Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons: Intoduction

What's good to know before you do this course:

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are typically taught by voice. This means that they are not demonstrated by the teacher. This is a very important principal embedded within the Method: that the student find's their own movement 'solutions' to the movement 'problems' that are posed during the lesson and to not be influenced by what they see other people do. In this way, the student experiences kinesthetic based learning. When discoveries are made, they are profound and long lasting because of this.

In spite of this important principal, I decided to demonstrate the first of the four lessons in this series. This is because I am not in the room to respond to what I am seeing. The demonstration is just a guide to the size, speed and quality of movement that is expected when doing Feldenkrais, and nothing more. These audio lessons invite you to trust your own innate body wisdom and learn to explore the unknown with curiosity, gentleness, self care and openness. It's not about being right or wrong, but about finding your own way and owning your discoveries. Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are a mindfulness based movement practice, not an exercise class.

These lessons are recorded live from the studio. In the background you will hear the soft sounds of a busy University dance campus. As such, you will be getting an authentic learning experience. As you do these lessons, imagine that you are lying on the floor with 25 other students of all different skill levels, engaged in deep learning about their bodies; the way they move, the way that they think, sense and feel. All making very individual and profoundly personal discoveries, guided just by voice and their own nervous system and experience.

More about this series:

This is an introductory series of lessons for any person who is interested in improving their ability to move, and who understand that when you improve the way that you move, you also improve the way you feel, sense and think.

The Feldenkrais Method is an extremely gentle movement based training that teaches you how to heighten your ability to sense and feel yourself while you are moving, while improving your freedom and range of movement in all planes of action.

Practicing the Feldenkrais Method can have many therapeutic benefits, hone specialised physical skills and support creative expression.

This series of lessons was designed for and taught to people training to be professional dancers, however it is suitable for any level of movement capability.

Please note that only the first full lesson is demonstrated. As per normal practice, the following lessons are just audio files. This gives participants the opportunity to find their own "solutions" to the movement "problems" to optimize learning potential.

Lecture 1: How to do Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons

Students will understand how to do Awareness Through Movement lessons safely and in a way that will optimise their learning.

Lecture 2: Freeing The Hip Joints

In this first lesson you will learn how to increase your freedom and range of movement in your hip joints.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done lying on your back and takes 37 minutes

Please note: Usually Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons are not demonstrated, but rather the class is lead verbally by the teacher. In this first lesson I will demonstrate the movements as a reference, however the lesson should be undertaken as described by the audio, rather than be watched and copied. This encourages the student to take responsibility for their own learning, problem solve for themselves, and as such, achieve greater learning outcomes.

Subsequent lessons will be provided as an audio lesson without any visual demonstration.

Lecture 3: Roll To Reach

In this second lesson you will understand how the movements of your chest can increase your reach into space.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done lying on your back and takes 45 minutes.

This lesson is an audio lesson and should be undertaken as described on the audio track.

Lecture 4: Activating Your Core

In this third lesson you will learn how to organise and coordinate all of your torso to increase your proximal power.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done lying on your back and takes 35 minutes.

This lesson is an audio lesson and should be undertaken as described on the audio track.

Lecture 5: Discovering the Spine

In this fourth lesson you will discover the incredible movement possibilities of your spine.

Recorded live in the dance studio, this lesson is suitable for any level of movement expertise.

It is done on your hands and knees and takes 45 minutes.

This lesson is an audio lesson and should be undertaken as described on the audio track.