Dear Students:
As I promised last blog post, I now write about my student, Geralyn’s Functional Integration experiences from this teacher’s point of view. Geralyn came to me for help with jaw pain, eye tension and her inability to find a comfortable sleeping position. She heard great things about the Feldenkrais Method and was determined to become a learning recipient.
I observed that Geralyn tends to stand & walk with her pelvis moving 
forward first, much like the figure on the left in the photo that you see. This way of organizing her movement places her head behind her pelvis and moves it above the horizon. By habitually holding her upper body in this way, her eyes strain to meet the skyline. Since the jaw bone is an appendage of the skull this compromises it’s position and makes the muscles around it work unnecessarily. At the end of a day, the built up muscular tension in these areas would result in a fitful night’s sleep for Geralyn.
During our sessions over time, I focused on teaching Geralyn to feel the relationship between her pelvis moving in space and how it relates to where her head moves in space. This was hard for her to feel initially but her persistence to sense this connection was key to helping her bring her pelvis to a more neutral position. When she was able to become aware of this between sessions, I was able to release her muscles around her cervical spine and skull to a greater degree. After a session such as this, she felt what it was like to stop clenching her teeth for the “first time in decades” giving her “glorious rest”.
Geralyn would become over joyed when she felt her progress and despondent if pain would return. During those times, I would ask her probing questions so she could understand that the process of changing a habit ebbs & flows. A novel question was- how long were you able to stay pain-free? And when discomfort came back, I had her focus on the intensity & location of the pain so she could sense if it changed in some way or remained the same. When she answered these questions it helped her see she was on the right track to creating a new movement pattern.
Today, Geralyn is grateful for the gifts she receives when she takes the time to become aware. If you would like to read about Geralyn’s story from her point of view click here. She will explain that self-awareness is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
I hope to see you soon to help you realize yourself on a deeper level through Functional Integration sessions. Peace!
~Donna
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