Three Reasons to Learn Kinesthetic Awareness. Hear What Some of My Students Say

Kinesthetic awareness is the skill of sensing and noticing how you are organizing yourself for action, for movement and continual adaptation in your daily surroundings. Also called "proprioception", the ability to coordinate ourselves for whatever we want to do in any given moment is something that we have been forming since the very beginning of life.

Along the way of learning to move, play, work and form relationships, we developed patterns that are "wired", as our nervous system, brain and body, engage as one unit. This process of developing, growing, forming personality, likes and dislikes, skills and abilities is so elemental to the human experience, we can live an entire lifetime without taking the time to actually learn about ourselves.

Since I began offering small, local classes to teach people how to deepen and expand their kinesthetic abilities more than a decade ago, I have been heartened, amazed, and challenged to describe the potential benefits of the work. In this iteration, I am going to let my students do most of the sharing.

1, Prioritize your health in a variety of ways. Whether you simply want to remain active at your current level or begin something new, you can gain insight into your movement and thought patterns while "rewiring" them for immediate, beneficial use. Though movement is the medium for learning, it is the mindfulness or the act of paying attention that allows you to learn what you need to learn. Mindful eating, mindful relating to others, mindful listening, are just a few of the surprising themes that can come up for people.

Consider this feedback from Tom:

“I didn't sign up to address any ailments or pain as such. Mostly I was looking for ways to extend my flexibility as I age. 

 One discovery I have made is this: simple suggestions to consider ways body parts might be talking to each other have revealed things I never knew. I learned how little work it takes to begin to incorporate this into new ways of being. 

 For instance, your suggestion to think about where I was experiencing the most effort expended while walking led me to the realization that the heel of my left foot was doing most of the work in moving me around the room. This is the same heel where last year's plantar fasciitis brought my walking to a halt for many months. Now after several more classes I can tell that the work to walk is spread around more, even into my hips, shoulders and head. It has already become routine for how I walk now. That's just so interesting."

And from Susan:

"This is how my body has grown younger. Feldenkrais Method® lessons have changed my whole understanding of aging and my options for the future. Sciatica is a memory, and my left shoulder, unknotted, my feet confident on uneven ground, and long drives are easy again. What I love about this work is that it is so respectful. "

I remind my students that we never do anything without all of our "parts"--coordination of our physical sensations, thoughts, feelings and life experience lessons. Therefore, we always bring our entire self to anything that we do. We are simply not conscious of all of those parts every single moment.

Move better, feel better, live better

2. Enhance your quality of life, including a sense of possibility, wonder, and curiosity. Respectful support as you learn new options for movement can help your deeper sense of yourself, such as a part of you that is grieving or anxious. Patterns take hold in us and become normalized to some degree. Integrating your experiences happens as your movement changes to a more fluid, more connected, and more whole reality.

   
   

   Additionally, when you are healing from an injury, accident, or surgery. Feldenkrais lessons offer a good complement with therapies, both physical, psychological and emotional.

"The Feldenkrais experience has been a healing one, not just in lessening physical pain, but it has also been a balm in my grieving process.." --Patricia

Mindfulness has been part of my life for a while so it seems natural to have joined an 8 week class and eventually one-on-one sessions with Mary. Feldenkrais learning came into my life at a time when I was dealing with emotional loss as well as health issues. The self-care that started in the communal sessions and continued in the private ones helped me understand that my body is not my enemy but instead an integral part of who I am. Working with Mary has taught me to listen, to trust, and to work with my body rather than to use it as a tool."  --Eva 

"Each lesson has taught me about the connection between my mind, body, and the environment around me. I have a new awareness about how I am feeling on a daily basis and have learned processes to help center myself. It is hard to put into words the positive impact of the Feldenkrais method in my life, but it inspires incredible belief in the potential of the mind and body to function more cohesively and efficiently to live more connected and pain free." ---J.G

Much physical discomfort originates with contracted musculature, overworking certain muscles and underutilizing others. We can break up those patterns and allow more even distribution of effort in daily life.

3. Take care of your brain. Learning the Feldenkrais Method way is very good for your brain and attention span because it is full of novelty, variety, shifting speeds, connecting the "dots" of how you move, interesting and surprising abilities that return or become available to you for the first time. Rejuvenation and restoration are available to us when we know how to tap into our natural processes.

"What I value the most from Mary’s class is the joy of mindfully and gently rediscovering how my body can move with a genuine sense of ease." --Jane

"Feldenkrais classes are helping me realize that I have physical, mental and personal resources that I never dreamed of!" --Katherine

"This is the one opportunity that I have during my week that is just for myself." ---Doug

"Ive been so very pleased with what I have learned in the three series I have taken. I find myself applying those experiences especially during very active visits with my grandson. Needless to say, the Feldenkrais Method has had a dramatic impact on my life." --Gail

"When someone asks me why I take Feldenkrais classes, I tell them it’s because it makes me feel so good. In group sessions we are encouraged to try what is best for ourselves in a non-judgmental space. Gentle mindful movements are used to explore safe and easy ways to move. Being aware of the movements helps me use my body in the best way I can. When I take an evening session I find I sleep really well that night. When I take a morning session, my day is clearer and brighter. Mary is a wonderful teacher. Take a class when you can--you’ll be glad you did!" ---Ruth

How to Begin

Visit my contact page to begin the communication process.

You will receive a free phone consultation before you register, which will help clarify goals and interests.

Through movement and attention, you learn to be attuned to ease, less effort, more freedom and possibility.