A Feldenkrais Blog

Dear Students:
Last month the creator of PaSafeTech.org told me about a product that has changed my life for the better & I believe it will allow me to work & teach Feldenkrais in many other places. It is called Shakti Air and is the most effective tool that I have found for mitigating the harmful effects caused by wireless electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) emitted from wifi, cell phones & the plethora of other “smart” devices.  

Because the Shakti, EMF stabilizer has created a calming atmosphere inside our home I have been able to sleep restfully & restoratively for the first time since 2012. The reason I decided to try “yet another EMF protection product” was because I read about how founder, Benjamin discovered that his innovation helped people like me.  Read his story here: signalsanctuary.health/ 

There are so many great things about Shakti Air other than it’s healing properties and some of them are, it doesn’t need plugged into an electricity outlet, it is about the size of a book, and it’s low cost may amaze you.  I do caution you that it is very powerful & I could feel it working when it was right beside me so I placed it on a high shelf  above head level & the dilemma was solved.  When I travel with it in a car, I wrap it in tin foil so I don’t experience any detoxification symptoms. I can’t wait until Ben creates a smaller version of Shakti Air that I can carry with me at all times. 

I have had Shakti Air for 6 weeks and because I think my body is detoxing from heavy metals and is healing itself, I am sleeping a lot. I feel blessed to say that my energy level has increased substantially, I can now be in the kitchen without experiencing vestibular problems from our neighbor’s smart meter, and I am able to visit extended family members in their homes when I take it with me! I turned off my other EMF harmonizers and have never even thought to turn them back on again.  This surprises me because the harmonizers that I have, have helped me so much that I never dreamed of not needing to use them.  For me this is all miraculous & I am so grateful to Benjamin & pleasantly surprised to say that I am hopeful for my future in this wireless age!

Some Symptoms People Experience from EMFs:
~low energy ~fatigue ~brain fog ~faulty memory recall ~headaches ~migraines ~altered vision ~vestibular problems ~agitation ~high anxiety ~tinnitus ~sleeping disorders ~breathing difficulties ~heart arrhythmias ~numbness ~tingling sensations ~hives ~depression

Happy Holidays. Peace to all on Earth!
~Donna

To New Students:
A wonderful way to start the holiday season is to take a rejuvenating Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement (ATM) class the day before Thanksgiving for only $10!

Join Feldenkrais Practitioner, Donna Bervinchak to learn how to gently roll around on the floor like a baby & afterwards walk away moving & feeling more like you did as a teenager.

Special for New ATM Students:
Time: 11 am -12 noon 
When: Wednesday, November 26, 2025 
Where: Susquehanna Dance Center,  
120 College Ave., Mountville, PA 
Cost: $10.00 (cash or check) 
Instructor: Donna Bervinchak 
RSVP by Nov. 24 at: donna_bervinchak@yahoo.com

“I love movement & I am always discovering something new about myself during Donna’s ATM class! Each class introduces a level of ease in how to move & classes continue to improve my quality of living.”
~Greg Sipe, Ballroom Dance Instructor

For more information & details click on ATM classes and/or Functional Integration sessions.
Happy Thanksgiving! Peace to all on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
Throughout the years I have passionately explored & taught the Feldenkrais Method & with each day, I come to understand more deeply what Moshe Feldenkrais realized about the developmental movement process for human beings.  Contemplating further about why our Creator innately wired newborns’ nervous systems to go through these movements in the first year of life, (if not prevented by other circumstances) leads to never ending questions & discoveries.  I organically know that it wasn’t only to organize our nervous, skeletal & muscular systems for moving, standing & walking but rather for much, much more.

Moshe Feldenkrais said, “My purpose is to allow people to move closer to actually being creatures of free choice, to genuinely reflect individual creativity and emotion, freeing the body of habitual tensions and wired-patterns of behavior so that it may respond without inhibition to do what the person wants.”

For me personally, self-love was a foreign concept when I was fresh out of college & had first discovered Feldenkrais.  At that point in my life, I thought it was loving to care for others to the detriment of my own health & believed I was doing a good thing.  I gradually learned to love myself by first becoming aware of the ways I treated myself worse than anyone else. Next, I learned during Functional Integration & Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons to become non-judgmental, gentle & loving to myself.

Then I began assisting others to take responsibility for their own actions & decisions, & discovered a genuine compassion, empathy & concern for them.  As a young Feldenkrais Practitioner, I did not anticipate that I would develop the emotional & spiritual growth that I am grateful for today, by adopting this way of living.

“To learn to feel comfort is a skill & development. Most people don’t have it-they have it naturally as babies but when we are grown up we have learned a way that we do what is necessary whether we want it or not.  And therefore we have lost the skill of feeling what we really and when we really feel comfortable.” ~Moshe Feldenkrais, 1981 at San Francisco public workshop

Self-change can begin when you become aware of your habitual ways of thinking, sensing, feeling & moving during challenging situations in ATM classes. Internal knowledge gives you the power to do what you desire.  I have witnessed my dedicated students transform into better versions of themselves when they apply what they learn from sessions & classes to their lives. 

“I believe actually what Jesus said, “Love thy Neighbor as Thyself” has more than one message.  The real message is, if you don’t Love yourself you can’t love your neighbor. Because if you hate yourself what sort of love do you deem out to your neighbor? Just, politeness maybe or fear. ~Moshe Feldenkrais, 1981 at San Francisco public workshop

I invite you to join me in the journey of learning how to love yourself so you can love your neighbors & be a part of changing the violence all around us, one person at a time. Peace.
~Donna

Dear Students:
Many of you know that I am negatively effected by wireless radiation from my writings and/or from being asked to turn off your cell phone when you are at an Awareness Through Movement class or Functional Integration session.

Over the years I have met many wonderful people who have helped me become physically & energetically stronger so I can weather wireless radiation without it draining my energy.  Aran Mullen of Aetheric Arts is one of these people who’s passion in life is to teach others how to protect themselves from electromagnetic frequencies (EMF).

When Aran was 15 years of age, he realized that EMF pollution was negatively affecting his health & mind. He began studying & researching the science behind electromagnetic energy. Over the course of 11 years, he has personally tested a wide variety of EMF protection products. Although many had some benefits, there were many that did not seem to help. This inspired him to learn how to create his own EMF harmonizing technologies to mitigate harmful radiation in the atmosphere.

Through his business he teaches people how to detect where radiation is coming into their homes & provides geopathic dowsing and EMF protection solutions that draw on a wide range of traditions & teachers. He is always engaged in furthering his knowledge through dedicated study on the topic. With the aim of developing simple and effective solutions, that can be shared with the world.

Recently when Aran was in town he dowsed around the property I live at to detect any potential disturbances. Once he located 3 major Geopathic Stress lines, he installed “corrections”, which diffuses the energies. I include a video of his called, “Dowsing a New Home to Correct Geopathic Stress”, for you to view his demonstration on exactly how he went about this & how he brought a greater balance and flow of natural energy into the space.

I met Aran at a holiday party when he witnessed how a 5G frequency effected me.  I was sitting at a dinner table when a friend sat down & turned on her cell phone. I immediately felt a powerful force push me backwards & began to tip over in my chair. I quickly caught myself & moved away.  Shortly after this, Aran walked over to me & handed me an orgonite product which instantly grounded me.  When I sat down again I placed it on my lap & was surprised to be able to finish eating & socializing.

Since then, Aran taught me how to use orgonite, tensor rings & recently dowsing to bring a natural energy into my surroundings.  Because of this, I sleep better which has enhanced my healing process & a “smart” device has never again been able to push me over in the way it did at the party I met him at!

I can’t express how fortunate & grateful I feel for knowing people like Aran, as they have given me the capability to continue to function & thrive in this “wirelessly charged” world.  If you are sensing a drain in your energy from wireless technology I encourage you to reach out to Aran & learn more. Peace!
~Donna

Dear Students:
Chava Shelhav the Creator of the Child’Space Method & one of the original 13 students trained by Moshe Feldenkrais passed into the spirit world on July 22.  I am saddened to say she is another great Feldenkrais Trainer & mother figure of mine that entered another spiritual realm this year.

I was very fortunate to have been trained by Dr. Chava Shelhav in her 2nd Chicago, Child’Space training more than a decade ago.  She took her vast knowledge from Feldenkrais & applied it to the method that she created for parents & babies. She was a powerful matriarch that could immediately silence & grab the attention of a room full of mothers & grandmothers due to an innate sense of wisdom that exuded from her.

Chava influenced my teaching to a large degree & to this day, I hear her voice inside my head when I am teaching. During my training, I was in awe of her knowledge of childhood development & by how quickly she picked up on the family dynamics that shaped each little one she worked with.  I would watch her very intently as she taught families to support the health of their child so I could absorb as much as possible from her expertise. 

Many adults did not realize until the moment Chava pointed out an intimate truth about their parenting, that to enhance their infant’s development the whole unit of care givers had to be made aware & taught about what that meant on many levels.  Each one of them would also have to learn how to enforce that which supported the betterment of their family’s environment.  I wrote a blog post called, A Baby’s Motor Development that you could read by clicking on it to understand the challenges of what that would entail.

After I graduated from Dr. Shelhav’s training I became a volunteer assistant teacher at the New York City Child’Space training the following year because I wanted to be around her teaching as long as I could!  I am so grateful to have had those experiences & for the gift Chava gave to us called the Child’Space Method.

I will miss that Dr. Shelhav will no longer be with us physically but I do know that she will be with us in spirit.  I am confident that she will explore her new reality with as much vigor & curiosity as she did when studying through the Feldenkrais Method. Peace to all on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
I often tell my Feldenkrais students that “pain is your friend” and when you listen closely to it you can discover the personal messages it has for you. Today’s post is about how listening to signals from within yourself can help you live in the present moment.

This past month, my brother started to get ready for the winter, by splitting some logs he cut from a friend’s tree, relocating seasoned wood & stacking green wood in it’s place.  After I finished teaching, I helped him with this big project.  He showed me what needed to be done & that his goal was to get it done that day.

I started moving heavy logs closer to him to quicken his splitting pace & transferred wood to & fro.  As I looked at the work ahead of us it seemed daunting and I began to dread what needed to be accomplished. Quickly my mind went into a downward spiral of awful thoughts such as, “we’ll never get this done today”, “I would rather be doing something else” & “it’s only going to get hotter”, etc.  As my attitude worsened, my shoulder developed an ache & my leg became uncomfortable.  Fortunately as my body began talking, it brought me into the moment. I knew that things would only keep getting worse if I kept distracting myself from what I was doing.

I then remembered my Feldenkrais history & turned my current situation into a long Awareness Through Movement lesson.  I began studying the shape & size of each piece of wood that I handled & paid attention to how I picked them up.  I noticed how beautiful all the logs in their particular cut were & how wonderfully they smelled.

I focused on to how to stack wood better as I am not skilled at balancing it just right & I actually improved.  Eventually my mind became quiet as I became interested in my internal & external worlds.  In the end, we decided to finish the task over the week & I was happy as I could sense the limits of my endurance.  Because of this, I felt gratifyingly exhausted and my shoulder & leg were tired but not cranky. The many beneficial effects that I sensed due to this exploration fascinated me just like a typical Feldenkrais lesson always does.

It was my bodily discomfort that ultimately woke me up during this particular chore but my thoughts, emotions, behaviors or attitudes could have done the same thing. Due to this, I prevented myself from creating physical, emotional, mental or spiritual pain from building within myself & this allowed me to have a pleasant time. I hope this inspires you to take more opportunities in your life to awaken yourself up to some fascinating experiences.  Peace!
~Donna

Dear Students:
I am glad that I got to attend the Susquehanna Dance Center’s & COBALT dance company’s performance, Sylvia on opening night for it had a very special energy to it.

It began with choreographer Shari Vegso’s brief introduction that included a telling statement about her fellow comrades Willow Donnachie & Isabella Williams. She announced that she was the only one of the three choreographers that did not give birth to a baby during the rehearsal schedule. Looking at this fact with hindsight, I believe this created a unique & loving atmosphere around the trio & their students during their creative process.

As I watched the show, I became mesmerized by the excellence of the music, choreography & dancers. The three principle female dancers led by Magnolia Williams were so graceful that I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. They needed no words to tell the fairy tale of this modern ballet because they skillfully embodied their characters.

Magnolia played Artemis the “queen of the forest” who lived peacefully with her best friend, Sylvia (Livi O’Byrne) amongst the animals. Their friendship was tested when a frisky cupid, (Anna Weissend) came into their pristine world and pierced a shepherd’s heart (Emmanuel Williams). After another arrow entered Sylvia, they fall in love with each other.

For Artemis her life is suddenly turned upside down by these events. She feels betrayed by Sylvia for letting a boy get in between their perfect friendship.  To my pleasant surprise, the meat of this classical ballet only began at this point in the program!

The slue of emotions that opened up inside of Artemis due to the meddling cupid became Magnolia’s artistic canvas. As Artemis, she used her expressive body language to convey her feelings of betrayal, jealousy & anger towards Sylvia & the shepherd.  The playful sprite that she was, became a powerful & commanding matriarch of the forest that tried to stop her friend from leaving. Her body clearly spoke to the audience like words on paper.

I believe that Magnolia’s maturity coupled with her exquisite dancing successfully set the tone for the rest of the dancers to match.  Anna Weissend was a rascal of a cupid in every way, while Livi O’Byrne became the lovestruck, Sylvia who danced with a care-free lightness in her steps. Leading man, Emmanuel Williams completed the picture & reverently loved her in return as the shepherd. In the end, I was left feeling like Artemis surrendered to the idea of letting Sylvia go and she returned to the forest alone to resolve her emotions.

I greatly appreciated how this performance was able to showcase love in it’s purest form. I think it was evident the entire cast was touched tenderly by the lives of their teachers & new babies over the last few months. I thank them for their heartfelt performance. I look forward to seeing these young dancers grow & reach towards their inner potentials. I hope that they can carry this extraordinary experience with them where ever they go.

[Photos from top to bottom are: Magnolia Williams, Emmanuel Williams & Livi O’Byrne.] I will let you know when this company performs in the future. Peace to all on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
This post is dedicated to two beloved women that recently passed to the spirit world.  On April 1, my wonderful Mother passed at 89 years old and on February 15, Mia Segal, the “mother” of the Feldenkrais Method passed at the age of 94.

My Mom, Dolores Bervinchak was a natural born teacher who shared her gift with me throughout my life.  She had an innate awareness of herself & others & loved the lessons & classes I taught her.  She was a nimble mover until the day she passed & taught me that age has nothing to do with immobility or stiffness. The picture to the right is my Mom during a class in 2016.

My Mom’s passion was helping people in unique ways and at her memorial services an abundance of people came out to share their stories about how she touched them and it moved me deeply.

Here is an example of what is was like to grow up around her. When I was in kindergarten my teacher teased me about my shoe being untied & then embarrassed me by tying it in front of the whole class.
When I got home from school, I was devastated & demanded that my Mom teach me how to tie my shoes.  My Mom had been trying for quite some time but I literally could not keep a “bunny ear” in place long enough to wrap the other lace around it. I will never forget how gentle & caring my Mom was that day as she patiently invented another way for me to do it.  She had me loop the first lace around my thumb so I could hold it steadily & successfully circle the other one around it. To this day, I tie my shoes like this & for decades thought it was the norm until my brother pointed out the difference!   

This is what I said when I spoke at my Mom’s memorial mass: When I was a little kid I remember asking my Mom what her favorite flower was and she instantly said, “Daisies”.  I thought, “what a good choice - I like daises too!” Over the years I have thought about her choice quite often. Daises are plain & simple and they have no fragrance but when you really look at them they are incredibly beautiful. 

This was my Mom-her beauty was plain and simple.  She did not try to be someone she wasn’t. She had no facade or false pretenses and it came naturally. This was where she had strong confidence in herself & was one my most favorite qualities about her.
I knew when she was proud of me or disappointed in me.   She never tried to hide it.  By just being around her, my Mom quietly & consistently taught my siblings & I, moral & ethical, life lessons. She instilled in my heart & soul what is needed to get me through the hardest times in life and I am grateful. Thank you Mom! Whenever you see a Daisy please send your love and prayers to my Mom - I know she will appreciate it.

Mia Segal was another kind & caring woman that influenced my life on a different level.  I was fortunate to take two Advanced trainings from her.  One was in Berkeley, CA when I was a new Feldenkrais Practitioner and the other one was in San Francisco many years later.  She took the time to get to know me during each training and despite her busy schedule and “famous” status, left me feeling like she really cared about me as an individual.

I call her the “mother” of the Feldenkrais Method because Moshe Feldenkrais asked her if she would give him feedback when he first began developing his method in 1957.  She was at his side as he gave birth to the hands-on modality that became known as Functional Integration and then when he decided to create Awareness Through Movement lessons so he could help more people at once.

Most likely as a result of being around Moshe from the beginning, when Mia taught her wisdom & confidence was evident & she was able to clearly & precisely present information.  This helped me to see that Functional Integration and Awareness Through Movement are interchangeable and because of this my understanding & teaching of the method became more effective.  Thank you Mia! (Click here to view a memorial page for Mia).

Peace & love to Dolores & Mia and to all on Earth!
~Donna

Dear Students:
The previous post, Crawling Isn’t Only for Babies, brought forth the question: “What do you suggest parents can do to help a baby crawl & walk on schedule?”

There is so much to say about this subject but I will give you my best short answer. Typically developing babies do not need help in learning how to crawl & walk if care givers stay out of their way. When you understand that newborns will instinctively press & push their bodies into any surface they feel, you can make sure it is one that can lead to bigger movements. Babies that spend time exploring on a hard ground can eventually learn how to move upon it. This can occur easily if an infant is lying on a floor but not on a soft mattress or sofa or while confined in a contraption.

The developmental movements that babies go through when given the opportunities to move, lead to well organized independent sitting, standing & walking that gives them the choice to rest when they want.  Tots can easily get hurt if they are placed in a “baby seat, door jumper or walker” before they can roll into sitting or climb to standing on their own. Trying to hold themselves upright with under-developed muscles & bones can become exhausting & painful.  With that thought, I give care givers 3 suggestions to follow so they can become aware of when they are helping or hindering a child’s motor development. 

Tips for Caregivers to Enhance a Baby’s Motor Development:
1. Car Seats Are For Cars Only:  A car seat is designed to contain a baby inside it, in case of an accident.  Knowing this, parents ought to be sure to carry children in their arms to & from the car so they can move & snuggle with them as they are transferred. Avoid using the car seat as a baby-sitter or for nap time as it prevents infants from moving. Children will instinctively push against a car seat & over long periods of time may become tired & loose the desire to try to move. During sleep the nervous system processes all the initiated movements of the day. As a result babies may carry out new motions if they are lying on a floor or in a crib during each nap.
2. Eliminate Screen Time & Noise Cancellation Ear Phones:  Kids that use cell phones, i-pads, computers & ear phones can fall into a trance-like state of mind that can become addictive & robs them of relating to others & the natural world.  Eyes & ears develop naturally while outdoors.  Screen time use can lead to attention deficit disorders, frustration, anger, temper tantrums, etc.  Noise cancellation ear phones can cause a baby to loose the ability to filter out sounds when engaging in conversation in public places.  I highly recommend not to use these devices with or around children as I believe they are detrimental to their present and future growth & development.
3.No Standing, Sitting, or Jumping Products Needed:  Infants need to form knee caps, hip sockets, strong bones & muscles by bearing weight through their arms & legs as they roll, creep & crawl.  During this process their joints become strong, flexible & stable.  When babies sit, stand or jump too early while in “baby seats, bouncers or walkers” during their development it can lead to physical injuries such as hip dysplasia.  Tots grow stronger & smarter each time they climb to standing, take a few steps, fall down & get back up again, without any assistance.    

If your child is developmentally behind schedule or has special needs you can find a Feldenkrais and/or Child’Space Practitioner to help assist you with your child’s progress.  In this video, I help a new mom, Marie understand the difference between “tummy time” and transitioning time.  Watch & see how I taught this mom to roll her daughter from her back to her belly during this Child’Space session. 

If you are not sure if you are helping or hindering a child’s motor development think of this scenario from my childhood. When I was 2 years old & my baby brother was a few months old our family got a puppy.  Immediately my brother’s world began revolving around our dog, Gigi.  Where ever Gigi went, my brother was sure to follow.  He needed no toys to motivate him to move as he was always striving to keep up with Gigi.  I always knew I could find them playing under a table or in the tunnel that was created between the wall & the back of our couch. Think about how his experiences of relating to his canine friend shaped him physically, mentally & emotionally. 

Not only did my brother’s development benefit from our puppy but so did mine.  As a toddler I was more interested in spending time on the floor crawling around with Gigi & my brother instead of trying to walk like the adults.  I am so grateful for the benefits I received from this 2nd period of infancy as I believe it is one of the reasons I appreciate the Feldenkrais Method so much! Peace!
~Donna

Dear Students:
Crawling in all it’s forms, plays an essential role in the development of the neurological, muscular & skeletal systems of a baby.  If you look closely at a newborn you will not see any back curves because the vertebral curvatures are created during the first year of life through rolling, creeping, crawling & climbing motions.  These developmental movements prepare babes in amazing ways, for sitting, standing & independent walking. 

When an infant pushes his head, torso, arms, pelvis & legs into the floor his bone density is stimulated to grow, his muscles develop & his awareness comes alive.  Eventually slithering across the floor becomes an achieved reality.  If this process is uninterrupted, his confidence & curiosity can grow & keep him continuously engaged in learning.  This can positively influence the paths he chooses to walk upon during his entire life.

I share this short video with you so you can watch Baby Liv as she learns to crawl & become aware of herself & the environment around her.  I hope you watch it as my words cannot describe her broad levels of growth. 

If you delve into crawling as an adult it can help you to physically, emotionally & mentally reorganize yourself in wonderful ways.  It can also be a very humbling experience if you are troubled with stiff muscles, exaggerated vertebral curves & weaknesses. Fortunately during Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons, students of all ages & abilities can learn to slowly & gently move in small increments towards creeping across the floor before trying to go faster or more powerfully. 

Years ago a young mother came to my (ATM) class on a day I taught a lesson that concluded with her propelling herself forward on her belly much like a baby.  At the end of class she came up to me with tears in her eyes and told me that she, “didn’t realize that crawling was so hard”.  She humbly thanked me for helping her find empathy for her four month old son who was struggling with “tummy time”. On another occasion, a mother of a teenager with special needs had a similar reaction after a lesson.  She forlornly expressed that she wished she had known about Feldenkrais & understood the importance of crawling before her daughter was born. I assured her it was never too late to learn.

On a compatible note, crawling has become a popular craze in the fitness world.  Creeping like an animal on all four limbs, helps exercisers get stronger & more flexible at the same time. With that thought, I felt it would be fun to share an instructional video of the “lizard crawl” with you.   The instructor demonstrates very well how to safely accomplish this difficult crawl by taking you through some proper progressions.  I like this exercise & ones like it because they require full attention, are functional, challenging & time efficient.  If you decide to exercise in this creative manner be sure to take it gradually & one step at a time.

Happy Thanksgiving! Peace to all on Earth.
~Donna