Hi Students:
The Improving Through Movement studio will be closed from August 10-24. There will be no Feldenkrais classes at Core Wellness Yoga on Wednesdays, August 14 & 21. Please make note of these dates in your calendars. Following are the titles of the workshops I will teach in the next three months: Finding Comfortable Zen Sitting; Creating Flexible Hips & Legs without Stretching; and Ease into the Wheel Yoga Pose by Improving Upper Back Flexibility. To find out more details click on the workshop that you are interested in.
In this short video I am working with a runner. She came to me complaining of feeling heavy and weighted down while running long distances. She also was experiencing neck and jaw pain. This is the beginning of a 45 minute lesson. You will see that I started this session by rotating her heels from left to right. Notice that the rotation only moves to her knees and her hips move very little.
I discover at this moment one of the reasons why she feels heavy when running. If her foot lands on the ground and the movement stops at her knees, her ankles will have to do most of the work to propel her forward. Also the force of energy from her stride will be abosorbed by her knees mostly which can cause injuries later to her leg joints. After working with her legs for a short time, I rotate her heels again. Notice the rotation improved and travels through to her hips and her pelvis. This will help her not to over work and the force of energy will move through more joints when she runs. This will help prevent wear and tear on her ankles, knees and hips.
During the rest of the lesson, I connected her leg movements through her torso to her head. I showed her with my hands, that the 24 vertebrae in her back could also absorb the force of her running stride, helping to protect her back, neck and jaw. Later she reported feeling lighter on her feet when she ran. She attributed it her broader range of movement and a new understanding and awareness of herself.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Donna