IOL Strength and Conditioning

In April I wrote a sort of year’s wrap-up of my initial Feldenkrais efforts (Feldenkrais would be considered work that should last a lifetime; a year into this, I’m just a beginner). I’d earlier written an overview describing the practice, and before that, Mobility Doesn’t Always Mean Movement, a commentary on how a joint mobility program, while important, may not be enough.

Most of us are too busy, and while a few may be interested enough to search out local assistance, it’s likely you haven’t gotten that far. You might be able to carve out an hour to give this a try if I make it real easy. So let’s try this: I’ll find a basic, free mp3 download with voice instructions; you’ll download the file, lie down on the floor on your back and go through the motions the instructor suggests. If you get a hint of possibility in the outcome, move on to step two: several related lessons selected to achieve a specific purpose.

You’ll start with small movements you’ll do several times; then the movement will get a little larger or will change in some way that calls upon other muscles to assist.

One thing I found useful with this work is to visualize the skeleton moving rather than the muscles at work. We’re used to muscle action, and in a way that’s hindering our global movements, especially if we do any isolation exercises in the gym. Wipe the slate: Think bones, how the joints move and pull the bones along.

This is an hour-long lesson from the Open ATM Project (free Awareness Through Movement lesson downloads, recorded in live class sessions). Right-click on the following bolded link to save it to your computer as an mp3 file for your iPod, or simply click to play: Tracy Godek teaching The Spine as a Chain.

While that’s downloading, here’s a visual before you get started, Anat Baniel presenting an Introduction to Feldenkrais Movement Awareness Class.

Anat has a new book, Move into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality, that I’d say provides the best overview of the Feldenkrais work for the general public, anyone who’d like to get the benefits but has no desire to go any farther in the study. I highly recommend the book, with one caveat: It’ll only be useful if you’re willing to do the exercises. Reading them is interesting, but useless for providing change.

Now let’s just say you gave the lesson above a try and think there might be something in there for you. What comes next in learning Feldenkrais at home?

Over at Kinesophics.ca, Lynette Reid offers her free recordings under what she calls the Do It Yourself ATMs. If you don’t see the audio files when you land at the link, you may need to register and log in… all free. You could just start at the top of the list and work your way down, or you might pick and choose to suit your needs.

There are some of you get a bug to try a few sessions at home, but don’t want to go fishing around the ‘net for the free stuff. Just tell me what to buy and I’ll follow the instructions, right? Okay, gotcha. Just buy one of these:

Feldenkrais for back pain, Ryan Nagy, eleven lessons, $27.00 (top item on page)

Feldenkrais for ribs and spine, Josef Dellagrotte, six long lessons, $47 (can be purchased separately)

Feldenkrais for shoulders, Seth and Laura Paris, four lessons, $38.00

Feldenkrais for stress relief, Lavinia Plonka, three lessons, $15.99

Don’t fret over choosing wrong. There’s huge carryover from lesson to lesson, regardless of the focus of the lesson set. Pick one and click the Buy button.

Other than Anat’s book above, I’d steer clear of trying to read more. Most of the written Feldenkrais material is difficult to read, and honestly, as with our gym training, it’s in the doing where something happens. Just the same, if you’re a reader and want more lessons, here’s a terrific link full of written Feldenkrais ATM lessons.

Tips as you get started:

• Close your eyes while you’re doing this. There’s far too much distraction in the world around us to be attentive to this with open eyes.
• Imagine the joints and bones moving, not the muscles working.
• Make everything effortless. If you’re working at moving, you won’t get the benefits.
• Use small movements – tiny… tinier yet – and do them slowly. If your movements are small and slow, make them smaller and slower. Coordination is learned in the small, tiny, smooth motions.
• Work in the painless range. You’re trying to teach your brain easy, comfortable, pain-free motion. Reminding yourself where there’s pain is the polar opposite of your mission here.
• The beginning of the movement is where you want to attend. Smooth out the beginning and the end will increase on its own.
• Here’s Moshe Feldenkrais on how to learn this method.

You’ll notice there are rest periods in the verbal instructions. These are to allow your, uh… organism… to assimilate whatever new range of motion or fullness of movement that’s been learned. It’s also a good idea to stop on your own if you get tired before the instructor gives the rest cue, if your mind wanders or if you get frustrated. Rest for a minute, relax… get gentle and try again as effortlessly as possible.

Once hooked, find yourself a local practitioner. You can do this alone, but most will make faster, better progress with some guidance. There’s a directory at the Feldenkrais Guild’s website. Note: There are a couple of other similar groups; apparently there was a split in the Guild in the ‘90s. If you find a local practitioner doing Feldenkrais work who isn’t listed in the Guild’s directory, he or she could still be legit.

For a glimpse at a different class and a brief discussion, here’s one of the top trainers from the Manhattan Feldeknrais Institute of NY, David Zemach-Bersin. You’ll see the work used on a young girl with movement problems from birth – the method is also used successfully with stroke victims and patients with other serious medical issues such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

I’m told there are over a thousand different Awareness Through Movement (ATM) and Functional Integration (FI – this is hands-on instruction done by a practitioner) lessons. You can go for years without repeating, and I’m telling you something: Those elder years will be better for your efforts in movement awareness.