple movement can be done sitting or standing. It is a way of learning to raise your arm along a path of least resistance, starting with your hand near your mouth, then allowing the rotation of the arm to facilitate it extending. Find a way to be attentive to exploring the subtle details of the movement, beginning with the hand and wrist spiralling up and out, following the trajectory that brings a continuous uniform movement.

Imagining plucking a peach, then mindfully reversing the movement, bringing this succulent prize back to your mouth: how satisfying!!

Feldenkrais with Hobart's Yoginis

We are just beginning our second series of Feldenkrais for Yoga Practitioners in the beautiful Weeroona Studio in North Hobart.

It is with excitement and delight that I have prepared the lessons for this series of classes. The challenge for me each week has been to match the movement gestalt of the Yoga asana, with a Feldenkrais lesson with a similar gestalt, enhance the felt sense of the asana at the end of the lesson

Up til now we have explored lessons relating to Cobra, Triconasana (Triangle Pose), Ardha Matsyendrasana (half spinal twist), Bidalasana (Cat Pose) and Baby Pose (Hooking the toe and lengthening the legs away).

- For those of you reading this with a Feldenkrais background, I paired these with Feldnkrais lessons Cobra and Eyes (Sphinx lesson AY96 with eyes AY 525), Tilting the knees inwards, Lesson 10 from the ATM book "the Movement of the Eyes Organises the Movement of the Body" fondly known as the dead Bird Lesson, Larry Goldfarb's Cat and Camel Lesson, and Stephanie Spinks' Hooking the Big Toe lesson-

These classes have been evolving with the group, and we now take 1hr 30 to 1hr 45 for our sessions. We take time at the beginning of each class to explore the asana which is the focus for the day, and then talk together about changes in awareness, physical and emotional responses, and thoughts that arise as a result of the lesson explorations.

There is a delicious sense of luxury in taking this time to explore asanas already so familiar and comfortable, and to look at the asana and ourselves in a new and different way.

Reptile dance: on your belly: audio

Start with small movements of the head backwards towards the elbow. This dance is for finding movement in T1 and T2 in particular, between the shoulder blades, and for differentiating the ribs and the vertebra.

You can also do this movement sitting on a chair, feet firmly on the floor with hands and elbows on a table: be sure you are not "reaching up" to the table, or "reaching down" .

Enjoy the dance!

Feldenkrais Class by Baby Liv: Foundations of The Feldenkrais Method - H...

Baby Liv explains Feldenkrais better than words

Developmental movement patterns underlie the movement lessons taught in the Feldenkrais Method, and baby Liv demonstrates these beautifully. What do you think?

Standing scan- chair- spiralling the hands from the knees to find length in the back: audio

. . . and some comments from Leila

"Thank you so much for last Friday’s class, my neck and especially my left shoulder – which is often painful and sore – feel just so much better, I can hardly believe that just two sessions would make such a difference.

Thank you again for really adding to the quality of my life, Leila"

My responses to our Awareness Through Movement class

It's been so exciting working with these two new themes (freeing your neck and shoulders, and Feldenkrais for Yoga practitioners) for this lesson series, and I'm loving teaching such wonderful, warm, receptive groups!

What a challenge I've set myself teaching Yoga teachers and practitioners, and finding ways to weave the red threads of my Feldenkrais classes with the movement gestalts of the Yoga asanas I've paired them with. It's certainly pushing the boundaries of my understandings of the movement patterns we are exploring. I'm so grateful for the fabulous conversations we've been having as part of the reflective process in this class, and am learning a lot about my teaching and practice through this. It's clear that Feldenkrais can be a great lense through which to explore the Yoga asanas, adding a richness to all our experiences.

I'm so impressed by the way each person settles deeply and consciously into the work of the small movements of this method, and by the curiosity about the process and their own movements:)

Been thinking a lot about spirals and am finding more of a felt sense of the spiral patterns in all our movements. . . I guess that's what we do as we unfurl, too!

I'll put the reaching for a peach lesson up soon: see what you think!

Freeing your neck & shoulders - lying scan: audio

Just a reminder, the next series of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® classes start this week, and its all about Freeing your Neck and Shoulders.

We're going to focus on our hard-working necks and shoulders. It's where many of us feel stress, fatigue, and tension first, and where we often carry the load of our responsibilities in life. We will gently explore simple and effective ways to release neck and shoulder tension, but as with all Feldenkrais explorations we'll include and revitalise the whole body. No experience is necessary.

Classes times are:
· Thursdays at the Hobart Women's Health Centre, 25 Lefroy St, North Hobart. 1.30 - 2.30pm from 23rd February to March 15th and then April 12th to May 3rd. $10 per class / $35 for 4.
· Fridays at Copping Hall, Marion Bay Road, Copping. 4-5pm from February 24th to March 16th and April 13th to May 4th. $15 per class / $50 for 4 weeks.
· Fridays at Okines Community House, 510 Old Forcett Road, Dodges Ferry. 6.30 - 7.30pm from February 24th to March 16th and April 13th to May 4th.

 .  . . . . . and for the yogis and yoginis out there, I'm offering Feldenkrais for Yoga Practitioners.

Inspired by the practice of Yoga, this series of gentle guided Awareness Through Movement® lessons explores the movement patterns of asana through Feldenkrais learning methods. These slow, unfamiliar explorations of asana will bring more curiosity, fluidity and depth to your Yoga practice.

· Wednesdays at the Weeroona Yoga Studio, 326 Elizabeth St, North Hobart. 1.15-2.30pm, February 22nd- March 14th & April 11th - May 9th. $15 per class / $50 for 4 weeks.

Contact me on 0447 120 688 or email unfurlyourself@gmail.com . Visit me at my Facebook page: unfurlyourself.