THE YEAR OF THE BRAIN: Neuroplasticity picture by Scott Barrows

What a great time to be interested in the study of neuroscience. Now there is a magazine on every newsstand that has pictures of brains with captions like FEED YOUR BRAIN, HOW THE BRAIN REWIRES ITSELF, BUILD A BRAIN, etc.
As a PT/Feldenkrais practitioner™ I have been very intrigued about the study of neuroscience. I watch changes happen when a client accesses their own human potential by turning the learning switch on when they move to learn. The key is helping people know that they have these powerful tools. Movement is our first language and when movement hurts, we can turn off exploring our world this way. Pain that lasts long enough like chronic pain can change our body maps (holographic maps in our brain that tell us where we are in space that are effected through our learning experiences). This can happen in such a way that we no longer have the adaptability to move in many directions.
When pain has lasted long after an injury, pain can become chronic.Often we address treating pain as a cause and effect problem, but pain can also be learned. Once this happens, many associations that were learned at the time of encountering pain signals can also trigger a pain response. Now you are not just dealing with the unhealed pain but the pain that has been learned along the way. Scientists are now exploring chronic pain as something truly different than acute pain.
When I work with clients that have had pain for a long period of time, I start to help them improve their body awareness through exploring areas of their body that does not hurt. The pain source is not ignored, in fact, it is clarified. Then, as the client searches for sensing other areas that have other sensations, there can be other brain signals that are aroused to diminish the heightened pain response. Comfort scales, easy movement scales and other sensory tools like listening to movement can be very creative ways to explore movement without pain. Imagining movement without pain is highly effective, but this may be very difficult for people who have had to live with long term pain.
The Feldenkrais Method® and mindfulness training through meditation are highly successful tools to assist in this process. Both strategies allow people to explore at their own rate and to access the brain in a way that encourages neurogenesis, the capacity to reorganize the brain pertaining to experiential learning.

FEAST FOR THE SENSES: The 2009 Feldenkrais® Conference

Boarding my plane to return home from the National Feldenkrais Conference in Forest Grove Oregon, I caught a title from the airline magazine that captured my experience for the week: A Feast for the Senses. The conference was spectacular. The event followed their mission, Learning to Learn. You could not have been more clear how defining this is of the Feldenkrais Method.

The workshops were well laid out with very dynamic and organized speakers. One of the surprises I experienced was when I attended the “Tipping Point” workshop. We were guided through an activity of gathering information from each other through an interview process. We were then led to collect the information through a dynamic systems approach to incorporate all of our view points on what we felt defined the Feldenkrais Method and where would we like to see this method in the future. These ideas were than developed into headlines to move closer to Moshe Feldenkrais’s dream to return each individual to their true humanity. Our sign in the photo above reads: OBAMA ENDORSES THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD STATING YES YOU CAN!

We had the opportunity to hear from some of the greatest master teachers of the Feldenkrais Method: Russell Dellman~creator of the Embodied Life: http://www.russelldelman.com; Mia Segal and Leora Gastor:~(http://www.mbsacademy.org/) and Linda Tellington-Jones~creator of TTOUCH®: (http://ttouch.com/). The truly extraordinary part to this was when we watched these progressive thinkers talk about how they have followed their true passion and credit the ability to do this from their mentor, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. Russell summarized it nicely when he stated that we owe it to those we work with to help "them stand on their own feet and love themselves".

Through these inspiring teachers who have created their own individual hand writings as well as Michael Krugman’s inspiration(http://www.soundersleep.com/start.php), I found more enthusiasm to introduce the Smartroller™. I intend to use this dynamic tool to assist others to connect to their own inner wisdom by way of learning more about the Feldenkrais Method. Feldenkrais was the first to use the original foam roller.

On the last day, I decided to go for a run and as I noticed my run, I recalled Mia’s look for what you are not including, Russell’s sense of space and how we move in and around it, Judy’s use of the resonance of sound to heighten our sensory perception, and Linda’s ideas of creating a way to access our learning. I found that I became more whole with my run. Through this feast for my senses I felt I made the easy elegant. Thank you Feldenkrais Guild.

"The Feldenkrais Method is an educational system centered on movement, aiming to expand and refine the use of the self through awareness. It is intended for those who wish to improve their movement repertoire (dancers, musicians, artists), as well as those wishing to reduce pain or limitations in movement, and many who want to improve their general well-being and personal development." Wikipedia

FELDENKRAIS® FOR BALANCE

I was thrilled to see a fellow colleague publish her study: "Feldenkrais Method® Balance Classes Improve Balance in Older Adults: A Controlled Trial": http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nep055v1

If you read through this study you will find a good definition of the Feldenkrais Method and the functional applications of this work using movement with attention to accomplish higher motor skills that are needed for balance. The Feldenkrais Method as defined by Connors et. al. is an exploratory learning approach in which participants are verbally guided through movement sequences aimed at improvement of body awareness and movement organization. The study had “26 participants in the treatment group engaged in twice-weekly Feldenkrais classes that were specifically tailored to address balance issues. The combination of exercises was named “Getting Grounded Gracefully” and lasted a total of 10 weeks. An “activities specific” questionnaire, a physical test known as the Four Square Step Test (FSST), and “self-selected gait speed” (walking speed) were assessed before and after the trial. All measures of balance and mobility were improved in the Feldenkrais treatment group. In addition, most of the active participants noted benefits with regard to body image and a greater ability to engage in everyday activities, such as walking pets and climbing slopes." Healthy Fellow: http://www.healthyfellow.com/275/the-feldenkrais-method/

Also this week I had the pleasure to see another colleague create a workshop called "High Heeled Boot-camp using the Feldenkrais Method". Here the instructor uses Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement™ lessons to assist women to wear high heels safely. http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7879452

Two different applications that address balance needs using the Feldenkrais Method.

Lets face it, we all need to find better ways to balance and in my opinion there is no better approach than using the Feldenkrais Method.

Agelessness: the Feldenkrais Method®

How do you observe aging and preservation? Looking and feeling young? Perhaps you think of it as keeping your skin taught or maintaining your muscle tone. However, what has a large importance with aging gracefully is moving youthfully. How will you preserve this? As a physical therapist and Feldenkrais movement teacher, I often discuss this with my clients. Living in LA, there are many people addressing how to stay young. But, if a person is a hundred feet away, what is the first thing you notice? Their smooth skin, their firm abs, how about their graceful movement, their upright posture, the spring in their step? I spend a great deal of time observing movement and I am amazed how rigid people have become without noticing. 

There are many strategies to work with functional strength, flexibility, coordination, conditioning and balance. But where do we re-capture suspension, calibration, creative choices, even distribution of movement, reduction of effort?

If you notice how children move, they have an enormous amount of variation and adaptation to their environment. If you observe a toddler manipulating an object to notice it, they use many choices, slow, fast, hard, soft, etc.

When I work with someone and ask them to show me a particular movement and slow it down so we can both observe how they are moving, the common response is “I never move slowly.” “I am always rushing.” No surprise, given the time demands people have these days. But, again when I ask them to do this, they are unable to execute moving slowly even under time controlled conditions.

 As adults we reduce variety of movement to move more quickly and these patterns become habituated. There is a phrase things that fire together wire together. Neuroscientists discovered that the nervous system will make short cuts for efficiency. However, as much as we benefit from this, it closes down the ability to move in a child like way with freedom of choice, variation in speed of movement and using our internal error detection. So to address these ideas try to use these tools:

•  start to move slowly
  
•  notice how your entire body moves with a particular movement
•  vary the way you do a movement when possible
•  bring your full attention to what you are doing
• notice if you need to use your eyes in a particular way, can you do a particular task  while using your peripheral vision? Think of this like using a wide angle lens to look out from.

To move and think in these ways, you will support a process that is called neuroplasticity ( the process of developing new neural pathways).  Dr. Feldenkrais was ahead of his time when he utilized these and many more ideas to promote learning like a child to promote the process of neuroplasticity.

This kind of learning will allow us to adapt in a child like way with youthful movement and assist us in fall recovery, less stress on joints and better movement patterns to keep doing the things we love to do. My favorite quote from Feldenkrais is : "Make the impossible possible, the possible easy and the easy elegant."

Feldenkrais® for professionals

Another wonderful group attended the Feldenkrais® for Fitness course yesterday. When the introductions were made around the room, we all smiled knowing that the day was going to be a fun experience for all of us. The room was filled with many credentialed specialists, from DPT's, OT's to high end yoga instructors...

Their backgrounds were very diversified and they came ready to learn about something they didn't know about. I could not have stepped into a better place to have them explore the Feldenkrais Method®. The Feldenkrais Method is an educational work that will allow you to explore movement by experimenting and processing small movements to promote a better way of moving. 

Initially, the responses were familiar, how could such small movements, and such gentle touch be so effective? How do I translate this into my field? You mean if I just listen with my hands I can actually help someone? But as the day moved on I could tell they were getting it. Smiles were more prominent and there was an easiness in learning and exploring. The students were truly having fun while they were learning. 

We also watched movement differently when we observed Feldenkrais on some YouTube videos. There was some shifting gears while we observed and considered to promote movement to happen from within a person rather than making it happen by other means.

There has been a true shift in the professional field in regards to learning the Feldenkrais Method. I look forward to many new colleagues coming on board, thank you feldy students.

We are all just learning, thank goodness...

Feldenkrais® and a Reunion

I had a wonderful experience this weekend. I was able to attend a reunion of my old alumni, CSUN Physical Therapy school. I was also able to connect with a very dear friend and colleague. We drove together and talked non stop about kids, parents, husbands, etc. So one of the best parts was when she launched into wonderful questions about the Feldenkrais Method. I have always had the greatest respect for this colleague from the day we met and became friends and class mates. I got so excited, that I got winded most the time just sharing insights to the value to this work on a clinical level, self growth and more.

We toured the new PT dept. with fun curiosity, talked to the current PT students, and then made it over to the school's reunion. We talked to some other PT's from other classes, then went right back to the conversation of Feldenkrais. 

This concluded by saying good bye with a short FI on the Smartroller™, hugs and promises to keep in touch.

I could not have had a better time.

Technology and the Feldenkrais Method®

I have been very intrigued with the ability to learn and develop my budding technology skills. I have purchased the latest Macbook and signed up for the personal training to make the switch from PC to Mac.

Wow, what a great service and it fosters learning in such a non threatening way. (where have I heard that before?). I am so happy to play and make mistakes to process my learning with the help of an encouraging staff and tools that support getting and integrating information.

From there I have explored Face Book, Linkedin, blogging, ideablob, forum groups, website changes, the list goes on. I would not boast for the most sophisticated website, but my website is the tool I had always wanted so it could point people to recommended articles, references, podcasts and more. This keeps with my interests to make my resources to be available and hopefully I can be more Earth friendly at the same time.

What has been the most exciting part for me was having my Feldenkrais training transferred from tapes that were recorded in the early 90's and being able to plug it into my iPod. Now I can hear my Feldenkrais teachers in many environments and my poor worn out logs can have a rest. 

This can be an exiting time, and I would love to hear from others who have had similar experiences...