A Feldenkrais Blog

Dear Students:
Moshe Feldenkrais wisely said, “Health is the ability to realize our avowed and unavowed dreams.” [Avow = to acknowledge, to openly declare].  Throughout the years, I have found this to be an accurate way to measure my physical, mental & emotional progress.

An example of one of my avowed dreams is that I wish to help build an off-grid, self sustaining community where I can create a garden paradise homestead with liked minded neighbors. Recently, friends who knew about my desire, sent me a video (to the left) that shows how a man with a similar idea turned his avowed dream into a living reality.  Watch Jim Gale walk through his property called, Galt’s Landing and marvel at what he created.  I love how he used his concept of eliminating lawns to help him grow prosperous & abundant food forests throughout his land. 

An un-avowed dream that was awakened inside of me over the past few years, arose due to the censoring on mainstream media. My passion to stand up for freedom of speech & use my website as a way to get information out to people, is something I never imagined would become necessary.

Today in order to help save peoples’ lives, I share Barry Young’s story with you. Barry is a New Zealand, senior data base administrator who decided to go public with high level health information, when he became alarmed by the vaccine information he was observing in his country.  To hear about what motivated him to speak out despite knowing he would be harshly treated, click on: Reality Check Radio, Barry Young: Covid-19 Data Whistleblower: Dec. 11, 2023.

May you get closer to discovering & living your avowed & un-avowed dreams!  Peace to all on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
The Introduction to Moshe Feldenkrais’s book, The Potent Self, is entitled “Love Thyself as Thy Neighbor”.  If you read closely you will notice that Dr. Feldenkrais reversed the order of the words “thyself” and “neighbor” in this commandment.   I share this with you, hoping it will help you to maintain your health & peace of mind during this holiday season.

I have observed that most people become too exhausted to enjoy the holidays because they push themselves harder than they would push their worst enemy.  If this behavior sounds familiar to you, listen to what Moshe Feldenkrais further says in his introduction: “Love thy neighbor as thyself” should not always mean that they themselves are worse than any neighbor…” 

Have a wonderful holiday season.  I hope Moshe’s words will stay with you and remind you to slow down, take lots of breaks and treat yourself kindly.

Feldenkrais Class Schedule & Day Change in 2024:
4 week winter break: no classes Dec. 19 & 26, 2023 and Jan. 2 & 9, 2024;
Beginning on Wed. Jan. 17, 2024: Feldenkrais classes will meet on Wednesdays @ 11 am (instead of Tuesdays) – for more details click here.

May you actively discover the positive energy behind, “Loving Thy Neighbor As Thyself” & “Loving Thyself as Thy Neighbor”.  Peace to All on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
I appreciate Marshall Rosenberg the creator of Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life, much like I appreciate Moshe Feldenkrais. Both men gave us life changing methods that when practiced can lead to inner & outer peace.

Dr. Rosenberg taught people how to empathically listen because he knew that without heartfelt connections, conflicts could not be resolved. He said, “You see if we are using nonviolent communication and we learn how to empathically connect with what is going on in other people at any given moment, the other person cannot not communicate with us.  Because even silence is a very loud powerful message.”

Marshall explains more in the video above, about how he empathically connected with a young woman who was too afraid to speak to him.  He kept feeling “what was alive in her” during her silence and in a fifth session she was able to awkwardly give him a written message.  Because his patience & loving manner reached her heart a healing relationship began. 

Dr. Rosenberg’s Definition of Violent Communication: judging others, bullying, having racial bias, blaming, finger pointing, discriminating, speaking without listening, criticizing others or ourselves, name-calling, reacting when angry, using political rhetoric, being defensive or judging who’s “good/bad” or what’s “right/wrong” with people; ~Nonviolent Communication, a Language of Life, back cover.

In the other video (below), Rosenberg is interviewed and shares on topics ranging from how he created A Language of Life, to his vision for creating peaceful societies.  Enjoy reading some intriguing quotes that came directly from the interview.

Dr. Rosenberg’s Inspiration: “I wanted to look for people who were educated in a way that helped them to enjoy giving to other people no matter what the people around them were doing. And it was from studying such people that I saw that they used a different language than the one I had been educated to use.   They used a language of life, a language that helped them connect the life that was going on in themselves & other people.” . .

Marshall Rosenberg’s View on Domination Structures: “So for example if you want to have domination you need to teach people to think in moralistic concepts such as: right/wrong, good/bad, normal/abnormal and teach them that the authorities know which of those words is which – so who’s good, who’s evil, who’s right, who’s wrong.  So you shape peoples’ mentality that way and then they make good little boys & girls and good little citizens in domination structures.” 

Dr. Rosenberg’s Vision: “So what we really need are to create structures that support life rather than create this division to begin with.  So yes, until we get those structures in place we do need to do a lot of reconciliation work.  But we’re interested in primary prevention which means radically transforming the domination structures on our planet.  A domination structure being defined as a government where a few people dominate many for their own advantages.” 

Marshall Rosenberg on Restorative Justice: “Restorative Justice is a very radical concept because it means instead of punishing people we need to look at crime in a total context, a total community context, and we need to get the victim & the perpetrator & the community all involved in a healing and restoration of things to a place that is good for everybody.  And to be conscious that punishing a person is just going to make a society worse.”  

May this post & last month’s post help you learn better ways to relate to yourself & others throughout the holiday season.  Peace to all on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
I love teaching the Feldenkrais Method because I get to witness, ‘truth setting my students free’, on many levels all of the time. I feel this happens sometimes quickly & other times slowly depending upon how honest & accepting each individual is when confronted with intimate details about themselves.

Facing inner truths takes courage because it requires students to face that which they distract themselves from. Those who delve deeply into Feldenkrais can come to realize that when their movement organization improves it makes for better thinking, feeling & behaving. This overall prosperity from Functional Integration & Awareness Through Movement lessons often creates life long explorers.

During this process, loving thoughts, feelings & actions can replace that which previously occupied the soul.  Humility & compassion can flourish, relationships can foster & a spiritual awakening can become more viable. Those that are dedicated can gradually discover & embody their greater purpose in life.

Since I am also a student of this method, I can attest that when I humbly receive personal & universal truths they become liberating gifts. In society it is important for everyone to have truthful information before them in order for beneficial collective change to occur. I aim to support humanity’s higher purpose, so I bring to your attention that the opposite is happening in America as authority figures are censoring the main stream media. This has been going on for quite awhile, to the detriment of all of us. 

For this reason, I share with you a video of Robert Kennedy, Jr. announcing his run for the presidency. For the past 18 years, he has been censored so methodically that you may not know he is a Democratic candidate. I am confident that if you hear Robert speak for himself, your opinion of him may become favorable if it isn’t already.   

I believe healing can happen between us, one conversation at a time, and that is why I include another video of Kennedy talking with some men in a barber shop in NYC. I think he demonstrates beautifully how to heal the divide in this country. The guys ask him questions about: the military industrial complex – why they should trust him – addiction – his spiritual awakening, & much more.

I  encourage you to make it a priority to reflect & soul search on a daily basis so you can open your heart a little wider each time you converse with someone.  May you come to understand that truth can set you free if you let it & if you resist it, it can create more discomfort & suffering.  Peace!
~Donna

{*I am sharing this post from March 2018 again because I have been referring it to so many people.  With the smoke & other pollutants in the air the Sinus Rinse featured in the video, is very helpful in cleaning out the sinus passages!}

Hi Students:
Recently I was experiencing sinus problems so I delved into my archive of Awareness Through Movement lessons and found ones that helped me to open up my clogged nose.

I feel so fortunate to have a plethora of Feldenkrais lessons available to me whenever I face a physical hurdle.
With gratitude, I will share two of the lessons that helped me during my next workshop called, Exploring the Sinuses on Saturday, April 28, 2018.  {*Click here for details about my workshop on Oct. 14, 2023.}

I did use other ways to drain my schnoz and the video included here will show you an invaluable tip that my sister taught me!  The ingredients that you will need are:  filtered water, iodine, xylitol (from Birch) & (fine) real salt.  I find this rinse to be much more effective than the nettie pot!  Watching the video can surely change your life when you need to clean out your sinuses.

And last but not least, nettle tea (loose leaf) gives me relief from sinus pressure when I need it.  Nettle is one of mother nature’s miracles that I am very grateful for.
Bring some tissues in case you need them on April 28th and be ready to learn more about your sinuses!
~Donna

Dear Students,
Each moment in life requires a unique & different way to breathe based upon how you are moving, sensing, feeling & thinking. With this in mind, I created an  Awareness Through Movement exploration for you to experiment with this summer. The mini-lesson can help enrich the quality of how you engage in activities from quiet to vigorous ones, based on how flexible your breathing parts are.  It is designed to teach your diaphragm to move in many directions like a balloon. This can make your ribs become more malleable so you can move air in & out of your lungs more easily!  Discover how to change your rib-cage into a rib-basket by simply using your awareness & imagination to direct your breath.

Breathing Exploration:
During this lesson move gently into the position explained and stop where you feel most comfortable. Breathe as directed, in a natural manner using awareness and curiosity to guide you. After each movement sit back in your chair and rest before going to the next one. Have fun and enjoy! 
1) Sit at the edge of your chair and place your hands on top of your head with your elbows out to the sides. Move your head and elbows to the left and stay where you feel comfortable. In this position direct your breath sideways into the right side of your ribs, many times. Imagine your right lung expanding towards your ribs near your armpit, in the middle and near the lower ribs. Sense that when you inhale each rib on the right side moves further away from each other. Notice what happens to the ribs on the left side. Rest. Now try the same exploration on the other side.
2) This time, sit and hug yourself with your hands on opposite shoulders with your elbows crossed & resting against your chest. With your head and eyes, look down towards your belly, round your back and roll your pelvis backwards. Stop where you feel most comfortable. Direct your breath towards the floating ribs near your lower back area and downward towards your pelvic floor. Sense the ribs in the lower back area on both sides, widening on the inhale and narrowing on the exhale.
3) Sit and place your hands on your forehead with your elbows facing forwards. Look up with your head and elbows and allow your pelvis to roll forwards so your tailbone will face the back of your head. In this position, direct your breath towards your chest and upwards towards your clavicles. Sense when you inhale, your sternum from the inside of yourself moves away from your vertebrae between your shoulder blades.
4) If you want, I suggest to try other positions to explore breathing in.  Be creative & have fun making different shapes with your body.
5) Sit back in your chair and observe how your breathing has changed. Walk around and observe your breathing. Notice throughout your day how your breathing changes depending upon your activities, and your emotional and mental state of mind.

May breathing explorations give you more adaptability in your life & demeanor. Peace!
~Donna

Dear Students:
Nose drawing, is another Bates Method technique that I like & is easy to do any where.  It requires acting as if a writing utensil is glued to the tip of your nose, so you can draw or trace objects with it.  It is a simple way to improve eyesight as the process softens the extra-ocular muscles where they attach to the white part of each eyeball, called the sclera.  Those with supple eyeballs can instantly look at something close up and then far away with clarity.

 

While moving your nose in space, the key ingredient that can enhance your sight is using your imagination. When you strive to feel & imagine the shape your nose is creating it teaches you how to passively sketch with your eyes instead of voluntarily moving them. Sketching is a vision habit that people who see clearly do instinctively. You can develop this effortless way of tracking with the eyes, so you can internally form a picture that results in normal vision. Nose drawing is a great way to interrupt the bad habit of staring & fixing the eyes when you are trying too hard to see something. 

While you are drawing, the oscillating motions of your head can lessen muscular tension around the base of your skull where facial & visual nerves reside.  This can effectively relax the eyes.  Letting vision come to you in a relaxed manner can help you to see better.  Watch the video with Nathan Oxenfeld for more details. 

Nose Drawing Explorations: 
{Choose one or more of the suggested explorations each time you nose draw. Gently move your head with eyes opened & then closed while drawing. If you experience any discomfort, slow down & make smaller motions.  If you feel pain, stop immediately & rest.}
1. Imagine your nose is a long paint brush & is contacting a wall in front of you.  Begin by simply painting a horizontal line with your favorite color, on the wall back & forth.  Focus on how you are painting the line onto the surface.  Make it smoother & simpler and notice if the line changes.  Let your eyes passively sketch as you attend to the line you are painting. Notice if you move your head more gracefully when you paint with your eyelids opened versus closed.
2.Now pretend your nose has a feather at the end of it and create a line in space to the left & right.  Notice if the quality of your motion is different from painting with a brush.  Then draw a vertical line & diagonal lines & become aware when you loose the image of the feather moving in space.
3.Next choose a pencil to write with onto a piece of paper in front of your face. It can be a square, a triangle, a circle, or figure eight.  Strive to sense the pencil touching the paper throughout the entire shape.  How long can you track the pencil mark? 
4.This time, write some letters of the alphabet with a crayon.  Feel how writing with a crayon changes how much pressure you use as you pretend it is contacting paper.    
5. Pretend your nose has a light ray coming out of it and trace the outline of an object such as a building.  Imagine a gold beam touching along the edges of the building.  Now see a red beam scanning the curvy parts of the trunk of a tree.  When you become more skilled trace the branches of the tree &/or fill in all the details of the building.  As a result you may become a better artist the next time you actually create with your desired medium.

When practiced on a regular basis, nose drawing can change your way of looking at the world.  May you playfully imagine your way to better eyesight! Peace!
~Donna

Dear Students:
I wish to introduce another Bates Method technique called Sunning, which is an easy way to enhance the vitality of your eyes.  It requires letting sunlight bath through your closed eyelids while moving your head back & forth for a few seconds or minutes at a time. View the video with Nathan Oxenfeld for more details & information.

 

The eyeballs are unique as they are organs that absorb light into the body.  Sunlight regulates many human functions including vision, the internal clock, sleeping & eating patterns. On the other hand, because the optic nerve is stimulated by light, too much artificial lighting from digital devices & L.E.D. lightbulbs can lead to vision problems, anxiety & sleep disorders. Studies show that when people are not exposed to enough sunlight during the winter, they can become depressed, moody & fatigued as a result. 

If you are light sensitive, know that you can gradually learn how to tolerate the sun through simple means and receive it’s many benefits.  To begin, I suggest to spend time outdoors each day & slowly wean yourself from wearing sun glasses. When you decide to remove your sun glasses, a good way to adjust to the natural light is to softly blink your eyelids, shade your face with a hat and/or sit under a tree. 

When you choose to Sun your Eyes, be sure to start slowly. Sun for only a few seconds at a time in the beginning and build up to a few minutes until your neurological system adapts.  Always listen to yourself & remember to only move in a manner that feels pleasant.  If you become light-headed, or feel dazed it is a sign that your vestibular system is overwhelmed so stop immediately.  An effective way to rest is to Palm your Eyes as I described in last month’s post.

Sunning the Eyes Exploration: 
1.Stand or sit while facing the sun with your head & eyes at the horizon & eyelids closed.  Turn your head left & right only as far as you can comfortably. Focus on letting your arms loosely dangle like pendulums as you slowly rotate. If the sun is high in the sky, move your head 10° higher & continue the gentle motion. If your neck muscles get tired return your head & eyes to the horizon and proceed. Do this for as long as it feels calming to your eyes and your being.  Do not exceed more than 5-10 minutes at a time. Pause & keep your eyelids closed & stay with your head & eyes at the horizon & your nose at the mid-line. 
2. Next imagine that your nose is a paint brush and draw a horizontal figure eight (the infinity sign), in space, slowly & ease-fully.  Notice if the circle on each side of your nose is the same size & shape.  Which side do you draw a clockwise circle?  Become aware of what part of each eye receives more sunlight when you are at the top of a circle compared to the bottom or to the left or right side. [If you get any discomfort, dizziness or nausea while doing this, stop & rest.  Skip ahead to step 5].
3. Reverse the direction of your figure eight.  Do you prefer going this way? Is it more symmetrical in form or less than the previous way you were moving? Notice which circle is drawn counter clockwise. Which side is more round? Pause with your eyes closed. 
4. Again turn your head left & right and feel if the quality of turning has changed.  Do you go farther with less effort?  
5. Slowly bring the exploration to a close & palm your eyes for a little while.  When you open your eyelids, blink often as the eyes get used to more light.  Notice the clarity of your vision & the vibrancy of the colors you see.  Has it changed? Do you carry your head & eyes in a different relationship to the horizon?

May you allow the sun’s rays to soothe your body & soul everyday! Peace.
~Donna

Dear Students:
Years ago I met Rosemary Gaddum Gordon a Natural Vision Educator who introduced me to the Bates Method. Soon afterwards, I easily began implementing Bates ideas, into my Feldenkrais practice because it is so complementary.  I continue to mix some concepts together & wish to share a few of them with you today & in months to come.

 

I dedicate this post to a classic Bates technique called palming, which entails blocking out light with your hands so your eyes can bask in darkness for as long as possible. Because the job of seeing is taken away during this process, the optic nerve can rest and the visual & nervous systems can be revitalized.

To help you understand how to properly palm your eyes, the featured video with Nathan Oxenfeld, gives many helpful tips. I include an Awareness Through Movement mini-lesson for you to explore to enhance your palming experience. For those who have over-active eyes & minds and struggle with sitting still, this calming lesson can make palming a possibility for you today or in the future.

For an incentive, know that the more I palm my eyes the more I crave it’s soothing effects. And as I use my eyes better during my daily life, my eyesight & over all well being benefit greatly.

Palming Exploration Combining the Feldenkrais & Bates Methods:
1. Rub your hands together to create heat & then place your cupped palms over your eyes.  Make sure not to touch your eyeballs while you prevent light from seeping through. (Refer to the photo &/or to Nathan demonstrating where to place your hands. Nathan also shows other suitable positions to palm in.)
2. When you are comfortably situated you can start with this short Feldenkrais eye lesson. First, witness the darkest black area in your visual field & any colors that are present. 
3. Imagine that numbers of a clock are to the right of your right eye.  Straight above the eye is 12:00, directly at the right corner is 3:00 & below in the midline is 6:00.  Fill in 1:00, 2:00, 4:00 & 5:00 in their appropriate spots.
4. From the mid-point where your eyes are settled, gently concentrate on moving your right eye to 12:00 and return to the middle. Pause. If you can’t do this pleasantly, just imagine moving your eyes instead. Become aware of the quality of your eyes in motion. [Do not forcefully move or strain your eyes throughout this min-lesson. If you become dizzy or nauseous, stop immediately as this is a sign of stress & skip ahead to step 10.]
5. Next, simply move your right eye from your middle, towards each of the numbers on the right side of the clock & return to mid-point. Pause after each motion. For example: go from the middle to 1, then from middle to 2, etc. Notice which number is the easiest & which is most difficult to travel towards & away from. 
6. Rest & gaze into the distance noticing any changes in the colors & blackness. 
7. Explore the left side of the clock by simply initiating the movements with your left eye.  Situated at corner of your left eye is 9:00. Imagine where 11, 10, 8, & 7 are placed. 
8. Rest. Take note of which numbers take less effort to get to on each side of the clock.  Which numbers require more effort? What does this tell you about how you use your eyes & how you carry your head?
9. If you want, explore more eye movements from the left to the right side of the clock.  This can give you clarity on how vision habits effect the ways you express yourself. For example: move from the center, diagonally from 1:00 to 7:00 and/or horizontally from 9:00 to 3:00, etc.  How does your head respond? Rest.
10. Do nothing while continuing to palm your eyes & pretend you are looking into outer space. Discover how you are releasing unnecessary eye strain.  Find out what it is like to get lost in the vastness as the dilation of your pupils grow.
11. When you are no longer curious or interested in your process, take your hands away and let light enter your eyelids & then slowly open them. Blink often as you let light enter.  After a moment, lazily look around & observe if the quality of your vision is different.  How vibrant are colors?  How do you see the edges of objects?  Do you see more clearly near or far away?  Experiment and let vision come to you. 

I highly suggest when you are ready to palm, not to set a goal for how long to do it.   When you set a time limit, most likely your focus will be drawn to the ticking of the clock. This can rob you from learning how to lessen excessive tension during your session.

If the chatter inside your head makes you uncomfortable, use this opportunity to listen to it without judging it.  Rather than trying to quiet your mind, become aware of any disturbing thoughts, feelings & sensations. Sit with your anxiety & allow your emotions to flow & sense any physical pains, or negative thinking.  Once you fully feel that which you distract yourself from, it can be released from your body so you can heal & grow.

To watch a short video by Rosemary entitled, Vision, Eyes & Emotions, click here. May you discover what rejuvenated eyes feel like & it’s many benefits! Peace.
~Donna