Feldenkrais Pelvic Floor Workshop Pictures.

The Power and Movement Center of Our Bodies!  

Learning to use ourselves in stable, supportive, reversible ways is the most important aspect of understanding our skeletal structure.  Here are a few pictures from yesterday's Pelvic Floor workshop, which addressed and presented the pelvis as the initiator of movement and center of balance and grace.

The Reno Feldenkrais Integrative Movement and Health Pelvic Floor workshop, January 26 - it was a great group and many many aspects of the application of this work were explored. A strong and balanced pelvic floor pertains to so many things, balance, movement function, breathing, uro-genital function, strengthening the body in scoliosis, overall stability, equestrian activities, running and hiking, to name a few. 

This was the second of 3 pelvic floor workshops, each a stand alone experience and resource. Each has been sold out well in advance.  If you are interested in attending workshop 3 (date not set yet), please contact me.

The Feldenkrais Method - David Zemach Bersin

Working with the Whole Self

Another succinct and lovely explanation from the Feldenkrais Institute of New York, to help you understand how the Feldenkrais Method and principles empower and create change in mind and body. This, of course, leads to measurable improvement in our general feeling of wellbeing, our joy in living.

The Feldenkrais Institute - Working With The Whole Self from SixDay Productions on Vimeo.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson Jan. 21-25

MOVEMENT and VITALITY

This week's Feldenkrais lesson is a slow, lengthening, comfortable, large rolling lesson that is also rib opening, shoulder loosening, hip integrating. It feels FABULOUS, balances the whole skeleton and relieves pain. The lesson is a child development lesson that brings movement and center of gravity in the direction of the pelvis. The rolling comes at the end and is very gentle. 

We had a wonderful class this morning and look forward to seeing students Thursday and Saturday! If you are coming to your first class, please contact me and come 15 minutes early.  Bring a comforter/blanket, water and wear layers. This lesson will give you a great feeling of what movement was when we were younger, more free and unselfconscious.

Class Schedule:  
Tues at Midtown Fitness 10 am; Thurs at Reno Buddhist Center 5:30 pm;  and Saturday at Midtown Fitness 3 pm, in addition to Sunday's Sold out Pelvic Floor workshop. 

Getting The Most Benefit from Your Feldenkrais Class or Workshop!

What you need to know and do to have a great Feldenkrais® experience in your Awareness Through Movement (ATM)® classes, workshops and at home.

1. The most important thing to know about ATM lessons is that deep and lasting change comes from your ability to sense and follow movement as you do it. This is how tension is released, not from ‘doing’ the movement 'right' or achieving any special form or position.
2. There is NO ‘RIGHT’ way or form, other than working with your attention, going slowly, and keeping the movements comfortable and small, gradually allowing the size of the movement to grow as you find your way.  NOT doing anything that causes pain is RIGHT.
3. We begin by doing each movement in a small, slow way.  Explore the feeling; see how your muscles and skeleton respond to the movement, listen to verbal direction.  Experiment. Enlarge the movement gradually, as your body becomes accustomed to it.  If you find it uncomfortable, visualize the movement, imagine doing it, in your minds’ eye.
4. Every time you repeat a movement, look for simpler, easier and less effortful ways of moving. There are many ways to do every movement.  Explore several different possibilities, see what is comfortable for you, what feels natural, and what feels good.
5. Give yourself the time and emotional room to discover movement that is comfortable for YOU, even when you visualize.  Discovering how you move, what your movement patterns are, is fundamental to your making deeper changes connections to yourself.  This will awaken your brain so that it can learn, and will release tension and stress.
6. The smaller and slower your make your movement, the more you will feel.  You learn to make finer and finer discriminations with your nervous system each time you move with attention and awareness.  Visualizing movement in your imagination is a very powerful brain activator--you use the same neural pathways as you do when you move; your mental activity while visualizing is actually equal or greater than in movement, and really makes your neurons fire.
7. If you practice sensing and moving at home, do it only as long as you are interested in it.  Stop if your attention wanders too long or if the movement becomes boring to you.  Automatic movement is of no benefit to your brain.  Only when you are working with attention and interest will your neurons fire, will you develop new capacity.
8. Non-habitual movement and sensing is learning in the most complete way possible.  Sensing with attention activates your proprioceptors, the sensory mechanisms in your ligaments and tendons around every joint. Your body will subconsciously make better movement choices as you accumulate more ability to sense and track your movement from inside yourself.
9. Visit renofeldenkrais.blogspot.com to view the youtube clips and for detailed information about the Feldenkrais Method®. Email me at renofeldenkrais@aol.com if you have questions.

Carole Bucher, BA, GCFP/T
www.renofeldenkrais.blogspot.com
renofeldenkrais@aol.com, 775-240-7882 

SELF DISCOVERY - The art of shouldering

Most of us carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, sometimes to an extreme degree. The consequences are immobility such as frozen shoulder, stiff necks, back pain of all kinds, knots between the ribs, under the shoulder blades, and even tight pelvic conditions because of the stressed muscles connecting the upper and lower back. When I saw this beautiful image by Kirstine Reiner on one of my favorite art sites, it really spoke to me, especially it's title: "Unknown Territory." Here are a few thoughts relating to your shoulders and to Feldenkrais:

The Art of Shouldering:
Mysterious, elegant connections exist between shoulder and ribs, shoulder and spine, shoulder and pelvis, and most often, shoulder and neck. People are almost always astonished to feel and learn about these connections first hand in Functional Integration sessions, the individualized aspect of Feldenkrais. Contact me for information about one-on-one lessons and how they integrate with the other aspect of Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement classes.  I hold classes in Reno at Mditown Fitness, 600 S. Center St., on Tues. morning, 10 am; at the Reno Buddhist Center, 820 Plumas at Taylor, on Thurs. evening at 5:30 and at Midtown Fitness again on Saturdays at 3 pm.

Feldenkrais empowers you to discover the real meanings of self care and sustainability.

The 2nd of 3 Pelvic Floor Workshops, Sun Jan 26 noon-3 pm - SOLD OUT

January 26, 12 - 3 pm -- Taking Control of Your Pelvic Floor Function, Part 2 The workshop is limited to 20 people. Part 1 sold out within 10 days of the announcement, so please confirm your participation ASAP. Pre-registration and prepayment is required. What you learn will help you improve your general pelvic health and critical functions related to: (1) structural imbalances, incontinence, constipation, prolapses, pre- and post-surgery urogenital issues, ED; (2) you will gain tools to help you manage scoliosis, hip replacement and/or low back pain. Attend 1, 2, or all 3 segments of this 3-part series of self-empowering Feldenkrais Pelvic Floor workshops. Each one gives you the stand alone material that you need to deal with most pelvic structural and functional issues -- naturally and effectively. Parts 1 and 2 are based on the renowned doctoral work of Deborah Bowes, EDPT, GCFP. WHEN: Sunday, Jan 26, 12-3:00 pm  WHERE: Midtown Fitness, 600 S. Center St., Reno. COST: Need-based sliding scale, $35-50. BRING: A folding chair, a blanket or comforter, water and a snack.  SELF-EMPOWERMENT is the essence of the Feldenkrais Method. Please share this information with friends who may need help with any of these issues. Help is on the way. I look forward to seeing you, celebrating the Year of the Horse! We can all learn to ride with more finesse and sensitivity, whether on horse back, bicycle, or surfing the unpredictable waves of life.  Happy New Year! Carole

Holiday and 2014 Feldenkrais Schedule

2013 Reno Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) classes ended on December 21, Winter Solstice.

Classes will resume on Thursday January 2, 2014; the schedule is the same as last year. I am posting the schedule for you below.

You are welcome to come to as many of the classes each week as you wish. We study one lesson all week long, so that you have an opportunity to refine your understanding and improve you capacity within the movement sequence. It is certain that the more you do Awareness Through Movement, the better the effect it has on your body, your brain, the general level of stress you feel and your overall well being.  Many people do ATM every day (I do...).

My New Year's gift to you is that I will not be raising the cost for classes or private sessions/lessons and will continue to offer my need-based sliding scale for group ATM and for individual private Functional Integration.

Awareness Through Movement Class at Midtown Fitness

Socrates said "Let those who would move the world first move themselves."

And in truth, the more movement you have in your system, the more comfortable you will be, the more wonderful you will feel. Pain is reduced, balance, energy and capacity return. When you move with more attention, your level of performance will reach a higher level, whatever you do, or wish to do. Everything becomes better.

Movement should be pleasurable, fun, easy and safe. You can regain this kind of movement for yourself by working with intention and attention, even for short periods of time.  Come to class and find out for yourself!

The first THURSDAY classes will be held on January 2 at 4-5 pm and 5:30-6:45 pm at the Reno Buddhist Center on Plumas at Taylor.

The first SATURDAY 3-4:30 pm class will be held on January 4 at MidTown Fitness (formerly Achieve Fitness), 600 S. Center St., in Reno.

The first TUESDAY 10-11:30 am class will be held on January 7 at MidTown Fitness.

Happy New Year to everyone! 2014 will be a year to make the impossible possible, by making your movement joyous and strong! Welcome the return to the light in our hearts, bodies and minds!

Pelvic Floor Workshop, Midtown Fitness, Dec. 29 - SOLD OUT

Who Benefits From Pelvic Floor Work?

Working with the pelvic floor system can greatly help people who have issues with SCOLIOSIS, BALANCE, BREATHING, pelvic pain, ED and other subtle, but critical functions that follow pelvic surgeries, injury, hip replacement, in addition to UROGENITAL FUNCTION, in both men and women. Working with the pelvic floor also provides a very refined sense of pelvic balance for athletes, dancers and equestrians.

The pelvic floor sits at the base of the pelvis and includes external muscles running from the pubic bone to the tailbone and between the two ischial tuberosities known as the seat bones (also sitz bones, sitting bones, etc.).  Inside the pelvis a large bowl shaped muscular compartment holds the pelvic organs, and includes fascia that support organs within the .  In addition, muscles running from the pelvis up into the lower spine and down into the hip joints work together to balance, support and extend the function of the pelvic floor system. Using Feldenkrais movements as a foundation for pelvic movement, we will access all parts of the pelvic floor system

The importance of moving from the pelvis, using it as the focus of movement initiation and support for the rest of the body cannot be overstated.  We want mobility and responsiveness in the pelvic region which allows the body above and below to function with much more stability, effectiveness and finesse.

The workshop is based on the work of renowned Feldenkrais practitioner and EPT, Deborah Bowes.  I took an advanced training in Feldenkrais Pelvic Floor work in San Francisco in June of 2011. This advanced training segment covered Deborah's decades long pelvic floor work and detailed research into the structure, function and relationship to the rest of the body. Deborah has since completed her doctoral degree in physical therapy based on her Feldenkrais pelvic floor work.  An interview with her about this work is available here:  http://www.feldenkraissf.com/pelvichealthinterview.cfm.

Working with your Attention in Sitting to Improve Hips and Spine

This is a wonderful short Feldenkrais lesson sequence that you can do at home to improve many conditions that cause discomfort -- scoliosis, hip pain, kyphosis and tension in the shoulders -- or if you are a recipient of hip replacement surgery.  You will be amazed at the results, the improvement you may discover with these small, slow movements.

It is presented by Dr. Lori Malkoff, one of the few medical doctors who is also a Feldenkrais practitioner.  She uses the Feldenkrais Method extensively in her practice to provide non-drug, non-surgical effective, holistic treatment for her patients.  If you are in the southern California area, you would do well to look into her specialties.  Among these are pain relief, restoration of physical function and improved healing.

The mindful, slow and attentive movement that Lori demonstrates is a wonderful example of  Awareness Through Movement work.  If you do the sequence, try to do it with the same care and slow speed for best results.  The slower you move, the more you will feel.  All you need to do is try doing any movement both quickly and slowly to see the depth of this truth for yourself.

How to Breathe Comfortably and Fully

Working with the DIAPHRAGM figured prominently in Dr. Feldenkrais' work. As you watch this lovely offering by Feldy Donna Bervinchak, try to sense your own anatomy; this study is for anyone who needs breathing work and softening of the chest, expansion of the lower abdominal cavity, increased connection between shoulders and hips, pelvic floor. Diaphragm work does so much to enhance these areas, and thus connect you to yourself more wholly. All Feldenkrais work has a direct de-stressing effect on the nervous system. Please contact me if you want to find out more about Feldenkrais healing and work. Classes, workshops and private lessons can make a huge difference.