50 Fun Activities For Feldenkrais Study Groups 0-646-42255-3

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Feldebiz

se f'Uh Actlvlfle& for

f'efdenlral& Stud~ Group&

Jane Edwards

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50 F'tm Activities for rdden~rais ~hid~ Grouias © 2003 Jennifer C. Evans, Jane Edwards All rights reserved. Printed in Australia. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical. photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information write to Feldebiz PO Box 23 Silvan 3795 Australia. Cover photo and design, Ja ne Edwards ISBN 0-646-422 55- 3 Feldebiz PO Box 23 Silvan 3795 Australia. www.feldebiz.com.au emaiL [email protected]. au ii

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all the students of the Feldenkrais method with whom I have crossed paths. Your questions and insights have inspired me to begin this book. Thankyou to all the trainers, assistant trainers and experienced practitioners who have shared their knowledge and skills. Your guidance has informed me in creating the activities. Thankyou to my colleague Helen Paterson, whose encouragement, support and reading of drafts, has actually led to the realisation of yet another bright idea. Thankyou especially to my co-author Jane Edwards for her persistence and courage in asking questions that clarified my intention, for helping me transform my raw ideas into something useful and for working under extreme pressure to meet crazy deadlines. Finally I would like to thank Lawrence Wm. Goldfarb for his encouragement to persist with the project and Sylvie Kuhne for feedback on the draft.

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Contents About this book

1

Introductions

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Hello hello Which part of your body are you most aware of? 4 Oh, there you are Which part of your body are you least aware of? 5 That's amazing! Your experiences of the Feldenkrais Method. 6 Favourites Your favourite Feldenkrais lesson. 7 You're famous For what will the Method be remembered? 8

Awareness Though Movement

9

Making it mine Learning an ATM. 1O Pass the lesson Moving between the whole and the parts. 11 Changing shoes Your ATM persona. 12

I can do that Moving towards designing lessons. 14 You want to do what? Lessons for unfamiliar functions. 16 Choosing your words Delivering instructions for maximum benefit. 18

Differentiating and Integrating

21

Lucky dip Differentiating and integrating. 23 Take it apart A lesson in differentiation. 24 Making connections A lesson in integration. 26 Time travel Overcoming the generation gap. 28 Micro-differentiation Differentiating the smallest bits. 30 Put your right foot in Recognising differentiation and integration. 31

Discussion Where to begin? Learning by looking. 34 Especially for you Creating fabulous workshops. 35 Well actually Communicating the benefits. 36 Act 1 Scene 2 Creating lessons that flow. 38 Money please Asking your clients for payment. 39 Help, I need somebody! Deciding when to refer. 40

I found a new one! Interpreting new lessons. 42

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33

Functional Integration

43

Convertibles Transferring ideas from ATM to FI. 44 Topsy turvy Adapting FI for different positions. 4 5 How does it go? Exploring your mental map of FI lessons. 46 Tick. tick. tock Timely Feldenkrais lessons. 48 First impressions Begi1ming a lesson. 50 FI take away Lessons to take home. 52

Observing

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The human Rubik's cube Another way of exploring movement. 54 Funny walking Gathering information by observing someone's walk. 55

Getting knotted Observing the responses to your instructions. 56 Push me, pull you Observing connections. 58

Reading

59

Creating hope The Case of Nora. 60 In the beginning Awareness Through Movement. 62

Reading with Feldenkrais eyes Embodying the Method for life. 64 Recognising patterns The influence of stories. 65 Leaming from the Master Metaphors for explaining and illustrating. 66

Sensing

67

Oops, ifs different! Noticing changes in your body. 68 Follow the yellow brick road Identifying connections and pathways. 69 Normal? Discovering the range of 'normal'. 70 The do nothing lesson Sensing the layers. 72 Treasure hunt Scanning your senses. 74

Supporting

75

Sharing the load Exploring the role of support in a lesson. 76 Getting to the bottom of things Organising to provide grounded support. 78 Roly poly Using rollers for support. 80 Life support Making the most of the Method. 8 1 Accentuate the positive Using Language to support your lessons. 82 How did I do? The art of gathering feedback. 84

V

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Ahout this hool This series of activities provides an array of resources for you, as a practitioner or student practitioner. on your learning journey. They encourage you to embody the method by offering opportunities for you to explore aspects of your self-awareness, the work. and the experiences of others. You may choose to complete each activity as a whole. or explore only a small part of it in greater depth. Feel free to take sidetracks and pursue new ideas as they arise. and to work with colleagues. or explore these activities and reflect alone. Each activity is supported with an introduction that outlines some of the benefits you may attain by completing it. They also have a set of questions, for reflection and discussion. which encourage you to deepen your awareness by going beyond the superficial and obvious. As with an Awareness Through Movement lesson. approach each activity lightly and easily. with sufficient support to allow old patterns to relax and new insights to be gained. There are no correct answers or right ways for you to complete an activity. You may revisit activities many times, and notice that on each occasion they offer new opportunities for learning. Each time you explore one of these activities, you will have a unique experience enriched by the particular combination of people present and their experience or stage of learning. The activities are in no particular order and the groupings are intended as punctuation points only. not as definitions of the learning or focus that is expected. There will probably be times when you are unable to answer questions that arise during the activities. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage in discussion with colleagues. trainers or the broader Feldenkrais community through one of the online discussion groups. As the title suggests, learning occurs best when you are enjoying yourself and having fun. Please find light-hearted ways to make these activities enjoyable experiences, where each person is free to make his or her connections in ways that ru'e appropriate at that time. Enjoy!

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50 r•m .Activities for reldenlrais :Stud~ Grouias

Introduction&

Introductions is a selection of simple activities that provide opportunities for you to get to know your colleagues by exploring and sharing perceptions and expectations of the Feldenkrais Method. These activities embody the Feldenkrais approach, which values each person as a uniquely organised individual. As such, there are no right or wrong answers. Your experiences, views and ideas are unique and valid. Everyone can make an interesting and valuable contribution to your study group discussions.

50 r,,m Activiti es for refdenlrais ~tl!Jd!:I Grol!Jies

3

Nello hello

o o o

Which part ofyour body are you most aware of?

At any point in time, certain parts of your body occupy a greater portion of your awareness than others. Deciding which part you notice most, and identifying how you do that, may provide a great deal of information about the state of your body, and perhaps also about your perceptions of your body. Helping a pupil to do this may also give you some useful information. Allow a few moments for eveiyone in the group to identify a part of their body that is in their awareness. Notice the variety ofself-images that people hold as each person describes their chosen familiar part.

Consider the following aspects of your familiar part: • What makes the part familiar? Describe the degree of comfort or pain; ease of movement or stiffness; or perceived handicap or usefulness. • What else about the part captures your attention? • How does the part seem different from connecting parts? • Where does the part begin and end? • Does it seem larger than life or insignificant? • Does it feel warmer or cooler than other parts? • Does it do more or less than its fair share of work? • If the part could have a wish, what would it wish for?

• How does this part influence your sense of identity? Practise asking people to describe howparts of their bodies feel Notice which ofyour questions elicit the most useful information.

4

50 r1S

ravo~ri+u

O O 0

Your favourite Feldenkrais lesson The Feldenkrais approach values people as unique individuals and encourages them to discover their optimum movement patterns. People will also differ in the types of experiences they enjoy most. Recognising people's preferences may help you to create more enjoyable (and life changing) learning experiences for your clients.

Invite eve.zyone to recall the most enjoyable Awareness Through Movement lessons they have experienced As each ofyou describes one that you particularly enjoy, notice the variety ofpreferences. As you describe your experience, consider the following, • How do you remember the lesson? Can you feelit, or do you visualise what you saw at the time? Can you hearthe words of the teacher or your own c01nmentary, or do you remember some other aspect of the lesson? • Which aspects of the lesson do you find most satisfying? • How do you describe the lesson? Do you, recount the sequence or quality of the movements; focus on the benefits or effects of moving your body in that way; or do you recall some other aspect of the lesson? Notice how you experience other people's stories, • Do you feel the 1novements or benefits they describe, or do you see someone trying them? Do you hear a similar lesson, or do you experience their story differently?

How might insights into other people7s preferences help you to become a better Feldenkrais practitioner? 50 f',,m Activities for f'efc1enkrais Stud!:J Groul"s

7

You' re famous! For what will the Method be remembered?

The Feldenkrais Method is rapidly developing, but still very young as a profession. While you may be able to name and describe the successes of famous people from other professions, what it means to be a famous Feldenkrais practitioner is not yet well established. Think about your experiences of the Feldenkrais Method and the practitioners you know. Reflect on what is important to you about the Method and share your ideas about what it would mean to be a famous Feldenkrais practitioner.

Just for a moment, imagine you are famous, • What would you be doing? • What would people admire about your work? • How would you be different from the way you are now? • What stops you fr01n being this way now? • What opportunities would fame bring? • How would your work as a famous practitioner be valued, and how could you begin to emulate that now? • How might you seek to influence your pupils and colleagues? • How might you seek to influence the Method or your professional group? • Can you begin to do these things now? Begin today! J.Wiat will be the first thing you do on yourjourney towards building the reputation of the Method?

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50 Fun Activities for Feldenlrais ~tud~ Groups

Awarenu& lLrow~L Movement

Throughout your career you will work with a diverse range of people. each with unique interests and concerns. Your challenge as a Feldenkrais practitioner will be to adapt and design lessons to meet their differing needs. However, successfully designing or adapting lessons for specialised needs first requires an understanding of how effective lessons are structured. To do this. you will need to analyse the structure of both familiar and unfamiliar lessons. An effective lesson though. comes from much more than just a well structured set of movements and observations. It also comes from you engaging the pupil through your own creative style and personality. Deliver engaging lessons with flair!

9

Learning an ATM Many skilled practitioners have developed excellent Awareness Through Movement lessons and are willing to share their ideas.

Simply

remembering them verbatim is not enough however. to ensure that you understand them well enough to facilitate a pupil's learning. An effective way to learn a Feldenkrais lesson is to experience it and analyse it taking a Feldenkrais approach-identify its component parts. explore each of these from several perspectives. and integrate them into your own experience. This will increase your ability to teach with understanding and confidence.

Together, choose a familiar lesson from a manual or book Map the structure of the lesson. Identify the intentions, movements, sequence, constraints, and aspects for attention. • Do you have an idea about how a lesson should be constructed? • Are there natural rest points? • How do you work out the intention of each section, and the lesson as a whole? • How do you notice constraints?

Take turns to practise giving some of the directions in your own wordY. • Can each of you give an instruction in a different way? • What effects do these variations have on each of you?

Practise giving this lesson. Report back to your colleagues on how exploring each section of the lesson helpedyou deliver it

10

f>as&

+he fu&Oho

O 0

Moving between the whole and the parts As you guide pupils through a lesson, you must not only keep track of the detail of your current instructions and the intention of each section, but also ensure that these connect and flow smoothly towards your chosen outcome. Managing the sequence and flow of an ATM lesson requires the ability to move between the whole and the parts of the lesson.

Choose a familiar lesson and discuss the general sequence, flow and intention ofthe lesson. Deliver the lesson by ta1dn.g turns to give an instruction. Choose the order in which you will take turns. Person one gives the first instruction, person two gives the next, and so on, until the lesson is completed While you are waiting for your tum participate in the lesson. • Describe your mental map of the lesson. • How did taking turns to give instructions affect the flow of the lesson? • How did you know what the next instruction should be? • What was the effect of not knowing what the next person would say? • In what ways would the lesson be different if one person delivered it? • What was your experience as a pupil?

J,,J.,1iat insights has this activitygiven you about delivering a lesson? How will you alter the way you prepare? Try these changes in your next lesson and notice the effects.

50 run Actlvifies fo r relden~r ais ~tud~ Gr ouf8&

II

Cbanslns sbou

o o o

Your ATMpersona

Part of your array of skills as a Feldenkrais practitioner is your ability to identify habitual patterns. You can probably describe your close friends and family according to their most obvious and unique behaviours, but are you aware of your own? One way to recognise your habitual patterns is to contrast them with someone else's. This is a light-hearted and fun way to help you recognise patterns that may hinder or support your delivery of an ATM lesson.

Take turns to choose a 1V character andgive part ofa familiar lesson as that character. • What prompted you to choose this character? Do they have distinctive patterns of behaviour? Are their mannerisms vastly different or similar to your own? • Who chose the lesson, you or your character? As your character presents the lesson. notice, • How do you think differently as this character? • When delivering a lesson, what would you usually do in a similar way to your character? • What would you do differently? • What skills does this character have that would be useful for you to develop? • What would you like to teach your character? • Was the lesson useful for your character? How? • What have you learnt about your habitual patterns?

12

Discuss: • Were there similarities between people's characters and themselves? • What were the main differences you noticed? • Were you surprised by the choices of characters, or could you have predicted these? • In what ways did stepping into someone else's shoes change people's delivery of a lesson? Were they more confident? • As participants, which character's style connected best with you? In what way? • Which aspects of the different characters would you like to incorporate into your style? How would these improve your delivery? • Do you think it is important to be yourselfwhen delivering a lesson, or to develop a particular presentation style? Describe some pros and cons of each.

u-11en you next deliver a lesson, try to notice the effect that one ofyour habitual behaviours or mannerisms has on your pupils, or deliberately try out a new one.

50 r,m Activities for reldenlrais :Stud~ Grouies

13

rcan do +bat

o o o

Moving towards designing lessons Many of the lessons you will deliver as a Feldenkrais practitioner will have been created by others. However, as your skills and confidence increase, you will begin to develop your own lessons to address the specific needs of your clients. Your ability to design begins with your understanding of what constitutes an effective lesson. Discuss:

• What do you think constitutes an effective lesson? Is it the way it is delivered, the expected outcome, or perhaps the way it influences the pupils? • Do lessons have a generic or common structure? If you think they do, try and map this structure. • How flexible should the structure of a lesson be? • Are there things that should always be included? • What things might be optional. and under what circumstances would you include them?

Choose a common d1Jily activity, or function, that eveiyone is familiar with. This could be anything from eating with a spoon, to changing a light bulb, or tying your shoelace. Identify the movements of the function. In light ofyour earlier discussion, design a lesson to improve this function.

14

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r,m Activiti es for reldenli.rais ~fl!ld~ GrOl!lf>S

• What challenges did you face in designing this lesson? • Did everyone agree on what might be an effective approach for this function? • How would the lesson differ if you designed it alone? • What evidence would you gather to determine the effectiveness of your lesson?

Reflect1

• List yourcriteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a lesson? • Explore some familiar lessons and use your criteria to evaluate them. • How could you adjust a lesson to make it more effective?

Your ideas about what constitutes an effective lesson, andyour skill in lesson design, will evolve as your experience and confidence increase. Practise ada,pting lessons to suit your pupils' needs. Begin designing your 0M1 lessons and try them on your friends and colleagues for practise and feedback

50

F',m Activities for refdenlrais ~+.,d!:J Grow~&

15

Yow want to do what? Lessons for unfamiliar functions It is impossible to be familiar with the 1novement requirements of every

occupation. sport or pasti1ne. and yet. as a Feldenkrais practitioner. you will be asked to help clients improve their movement for all sorts of activities. Your ability to help each individual will depend greatly on your skill and flexibility to adapt Feldenkrais lessons for specific functions that are unfamiliar to you.

Choose a function that is unfamiliar, but which is used by someone in yourgroup. It could be anything from playing a musical instrument, to spiking a volleyball, or whisking a souffle. Explore the movements of the function. • What do you need to discover about the function? • Identify the steps you follow to identify the component parts of the function? Recognise or create a set of prompts to help you. • How do you become familiar with the specific movements of each part? Do you need to ask questions. or do you prefer to watch or feel the movements. or a combination of these? • How do you decide which lessons could contribute to improving the relevant movements?

Together, design a lesson to improve the function.

16

50 F',m Activities for relden~rais ~t"'d~ Gro1usb me, puff ~OU

O O O

Observing connections

As force is transmitted through a body it will follow a direct pathway unless interfered with in some way. Tracking the pathway of a force provides useful insights into the pupil's organisation. Practise tracking these pathways to increase your experience and observational sensitivity so that you gather more and higher quality information. Wor.kit{g in pairs, practise pushing through the foot

• Can you see where and how far the movement travels? • Does the movement follow a simple, direct pathway? • Compare this with your partner's sensing of the force. Does their internal experience match your observation? • Which do you trust more? • In what ways could the force be changed as it travels through the body? Do you see any evidence of these alternatives? Compare pushing through the foot with pushing through the knee, pulling through the knee and pulling through the foot

• Does your partner's body respond the same way for each? • How could you explain the differences? • What clues do you see to inform you about the different pathways the force travels? What clues can you feeR • Do the two sets of clues match? • What happens with your partner lying in different orientations? • How do different orientations affect the quality of your visual observations? Does what you are able to feel change? • What lesson might you give your partner -from your observations? Explore pushing through different parts of the body and share your discoveries. 58

50 F',m Activities for F'eldenlrais StwJ~ Growies

Written words are an important part of our culture. They help to define and record our beliefs and values. They communicate information and ideas, have the power to evoke emotions, direct our awareness, and provide new perspectives. You will bring, to everything you read, your unique outlook on life. In turn, the things you read will influence your thinking, your values and beliefs, and therefore your behaviour, all of which contribute to the way you experience the world. Understanding the relationship between what you read, how you interpret what you read, and how these can direct your thinking, will increase your awareness of what influences you. This will help you to remain at choice regarding the thoughts and behaviours that you bring to your life, and your practise of the Feldenkrais Method. 50

r,un Activifies for refden~rais ~hid~ Grotif>&

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Creafin!j ho,,eo

O O

TheCaseofNora

Moshe Feldenkrais drew on a wide range of disciplines during his development of the Method. This case study of his work with one pupil, Nora, illustrates how his training in physics, study of psychology and understanding of the nervous system strongly influenced his approach. As you read, listen in to Moshe's thoughts as he progressively develops, tests and implements his ideas to work with Nora.

Read The Case ofNora. 1 Reflect and discuss: • What does the book reveal about Moshe's thinking strategies? • What prompts, mental checklists or maps does he use? • Is there any overall pattern to the way he works with Nora? • Could this pattern be generalised to working with other pupils? What about yourpupils? Could it be generalised to other areas of life? • What other things do you think might help Nora? • How would you check that your pupils have a clear sense of left and right? Why is this important? • Moshe talks about preparing for a series of lessons. He expresses the intention of going "... slowly and progressively through eve.zy

function of the body ,,2 What might these functions be? • How would you prepare for a series of lessons? What would be your main outcomes? • Moshe discusses his process for identifying gaps in his knowledge so that he knows '~ ..in which books I am likely to flnd the information. '8 What would be a useful basic reference library for you? 60

• How do you know when you need to find out more? How do you decide what information you are seeking? • Where would you go for information that you need to help a pupil? • How would you know that the information you acquired was reliable? How could you verify it? • What is the most significant message for you in The Case ofNora?

Over the next few wee.ks notice your patterns in the way you work with pupils. Consider how these are similar or different to those used by Moshe. What aspects ofyour work do you believe you could improve? Find ways to begin to make these changes.

1

Moshe Feldenkrais, 1977. Body Awareness as Healing Therapy The

case of Nora. Frog Ltd and Son1atic Resources, California. 2

ibid. p. 9

3

ibid. p. 16

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In the Leslnnlns ... Awareness 11zrough Movement ''Awareness Through Movement has served as the jntroductjon for thousands of people to the Feldenkrajs Method In my travels wilh Moshe Feldenkra1:S, and during the workshops he presented people would come up and tell us how th1:S book made a great difference jn their Jjves-ass1:SHng them 111 recovering from great personal djffJculHes and enrjch111g the qua]jty of thejr Jjves." (Kolman Korentayer, 1977) 1

Read Awareness 11zrough Movement

2

Reflect and discuss: • What messages do you think Moshe is trying to convey? • Identify the main themes in the book. Can you find these in your own work? • How does Moshe use metaphor or imagery, and for what purpose? Do you think it is effective? • Do Moshe's metaphors help you to more easily explain the Method? • Has your self-image changed as a result of reading this book? • What is the main insight you got in relation to yourself? • What insights do you get in relation to working with others? • A fundamental belief behind the Method is that it is a form of education. How do your ideas on education compare with Moshe's?

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50 fun Activities for F'efdenkrais ~tud~ GrouJ0B

• Describe the way that your beliefs about education influence your work? • What does the concept of function mean to you? • Which of Moshe's ATM lessons did you enjoy the most? • What makes them enjoyable? • Which lesson do you have most difficulty with? What do you learn from this? • Why do you think Moshe chose these lessons to illustrate his ideas? • Could you draw on these lessons for ideas to develop some areas of

your work? • Which aspects of Moshe's lessons would be most useful for you to attend to as you develop your lessons? As you continue your Feldenkrais work and study, identify your beliefs

and values about education. Notice how these influence your teaching and learning. Do you hold certain expectations ofyourselfandyour pupils? J.Vhat happens if these expectations are not met? Share your insights with your colleagues.

1 2 ·

Kolman Korentayer In Moshe Feldenkrais, 1977. Awareness Through

Movement. Harper & Row Publishers Inc., New York.

50 F',m Activities for rddenlrais ~tud~ Groups

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~adins with f'efdenlrai& e~u ... Embodying the Method for life

Moshe described the Method as "Learnjng to learn'~ He was more concerned about the changes that could occur in people's thinking and awareness than the degree of flexibility in their bodies. Becoming aware of your habitual thinking patterns will enable you to choose to change or enhance your thinking style, or even use it as a model for some other aspect of your life. Select a newspaper or magazine and open it at random. Read the article that catches your eye.

• As a practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method, what is the main message you take from this article? • Can you interpret it any other way? • Do you tend to interpret it literally, or more metaphorically? • What do you need to do to find a different interpretation? Do you sense these changes to be more physical or mental? • Is there a difference between your Feldenkra1s self and your everyday self? • How do you organise, or re-organise yourself to take a Feldenkrais perspective? • How does this change your approach to the task of reading? • What insights do you gain about the various ways you interact with your environment? Over the next few days notice the ways in which your life is influenced by your interest in, and understanding of, the Feldenkrais Method

Which of these would you most like to help other people incorporate into their Jives? 64

50 rwn Activiti es fo r reldenlr ais Stwd!:! Grow,as

flecosnlslns patterns

o o o

The influence ofstories

Stories convey messages. Remember the stories you heard as a child. How many were structured on the premise of good prevails over bad? These stories undoubtedly influenced your understanding of the values and attitudes of your society and probably continue to influence your adult unconscious behaviour. There are also the stories that you construct yourself to describe, explain or remember your life experiences. Increasing your awareness of the attitudes embodied in your stories, both past and present, will enable you to selectively retain, refine or discard them, to keep them consistent with your deepest values. Read a story that appealed to you as a child

Reflect and discuss: • What is the moral of the story? • Can you find evidence of its influence in your life? • Do you find different influences if you apply the story or its attitudes to different aspects of your life, such as work, recreation, family, health, or money. • In which situations do these attitudes serve you well? • Are there any situations in which these attitudes hinder you? • How do the attitudes embodied in the story affect your approach to your Feldenkrais work? • Has anything changed in relation to these since beginning your Feldenkrais journey? • If you had grown up in a different culture, would you interpret the

story differently? As an adult, what refinements wouldyou like to incorporate into the

stories you currently tellyourself? Ifyou changed these, wouldyour approach to your Feldenkrais work also change? 50 f•m Activities for F'efdenlrais Stwd!:J Growrs

65

tearnin! from +heMas+erooo Metaphors for explaining and illustrating When faced with a new concept, you use your current knowledge and understanding to make sense of it. Metaphor is a way of using an existing map to explore and understand something less well known. It allows you to use a familiar structure to predict rules or behaviours in a new context. Moshe Feldenkrais used a wide variety of metaphors to illustrate his ideas and theories. Developing a repertoire of metaphors and analogies will assist you to explain aspects of the Method to others .

.Read one ofMoshe Feldenkrais' books. Reflect and discuss: • Select some of Moshe's metaphors or uses of imagery that particularly appeal to you? • How do these influence your understanding or perception of the Method? • Identify some situations or contexts in which you might find these useful for explaining something to others. • Create some different metaphors that you think would be more effective for someone you know. • Can you find metaphors that refer to things that are not familiar to you? How do you respond to these? • Moshe sometimes used more than one metaphor to explain the same concept. Why do you think he did this? • What do you think is important when creating metaphors? • Describe the process you follow to create metaphors?

Choose three different contexts in which you might need to explain aspects ofFeldenkrais work Create metaphors suitable for each of these, and ifpossible, fly them and notice the effect they have. 66

50 tun Activities for F'eldenf?.rais ~twd~ Growfl>S

No matter where you are. or what you are doing. your senses are feeding you with information. It is through your senses that you gather information from the world around you. about the state of your body and that of your pupils. During your lessons. sensing of your organisation is critical in allowing you to think clearly. maintain a solid connection to the ground and use easy fluent movements. Your sensing of your pupils helps you to assess their organisation. notice change. and make the subtle adjustments necessary to achieve your outcome. 50 F'un Activitie& for F'efdenl'&rai& ~tud!:1 Gr oul"'&

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Oops. it's different! Noticing changes in your body A paradox of the Feldenkrais Method is that attending to any aspect of organisation leads to change. It is therefore important to create references to help you notice the different sensations and changes that occur throughout your body.

Lie with your back on the floor. As you breathe, notice the difference in sensation between your two arms. Then scan for differences between your hands, legs and feet 1¥.hen you have finished, repeat your scan and notice what has changed • What categories of difference did you check for? • What do you find if you scan in this way for temperature, texture, weight, size, imaginary colour or imaginary sounds? • Were you able to notice gradations in sensation on the same side of your body? • How did you know when to finish your scan? • What did you learn about yourself? • How could these insights influence the way you teach ATM lessons? Will they influence your FI work? • Is it important for your pupils to sense these types of differences in their bodies? • How could you assist them to do this? Practise eliciting this type ofinformation from other people. Devise a list ofquestions, metaphors, and analogies that you can use to help your pupils learn about the different sensations in their bodies. Share your experiences with your colleagues.

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50 r•m Activities fo r refden~r ais ~twd!:J Grow,as

f'offow the ~effow Lricl road ... Identifying connections andpathways In order for you to design a useful and effective lesson for your pupils you will need to explore their unique organisation.

Recognising

connections and observing transmission pathways are therefore essential skills for any Feldenkrais practitioner. Developing your skill can begin most easily by sensing the connections and pathways within your own body.

Explore which movements ofyour extremities you can feel in the centre ofyour body. Begin with tiny movements ofyour fingers or toes. Try several directions ofmovement, andgradually incorporate more ofyour limbs into the movements. • Identify as many pathways through the centre of your body as you can. Where do they go? • What do you notice about the qualities of the movements? • What happens when the movements are initiated from different places? • How is it useful to be able to sense these things in yourself? • What do you learn about your organisation? • What did you learn about pathways that might be useful in sensing the qualities of a transmission path in a pupil? • What are the benefits for your pupils of being able to sense these things in their bodies? Can you use your insights to assist the1n? During the next few FI lessons you give, allow a part ofyour attention to monitor the ways in which forces are transmitted through your body. "What can you learn from this? Share your experiences with your colleagues.

50 r"m Activiti es fo r reldenkrais St wd~ Gr owps

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Normal?

Discovering the range of 'normal'

Who is normaR Having a sense of normal is something that you develop as you gain experience working with many people. Initially it can be confusing when a pupil's body doesn't move as you expect and you may begin to wonder whether you are do1ng

jf

right Experiencing a wide

variety of bodies. and their capacities for movement. will help you determine whether the limitation you find in a movement is likely to change. You will have a sense of whether you need to adjust your own position or seek to release some holding pattern in your pupil. Take turns to be the practitioner. 'I'he rest of the group lies with their backs on the floor while the practitioner briefly lifts the head ofeach person. Remember to keep your test movements brie£ as the patterns

will change with the interaction. As the practitioner, • Describe the range of movements you felt? • Describe the qualities of the movements? • Did you notice any changes to your organisation as you proceeded around the group lifting heads? • Do you think these changes altered your sensitivity to the quality or type of information you elicited from the pupils? • Were you surprised by anything you sensed with your hands? • What differences did you notice between people? How do you interpret them? • In lifting each head. what clues did you gather about that pupil's organisation? • If you were to design a lesson to improve this movement. would one

lesson suit everyone in the group? • What did you learn about your touch? 70

50 rwn Activities for telcJen~rais Stwd:1 Growps

As a pupiL • Notice the smoothness of the lifting. Describe the range in the quality of touch from the practitioners. • How could you test the quality of your touch? • How could you enhance the quality of touch you provide for your pupils? • Did you sense that your movement changed as more practitioners lifted your head? • How do you think these changes affected the quality and type of information gathered by successive practitioners?

u-1zat is your definition ofnonnal? Describe howyou sense whether your pupils are nonnal, or what is nonnal for them. Explore this with your pupils and then share your experiences with your colleagues.

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The do notbin~ lu&Oho

O 0

Sensing the layers

Sensing and influencing the organisation and movement of a person's skeleton are central to the Feldenkrais Method. This simple statement describes an amazingly complex and challenging task. As a practitioner you have to gather and interpret information through your senses, without actually coming into contact with your pupils' skeletons! Instead, your senses must delve deep beneath layers of clothing, skin, tissue and muscle to gather the information they seek. Work in pairs and take turns to complete the activities. Have your partner do a short test walk, and then lie on the floor on their side. Gently place one hand on the side of their ribs.

Without moving your hand, • Sense the texture and thickness of clothing. • Slowly allow your awareness to move through the clothing to the skin and notice its quality. • Sink through the skin to the muscles and discover how they feel. • Without changing the quality of your touch, sense the bony structures and any movement. • Keeping your hand in the same place, imagine tracing the skeleton and notice how far you can sense into the person. • Try to sense how available each part is.

To finish, slowly reverse the order ofyour sensing. Askyour partner to gently stand and walk a little. Notice any effect this activity has had for them.

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Discuss: • Which senses did you use during this activity? • How accurate is your interpretation of your senses? • How could you improve the accuracy of information gathered in this way? • Could you test your perceptions? • What changed in you during this activity? • What changed in your pupil? • Could you detect these changes as they happened? • What do you think caused these changes? • What are the implications of this activity for your work with pupils?

During the next few days, tzy to notice the subtle, and more obvious, changes in the people aroundyou. Do you have to touch a person to initiate a change in their organisation? Think of ways that could help you to positively influence your pupils during ATM lessons. Share your ideas.

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Treaaure Lunt

o o o Scanningyour=

Much of your behaviour is influenced by patterns stored outside your conscious awareness. The small voice in your head, pictures of past experiences or expectations of things to come, and sensations stored in your body all contribute to the way you think, feel, sense and act. Increasing your awareness of these things enables you to selectively reject, incorporate or combine your patterns to achieve your optimum performance.

Work in pairs to deliver a Functional Integration lesson. Keep the lesson simple so you are available to repeat the scan many times. As you begin your FI exploration, notice, • The commentary of the voice in your head. • The texture of the sensations in your fingers. • The temperature gradient of your body from head to foot. • The things that catch your visual attention. Consider the following, • What is the significance of these senses? • What do they tell you about your working state? • Do any of these distract, or contribute, to your work? • Do your senses change as your lesson progresses? What does this tell you? • Is the internal voice yours or someone else's?

What does it say?

• Try to deliberately change each of these attributes? What happens? Prior to your next few lessons select one ofyour senses to keep in awareness. Notice your habitual use of that sense, and then deliberately alter one aspect or quality of this to discover how it can influence your work 74

Support and the reduction of effort are central concepts in the Feldenkrais approach. The more solidly you feel supported, the easier it is to relax, move lightly and easily, and pay attention to your current activity. This enhances both your ability to learn and your freedom to change physically and metaphorically. Giving and receiving support are also fundamental human needs. As a Feldenkrais practitioner you will provide and require many different kinds of support. Understanding the diverse roles that support plays in your practise of Feldenkrais, and your life, will help you to use it effectively. 50 F,m Activi+ies for F'efdenlrais ~+~d~ Gro~ies

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Sbarins +be load

o o o

Exploring the role ofsupport in a lesson Support is an essential element of the Feldenkrais Method. It sends messages of safety and connection to the ground. The consequent reduction of effort and parasitic activity 1nakes new options available for more efficient movement. This activity borrows the Feldenkrais notion of constraint to focus your attention on one aspect of a lesson-support.

Discuss your understanding ofsupport. How do you define support? J.t1iat is its purpose? Work with a partner to design a briefFunctional Integration lesson that is based only on supporting different parts ofa pupil's body Take turns to deliver your lesson. Discuss: • How does only using support change the way you begin the lesson? • How did you tailor your lesson to address the concerns and limitations of your pupil? • Describe the physical supports you used? • Would these supports work equally well if your pupil was lying or sitting a different way? • Could you achieve the same degree of support in another way? • How do you decide when to deliberately alter a pupil's orientation to use a natural support, such the floor? • How do you decide how much support to provide? • How do you decide when to remove a support? • What were the main challenges in designing this lesson?

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What did you take into consideration when planning the sequence of your lesson? • Were you able to include differentiating and integrating movements? • How important was your own base of support? How did you monitor this? • Are there any circumstances in which you would devise a lesson that only uses support? • Describe your experience of the lesson as the pupil? What improvements did you notice?

Imagine that you are invited to join a research team to investigate the effects ofspace travel on the human body. How wouldyou deliver a Feldenkrais lesson to an astronaut in zero gravity? Would you need to provide support? Share your ideas with your colleagues.

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Gettlns +o +be hottorn of +binss ... Organising to provide grounded support

Establishing a sound connection with the ground is essential if you wish to offer effective support for a pupil. This requires your body to be organised in a way that provides an uniinpeded connection from the pupil's skeleton, via your own, to the ground. Exploring different ways to organise your body will improve your ability to provide appropriate and effective support and protect yourself from injury. Working in pairs, take it in turns to lift one ofyour partner's legs. Try lifting from many positions, including sitting, standing, and kneeling. Try from the foot and the knee. Try lifting from different distances.

Discuss: • How did you organise yourself to establish a sound connection to the ground? • How did your base of support have to change to accommodate lifting legs of different lengths and weights? • Was it easier for you to lift from certain positions? • Was it easier for you to lift from certain distances? • While lifting, was your attention on your pupil or yourself? • What happens if you shift your attention? • Create an image that includes both you and your pupil? How does this affect the ease of your task?

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• What clues do you use to gather feedback about your organisation? Do you notice how you feel, monitor the response from your pupil, or sense the quality of connection between you? Try focussing on each of these and notice how it changes the information you gather. • Does 1noving to a different pupil require you to change your approach?

Use your next few lessons to assess the effectiveness and quality of the support you provide. Check the height ofyour equipment and the space you have to move in. Do you have enough room to position both yourselfandyour pupils in ways that enable you to provide effective connection to the ground? Identify ways in which you could improve your support-giving techniques and trial these. Be creative, and share your ideas.

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Rof~ pof~

o o o

Using rollers for support

In order for you to convey a message of support to a pupil's nervous syste1n you may use a variety of support aids. You may require supports that are quite firm or comfortably soft, and could use them to create a sense of stability or to direct movement. With a small basic kit of rollers, cushions, foam pads, towels and blankets, you will have all you need to adapt and vary their use to create a range of different effects. Explore the quality ofsupport provided by different rollers, cushions, or pads of different densities.

• How does the quality of support influence the experience of the pupil? • Does the quality of support affect your work as a practitioner? • How do you choose which support aid to use? Make a list of the parts ofa body you might want to support. Explore howyou might support each of these, and identify contexts in which providing support would be beneficial.

• How would you know when support would be useful? • How do you vary the softness of a roller or support? • How can you tell whether a support is at the correct height for your pupil? • During a lesson, when would you adjust the height of a support? How do you monitor for this? Make a list ofitems you could include in your own basic support kit

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tlfe support

o o o

Making the most of the Method

The Feldenkrais Method embraces many profound and powerful attitudes that are shared by colleagues around the world. You can use these in support of your personal life journey. Identifying the essential elements of the Method, and applying these to everyday tasks will help you to make improvements in all aspects of your life. Whether reading a map, being patient with a family member or managing your finances, taking a Feldenkrais approach can improve your ability to do it elegantly. As a group, list the essential elements and attitudes of the Method

Discuss1 • How does your understanding of the Feldenkrais Method support you in your personal life journey? • In an ideal world how would your colleagues, and the wider Feldenkrais community, support you? • What support would you be providing? • To what degree do these things happen for you now? • Where do you go for support with your F M questions or concerns? • Do you feel well supported? What could you do to increase the amount of support you feel? • Can you find a way of increasing the support you give while maintaining your own stability? • What initiatives could your local Feldenkrais community implement to improve support for its members? • Find ways to begin to create a more supportive environment for students and practitioners of the Feldenkrais Method. Identify an aspect ofyour life that you wish to improve. Explore ways of applying the elements of the Feldenkrais approach to this part ofyour life. Can you design a lesson to address your issue? 50 F'un ActivHies fo r f'efden~r ais ~tud!:J Gr oups

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Accentwate +be positiveo oo Using language to support your lessons As a Feldenkrais practitioner you communicate with your pupils in many ways. Your touch and body language will convey important messages, but of course, your words form an obvious and vital component of any lesson. Your pupils interpret your words according to their unique perspective on life. and may or may not get the message you intend. Your challenge is to send clear messages that effectively support your intention for the lesson.

With a partner choose a situation in which you wouldgive a Functional Integration lesson. List some of the instructions, questions and comments you might make during the consultation. Take turns to practise using supportive and suggestive language to enhance your lesson. Practise saying what you would like the pupil to do. Did you realise that it in order for the mind to represent a negative instruction (don't: move your pelvis; tense up; worry about...). it must first create the opposite one (do ... )?

Practise designing positive statements. For example, Let the muscle begin to relax; Leave your hand at rest; and Adjust yourself so you feel safe.

Try disguising requests as comments. For example, This arm feels ready to give me its weight, and I wonder 1fyour pelvis can remain at rest

Sow a seed for the future. For example. When you Te remembering this lesson tomorrow... and As you begin to notice improvements. ..

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Make a link to life. For example, Next Hme you re in the car .. .; or Keeping this comfortable

organisation, imagine you re in your workplace.

Discuss: • How important is your use of language in influencing the effectiveness of your lessons? • During a lesson. when is using supportive language most important? • How important is it to make connections between the lesson and the life your pupils will return to? • Does the language you use influence yourperfonnance during a lesson?

Record one ofyour lessons. Listen to identify patterns in your use of language. Are your statements mostlypositive and supportive? Explore different ways to use your words andphrases, and monitor the apparent effects on your pupils.

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Now did rdo?

The art ofgathering feedback

Feedback is the means by which you evaluate and adjust the performance of any task. Much of the time this happens outside awareness-Have I turned the door knob far enough? or Is the pup1Fs

tonus increasing or decreasing as I do this movement? The ability to improve an action however, requires conscious observation and evaluation of feedback. In developing your practitioner skills feedback is vital. Sometimes you will gather this directly from your pupils. Sometimes you may ask a colleague to make observations for you. To be of most use, feedback will be in the form of observations rather than interpretations or evaluations. Before requesting feedback from your colleagues, it is useful to practise the components parts: I. Identify which aspect ofyour work you will pay attention to; 2. Clarify your request; and

3. Observe and report. 1. Identify an. aspect As a group, review this list ofaspects ofa lesson. Can you can add any?

preparation

precision of touch

use of language

relationship with pupil's

putting the pupil at ease

breathing

eliciting the pupil's concern

flow of the lesson

explaining the work

response of the pupil

pacing the lesson

integration of the lesson

personal organisation

links to function

observing

transition from table to life

moving between parts and whole

conclusion

practitioner's breathing

rests

quality of touch

timing

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2. In pairs, practise clarifying a request for feedback on one aspect of your work The usefulness of feedback depends on your ability to focus the observations on a specific aspect. For example, Person A, I would like feedback on my breath111g Person B, Which aspect ofyour breathing? Do you mean when are you not breath111g? Do you mean in relation to the pup117s breathing?

Person A, I would like you to notice 1f I stop breathing and use effort at any p0111t

3. Practise observing and reporting. Wor..kiitg in pairs, one person does some ATM movements while the other person practises making observations such as, "Ulhen you Ji.i your head, the curve in your lumbar spine increases". When giving feedback, it is important to distinguish between reporting, interpreting and evaluating. Feedback that allows the receiver to do the interpreting is usually the most valuable. For example, • I notice movement in your belly when you inhale, and I don't see movement elsewhere is an observation. •

You are breathing deeply is an interpretation.

•

You breathe better than I do is an evaluation.

•

When you asked the pupil about his children he sm1Jed and his shoulders dropped is an observation.

•

You put the pupil at ease by asking about the chj]dren

is an interpretation. •

Your welcome was really good is an evaluation.

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85

Discuss: • What types of questions are most helpful in clarifying a request for feedback? • What happens when you restrict your comments to observations only? • In order to feel comfortable asking for feedback. where do you place your attention? Try some variations. • How could you make the experience of asking for and receiving feedback as easy and safe as possible? • How could you make the task of giving feedback safe?

Is there an aspect ofyour work about which you would like feedback? Clarify your request, then ask for one observation and notice howyou organise yourself to receive it Continue to practise asking for and receiving feedback, and share your insights as you go.

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