Feldenkrais in Haringey

Feldenkrais classes in Haringey.

New year, new class? I have in fact been doing Feldenkrais classes for a number of years, but I would like to tell you about them now. Moshe Feldenkrais was a near contemporary of Frederick Alexander and Joseph Pilates and all three methods have similarities. Feldenkrais concentrates on developing awareness of oneself in space (a sixth sense called proprioception) in order to improve functions such as standing, walking, and all the sports and physical arts. In classes the teacher guides you through simple (or outlandish, the possibilities are endless) movements, giving you time to pay attention to what parts of you are mobilised to accomplish the movement. Are you using more force than you need? Are parts of you interfering with smooth movement? Should other parts of you be involved and helping?

Take the hugely complex movement of walking: you can pay attention to the looseness or otherwise of your hip joints, the connexion between the legs and the pelvis and the spine and the rib cage (and the head and the feet). You walk with the whole body.

A lot of activities involve the whole body, see pianists playing, their whole body moves. The dentist’s back is supporting their arm and hand.

Classes are suitable for all, developing awareness through movement helps people to function better, whatever their starting point. I have found it hugely helpful for example in walking long distances with ease. I might end a lesson having found much greater ease in doing a particular movement compared to the start, not by ‘trying harder’ but by exploring possibilities with attention. Endless source of fun.

In Haringey we are lucky to have at least two practitioners not far from Harringay: Victoria Worsley http://www.feldenkraisworks.co.uk

And Lynda Jessopp http://www.movementaware.co.uk

The next available series of classes are in Crouch End YMCA, Fridays 1.30-2.30. There are other days and times on zoom.