Page 171 - Total War on PTSD

old habits up until we acquire a better way of moving to replace the old. Dr. Feldenkrais said, “In order to change our mode of action, we must change the image of ourselves that we carry within us.”
Feldenkrais lessons direct attention to qualities of sensation, such as how we allow the floor to support us, skeletal support, ease of movement, the sense of the physical dimensions of the body, and how body parts move through space. Having more ways to sense your body gives you more choice in how to move.
Feldenkrais practitioners guide clients in revisiting developmental paths, such as how to roll and crawl. We explore functional themes, such as coming to stand from sitting. We look at movement from different perspectives. We explore what is it like to roll the pelvis while lying on the back, in sitting, and in standing. We bring lost or spastic areas into a person’s awareness. Many people hold their pelvis rigid so it is unable to support the spine and head. We help people to breath more easily and fully.
Both group and individual lessons are often done lying down. This is to reduce the load on the nervous system and puts us in a different relationship with gravity. By doing lessons in a non-habitual orientation to gravity, we have a chance to address aspects of ourselves that are too locked into postural habits. This allows us to explore new options safely.
These explorations build sensory-motor patterns, introduce variety into behavior and promote dynamic stability. You can move from experiencing disability to experiencing ability.
Two Ways of Doing The Feldenkrais Method Awareness Through Movement
In Awareness Through Movement or ATM group classes, practitioners verbally guide students through movement sequences that help them learn to move their bodies more intelligently. Practitioners don’t demonstrate the movement; they encourage students to
171 of 1042