From the Spring 2006 Schedule

Beautiful Teamwork

        When you see the Rockettes all kick in the same direction, you see something wonderful. The costumes are fantastic, the dancers beautiful, and the whole effect marvelously coquette.

Although in our Feldenkrais classes we don’t stand in line and kick like the Rockettes, we do have something important in common with them: we are both searching for beautiful teamwork. Their search is for coordination among dancers, and ours, for coordination among the parts of each individual’s body. 

Most people who come to Feldenkrais classes begin with pain in some part of their body. Over the course of taking classes, many experience a great improvement in how they feel.

How does this happen? First of all, in contrast to the Rockettes, we do our movements most often while lying down. This reduces the demand for muscular effort and facilitates a journey into the inner world of sensation. While lying down, we move different parts of the body slowly, gently, and attentively. We are attending very often to the quality of connection among different body parts.

There is a natural choreography for each of our movements. For instance, when you are lying down and wish to get something with your hand, of course, you move your arm. But, ideally, also, you move in the rest of the body: in your head, eyes, shoulder, chest, back, hips, and feet. All the parts have a role to play.

You learned most of this natural choreography as an infant and young child and the rest later through specialized training, including sport and dance. But, unfortunately, very often, in the process of growing up, things have happened that have disrupted this natural flow.

Consider what a scene of disaster there would be if the second Rockette from the left were to turn the other way, raise her right leg and kick in the direction opposite to all the other dancers. Probably, someone would be injured. Or, consider, what would happen if one of the dancers didn’t move at all when her turn came. Again, it would be bad for her and bad for the people around her.

This is also how it is in the body. When one part doesn’t move in the natural flow, there are painful consequences.

By taking classes in the Feldenkrais Method, you explore gentle, attentive movement sequences that feel good while you are doing them, and that first restore and then augment your body’s natural teamwork. In this process, pain and stiffness slip away, and joy of motion returns.